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SPEECH PREPARATION
Step 1: What are you going to talk about?
Answer the following questions.
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How do your paper and project connect?
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What emotions did you experience as you
worked through the paper and product/process? (anger, excitement, pride,
frustration)
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What problems did you encounter? (money,
time management, skill) Explain.
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What personal growth did you gain from the
paper and product/process? What self-knowledge did you gain? What knowledge
of your topic did you gain?
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How did the Project affect your plans for the
future? Explain.
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What Project advice would you pass on to next
year’s seniors?
Step 2: How am I going to say this? Use
the answers to the questions above as references.
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Organization – jot down your ideas on
separate 3 x 5 index cards and arrange them into order that is logical.
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Slip blank cards into spaces where a visual
aid is needed or would be appreciated.
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Add blank cards for the introduction and
conclusion.
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If you have a product that can be displayed,
jot down your ideas for that display on another card, e.g., photographs.
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Plan your introduction. The introduction
should:
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Grab the audience’s attention.
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Make the topic’s thesis clear (be sure to
mention both paper and product/process).
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Take no more than 60 seconds.
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Plan your conclusion. A good conclusion
should:
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Restate topic/thesis.
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Leave the audience thinking.
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Take no more than 30 seconds.
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Plan the display of your Project. Will it be
an on-going, integral part of your speech, such as a slide show? Part of your
introduction? Happen after your conclusion? Will you wear it? Sit on it?
Serve up samples? (Avoid distributing items during your speech – this causes
too much distraction.)
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Plan your visual aids. Two types should be
included.
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Make sure your Faculty Advisor knows what
equipment you will need.
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Look at each idea card and fill in details,
colorful anecdotes, and factual information.
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Place all cards back in order and begin
practicing your speech.
Step 3: Speech techniques to remember.
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Eye contact – This is extremely important.
Practice often enough so that you rarely need to look at your cards. Remember
this is a friendly audience. Your peers and your judges are pulling for you.
You need the reinforcement that their encouraging expressions will give you.
Look at them. True communication happens with the eyes. A speech without eye
contact is only half a speech.
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Posture – Stand proud. You have a right to
be. You have accomplished a great deal. Avoid:
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Gripping the podium.
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Locking your knees – you’ve come too far to
faint now.
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Twitching, wiggling, and shaking.
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Voice – your voice needs to:
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Be loud enough to be heard.
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Vary appropriately in pitch and tone.
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Gesture – Use your hands to help you make
your point. Gestures should be natural and spontaneous, not choreographed and
mechanical.
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Props (audio-visuals) – Plan and practice
using any prop or audio-visual you will need during the presentation.
Step 4: Prepare for questions.
Of course, there is no way to know for sure
what the panel members will ask you, but you can make some educated guesses and
that process will provide you with the confidence and clear-headedness to take
on any question. Answer the following brainstorming questions.
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If you were a judge listening to your speech,
what would you want to know?
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What would you like people to ask?
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What unusual qualities does your Project have
that might spark interest?
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What part of your paper might make people
curious?
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What controversial topics, if any, do you
touch on?
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What possessed you to choose this topic?
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Who helped?
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How did you finance it?
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How much time did you spend?
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Does the Project double as credit for another
class?
Your Senior Project presentation should be the
peak of your high school career. Your audience will be small and supportive.
You will be well prepared. This is your chance to show off, to shine. Enjoy!!
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