MYC08 Coaching for the Speech Contest
Here's my presentation from the 2008 Midyear Conference. If you have any questions please contact me at deant1984@yahoo.com. My apologies for the lack of written examples- I said them during the presentation but didn't write them down.
Good afternoon. My name is Tristen Dean. I’m the ALT at Aikawa High School. This is one of my JTE’s, Naoya Nanba. Today, we are going to talk about coaching speech contests and many other topics. Our time is short and we have a lot of material to cover so let’s get started. Mr. Nanba, can you get us started by explaining the criteria for judging a contest?
Sure. There are many contests in Akita Prefecture and most if not all are slightly different from each, but for the most part the judges are looking for similar things in all of the presentations, but keep in mind to consult each contest’s rules before you begin coaching the students. Generally, there are two different kinds of speech competitions. One is the recitation contest and the other is a student-generated composition/recitation contest. First, let me tell you what the judges are looking for in the recitation contest. Nearly half of the points given to a student come from pronunciation or vocal points. The vocal points are typically divided between the categories of fluency, vocal variety, oral quality, and comprehensibility. Let me explain each of these in detail. ü Fluency is proper syllable stress. An example of correct syllable stress is in the word ‘next.’ Students typically have difficulty with this because there is no ‘xt’ sound in Japanese so they say it ネクスト, which of course is not proper English. Students shouldn’t overstress certain words. Have them practice pronunciation with you many times and eventually they will be able to say it smoothly and relaxed. ü Fluency is also intonation. Students all too often forget to intone English, leaving a very flat and boring tone when they speak English. English just like Japanese is not flat and lifeless. Make sure that students show differences between question sentences, statement sentences, and sentences that contain a lot of emotion (hatred, disgust, happiness, sadness, et cetera). ü Fluency is also rhythm. Having rhythm is not keeping one rhythm constant throughout a speech; rather, it’s varying the rhythm throughout the speech. If it were just one constant rhythm, the speech is going to be very boring to listen to. Let’s move on to vocal variety. ü Vocal variety is divided between pitch, speed, and pause. Many of these can be considered part of rhythm. ü Once again the judges want to see a varied use of pitch, speed, and pause. Students must show the subtle differences between each sentence in their speeches, and they also must show the emotions implicit in their speeches and they can show these emotions by lowering/raising the pitch and speed of their sentences. ü Tristen, can you give some examples of vocal variety? Example: Sure. Here’s one. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She worked very hard saving the lives of many children. Even though she died in 1997, her students and pupils are working all over the world. Next, let me tell you about oral quality. ü Oral quality is volume and clarity of the speech. ü Students should be easily heard and easily understood. It’s very important for them to speak loud enough so that the audience and the judges can hear them. Many contest do not have microphones for the students so the students must speak loudly in order to be heard. A good way to develop clarity and excellent volume is to practice with the student in a large room (e.g. the gym, the cafeteria, or a large classroom) and have them present their speech while you stand on the other side and observe.
The students with the least amount of mistakes, excellent pronunciation, intonation, and syllabic stress, along with varied expression of rhythm, vocal pitch, and overall comprehensibility are typically the top finishers in the contest. These students have practiced a lot with their ALT’s and JTE’s. Of course, any student that works hard, practices properly and gives a sincere effort can attain excellence. This is a great opportunity to get your ALT involved and they can teach the student natural and relaxed pronunciation.
