Personality and Public
Speaking
It’s
very rare to find a child who would NOT keep on chattering at home and lighten
up the atmosphere with his/her fantastic stories. Every parent loves
to hear the wonderful stories of their children and also want that their child
should take up the stage. This stage could be at school, family functions,
social gatherings or even a small close knit gathering.
But
not every child takes that little step to STAGE. It’s not because they CAN’T
TALK; rather it’s because that DON’T WANT To. “Each finger is not alike”, similarly every child is different, and
their personalities are different. Some kids are shy and reserved by nature
while some are outgoing and are ready to jump on any opportunity.
So
does that mean that shy and reserved kids will always be in their own shell?
Does it mean they will never step on the stage, never perform, and never give
any speech?
The
answer is NO. Kids can be motivated, developed and nurtured to stand up in
front of audience as per their liking and
interest.
What
parents need to understand is NOT TO PUSH too much, NOT TO PULL too much. Take
your child’s interests in consideration and then take small steps to help
him/her to talk in public. Don’t drag the child on a platform while he/she is
howling and crying and begging you not to take them on stage. It’s very
disturbing for them; their self esteem can be hurt in the process as they won’t
utter a word when all eyes are glued to them; when their own parents expect a
lot from them.
What
parents can do is ACCEPT their child’s nature
and slowly start involving the kid in small activities like welcoming guests,
receiving phone calls, participating in social gatherings like Ganesh festival
and Navratri. Once they develop the liking for the stage, they can start giving
it a try. Further the parents should understand that eventually the kid is not
extrovert by nature and hence may not fully open up.
School
teachers here play an important role in identifying shy kids and then
motivating them to speak. Putting them directly on a big stage would be a big
mistake. The teacher can start with
their own classroom, one quotation to be ready daily by everyone in front of
the class or one small story to be ready in front of the class. This can
help the kids to develop the confidence.
Now
coming to the point on HELPING KIDS IN
MAKING EFFCETIVE SPEECHES?
Independence
Day is coming up and schools are gearing up for the function. They want the
children to practice their speeches well in advance and give their best on the
D day. What we as parents can do is make this a FUN ACTIVITY.
How to write a
Speech?
There
are 6 simple steps in writing a good speech for kids
Speeches are NOT BORING
Speech
even though a monologue, the kid can be taught to use few tips (like using
quotes, stories) to make this an interesting piece.
The
first thing is making the child understand the TOPIC given to him or her. Giving a ready made speech won’t help the
child. Rather if you involve the child in gathering information, his/her
interest will be developed. Use internet, let the child find various facts
about the topic.
Eg: If the topic is Freedom Fighters
of India, let the kids find out the freedom fighters, let them choose which
ones to include in their speech. They can see videos (youtube is an excellent
platform) and decide.
Let
language be not the barrier, let kids use Hindi, English, Marathi or any
regional language.
SMALL SENTENCES are the key
Keep
the sentences short and simple. Long winding sentences with difficult words
will make it problematic for the child to read or memorize (if the child wants
to go without the script on stage).
First
let the child write in his/her own handwriting so that they get one chance to
revise while writing and also understand the concept.
Then
ask the child to read it in front of mirror and relatives or family friends.
This will give them the much needed confidence and also practice.
As
the saying goes, “Practice makes man perfect”, let the child read aloud and
practice it many times.
In
the end let this activity be a NON Pressure, FUN activity where mistakes are allowed, mistakes are corrected and
child is given an opportunity to simply come forward and speak.
At
PRAYAS the objective is to make the teachers understand that bringing shy kids out of the shell is much more important that
letting the bright kids get opportunities every time to make school functions
successful.
Let
the parents understand that every kid is a star in him/her and only needs to
come out of the shadow.
Remember
“Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss
it, you will land among the Stars”.
So
get going and make a speech. Record it on your phone and post in on our FB page
so that PRAYAS can help you in developing yourself and MAKING LEARNING FUN!
