Topic Summaries

Preparing for an oral presentation

IGCSE > English Language > CIE > IGCSE English Language Topic Summaries > WRITING SKILLS: Persuasive writing skills > Preparing for an oral presentation
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VOCABULARY

  1. Read the draft of your speech aloud while timing yourself. This will help you work out whether you’re within the time limits. Do this a couple of times just in case, and remember that you’ll probably speak faster on the day, so it’s better to be closer to the maximum time limit than the minimum.
  2. Find places in your speech where you can do the following:

    • Look up and address the audience directly

    • Slow down your words for dramatic effect

    • Use hand gestures to punctuate what you are saying

    • Make eye contact with the audience

    • Change your tone of voice (e.g. get angrier, softer, more optimistic)

    • Use a ‘power pause’ (i.e. stay silent for a few seconds after you’ve made a really powerful point)

    • Make your voice louder (but not too loud – just enough to emphasise something)

    • Change your facial expression or body language

    • Use a prop or visual aid (only if your teacher allows it)

  3. Transfer your speech onto cue cards or ‘palm cards’ that fit into the palm of your hands. If you are a very confident public speaker, or if you want to memorise your speech, you can just transfer bullet point reminders rather than the whole speech word-for-word. However, if you’re a nervous speaker or worried you might forget something, you can write it all out!
  4. Annotate your cue cards with reminders to yourself to “slow down”, “look up”, or “use an angry tone” so that you make sure to incorporate this into your delivery.
  5. Practise reading your cue cards aloud, time yourself, and check for any extra opportunities to add things from the list above.
  6. Get a friend or family member to listen to you practise your speech and have them give you feedback. They don’t have to have the expertise or specialist knowledge of an English teacher – just ask them if they’ve understood your ideas, or if you spoke at the right pace and volume.

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