The other half of the judging criteria is divided between gestures and proper delivery. This is typically the non-vocal components or expression points of the speech. So, Tristen, what are some of the non-vocal aspects of the speech? Some of the expression points the judges are looking for are confidence in delivery, overall memorization, proper gestures, eye contact, poise, posture, and emotional expression. Let me explain these a wee bit further. ü The judges want to see a confident speech delivered. The student should be confident and well acquainted with his/her speech, and should demonstrate this to the judge. Being a little nervous is okay. We all get nervous when we have to give a presentation- I know I’m a little nervous now. However, nervousness shouldn’t control the student. A student should give a strong, robust, and confident presentation. ü Some contests don’t require the student to memorize their speeches. It’s in my opinion that a fully memorized speech is far superior to one read from a piece of paper. If a student memorizes a speech and practices it they will have better non-verbal expression (i.e. eye-contact, gestures, and poise) than if they were glancing now and then at the notes on the podium. Students that memorize their speeches have nothing to distract them, and nothing to rely on. Depending on the student’s ability at memorizing, the amount of time before the contest, and the contest rules all dictate whether the student can memorize the speech or have notes with them. I leave that up to you to decide. ü Gestures are another important aspect of the speech. Gestures should be natural, controlled, and appropriate to the speech’s contest. Students should base their gestures on how real people gesture while speaking. They shouldn’t be overboard and over-exaggerated. Keep in mind that gestures are there to help the presentation, not take away from it, or dominate the speech. If the gesture looks bizarre or strange don’t do it. Keep it natural. ü Students should have excellent eye contact with the audience and especially the judges. The students should devote at least half of their time to looking at the judges eyes- judges love to see this. Students should have a natural glance that slowly wanders to and fro across the room. The student should not look at the podium, the ceiling, the sidewall or the back wall. They should look at their audience. ü Student should also have good posture and should not be leaning on the podium or anything in front of them. They should stand up straight and have their hands in front of them. They shouldn’t fidget or play with their hands during the speech.
I think the best thing to remember when advising your students on expression is to keep all gestures natural, controlled, and appropriate to the speech. I’ve seen many students use no gestures or they use too many gestures that detract from their speeches. Try to find the middle ground between these extremes.
Next, let me explain the differences between the composition and the recitation contests.
In a composition contest, the participant is typically judged half on the content of their speech and half on their vocal points, and non-vocal points. Since the composition contents are half of the points for the judging criteria, it’s very important that the student have a thought-out, well-supported, flowing, and comprehensible composition.
Many students have difficulty getting started writing their compositions. So have them first write out a draft in basic Japanese and then have them translate it into English. Of course, their English translation isn’t going to be perfect, so it’s okay to have the ALT or JTE help out. By helping out I mean having the student and teacher fix it together. The student must learn something from this experience and if the JTE/ALT simply corrects the translation, then the student will learn nothing from it. Remember to keep the English basic and simple- have the ALT help out with this. You should do this, because other students should be able to understand this speech.
Just like an essay the thesis statements of the speech should be thought-out, well supported by points, and the essay should be understandable and have a logical flow of arguments. Topics and thesis statements should be interesting and not clichéd. Judges like to see unique and dynamic topics that are outside the usual topics. Speeches should also have a strong introduction and conclusion.
Here are some examples of bad compositions with bad flow of arguments.
I want to become a doctor in the future to help save people. World hunger is a real problem in our world.
I want to go over some of the preparations before the contest begins.
I believe that students should enter the contest of their own will. They shouldn’t be forced to participate if they don’t want to. And they definitely should not be forced to represent their school based solely on the principle that they are the only ones capable of entering the contest. Participation should be voluntary not mandatory. If you force a student to do something that they don’t want to do, then they are going to be less willing to do their best, and they definitely won’t take it as seriously as someone that chose to do it. Students must learn to become individuals and do things on their own. There is a famous English saying: “You cannot force a horse to drink water, if it doesn’t want to.” The same can be said about forcing students to do something that they don’t want to do.
I suggest making up flyers calling for volunteers and distributing them throughout the school. If you have too many students that want to participate, have a drawing of names or drawing of straws to see who gets to represent their school. If you have trouble finding willing participants, then talk students up and motivate them through face-to-face contact. Encourage them that it is a fun and rewarding activity and that it will not only improve their English, but also their public speaking abilities.
Once you have some willing students then you can begin preparing them for the contest.
Let me now talk a little about choosing the proper recitation for students in the recitation portion of the contest. It’s very important to aid the student in choosing a proper, and doable recitation that is suitable to their abilities. So if a student has trouble pronouncing “v” sounds, don’t choose a recitation with a lot of words that begin with the letter or contain the letter “v.”
Before you begin practicing with the student have the ALT make a voice recording or video recording of the speech being presented properly with good pronunciation, suitable gestures, eye contact, rhythm, flow, and posture. Make a copy for the student and give it to them. This gives them something to refer to and mimic.
Once you have these things completed you can begin practicing for the contest.
