Public Speaking Skills At Home
Parents can play games at home that will encourage public speaking, a skill that will come in handy later on in life. Let’s hope your kids don’t want to wade in the murky world of politics but if they do, they must be confident on the campaign trail.
Public speaking used to be human to human, the speaker addressing many people in a room. Centuries come and go and this century is digital. Kids are already familiar with video, which has been the unofficial teacher for quite some time now.
It’s only that parents don’t want to admit it because they regard reading and writing as the real education. Podcasts and YouTube are public speaking in a way, although it is talking to a camera.
It’s easier to build confidence in public speaking if kids accompany mom or dad to places where they address groups of people like conferences, sports or training sessions. What kids do in public is what they do at home.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s kids are one example of kids behaving badly in public. They don’t seem to be growing up together in one household, probably have separate play areas and child minders.
Public speaking games at home can be fun and educational. Kids rearrange chairs; there’s a microphone somewhere, they write a programme by hand or print it if there is a home printer. Before all this activity, kids decide the topic, and workshop it with parents, stressing the following:
l Time limit, speakers are always given a time limit.
l Parents advise about greeting audience.
l Focus, stick to the message to hold audience attention.
l Eye contact, speaker must look at the audience although it’s mum, dad and grandparents.
Home is the off-shore school that complements the brick and mortar building, ten minutes away. Public speaking skills separate kids from school bullies, who speak to intimidate and humiliate.
By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
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