Thanks, Nanba-sensei for that info. I’m going to talk about the ideal practice routine and schedule for the speech competition. Before I start though, I want to emphasize a couple key points that are highly important. 1. Make a schedule, and set up realistic goals for the student, and make them stick to them. Until the English speech competition is finished, English is the top priority, not club activities. This is one of the few times that English should and must take precedent. 2. Have the ALT or JTE practice with the student a little bit (thirty minutes) every day. Doing little by little over an extended period of time is far more practical and efficient than trying to cram all of it in a week or two. Do not have the student practice over the thirty-minute limit. If you do, you will tire them out, and the practice shall cease to be a practice, and will become mindless and worthless that will bore you and the student. 3. Keep the practices serious. Practice time at school is a simulation for the actual contest, not a time to memorize or mess around. All memorization should be done outside of school, at home. 4. Have the student keep a journal of their progress and their goals. This gives them a reference point and shows them their progress. It also gives them confidence, since they can see their progress. 5. Make sure that the students doing the recitation contest know the meanings of their pieces. This will help them to understand the emotions and feelings of what they are memorizing. Students just like actors need to know their motivation in order to act out something.
Okay those are my main points that I think are highly important. Let me move on with the ideal practice routine.
I think starting a month before the contest is the best. For the first week have the student practice reading and pronouncing the words with the ALT/JTE. After the first week, have the student begin memorizing sections of the recitation/composition. As they memorize, introduce gestures, intonation, emotions and other things. Have them take notes on this and have them present it to the rest of the participants. Afterwards, give them advice and comments on their presentations and have them record it in their journals.
Gradually the student will completely memorize the entire speech complete with gestures. Ideally, this should be done a week before the contest. Have them present it in front of a mock audience- the other participating students work great. This relaxes the student and lessens their nervousness. After a couple days of simulated practice, videotape the student and have them watch themselves. Analyze what needs to be fixed or improved and have them practice those weak points for the competition.
On the day before the contest, have the student only present their speech once. After all they only have one chance in the contest. I must emphasize this: do not over practice and drain the student. If they have been diligently practicing and have memorized their entire speech they will not need to practice a lot on the day before the contest. Tell the student to go to bed a little early, and eat a good breakfast on the day of the contest. Also, tell them to practice only a little before the contest. If possible, have the ALT/JTE that has been working with the student accompany the student to the contest. This will help the students’ confidence and lessen their nervousness. Don’t try to change the student’s performance or style on the day of the performance. If they have practiced for a month solid they will do their best.
That’s all the time we have for presenting. If anyone has questions please feel free to ask. Thank you.
Here's the handout that I passed to the attendees.
Coaching Students for English Speech Competitions
Tristen Dean and Naoya Nanba (Aikawa High School)
I. Judging Criteria for the Contests
A) Recitation Contest-Students are judged on vocal points and expression points (non-verbal/vocal).
1) Vocal Points- Nearly half of the points awarded to the student come from this section, so it’s very important. These are the verbal (vocal) components of the speech.
i. Fluency- Students should have proper syllable stress. Their pronunciation should be relaxed and smooth. They should also have natural intonation (no flat, boring, mono-tone English). Students should show emotions (hate, happiness, sadness, et cetera) through their intonation. Students should also have a varied rhythmic recitation (sometimes slow and deliberate, and other times fast).
ii. Vocal Variety- Judges are looking for varied and effective use of vocal pitch, speed, and pauses.
iii. Oral Quality and Comprehensibility- Students should have clear and audible speeches. They should be easily heard and easily understood by the entire audience. Students should naturally, without the aid of a microphone, speak loudly.
2) Expression Points- the other half of the points awarded to the student come from this section. These are non-verbal components of the speech.
i. Confidence- The judges want to see a confident speech presented. The student should be in control of the speech and not let their nervousness control them. Students should deliver a strong, robust speech full of confidence.
ii. Memorization- Depending on the rules of the contest, and the amount of time at hand all dictate whether the student must memorize the speech or not. Be sure and consult the rules. A fully memorized speech is far superior to one read, but be realistic about your students’ abilities at memorizing.
iii. Gestures- Gestures should be natural, controlled, and appropriate to the speech’s content. They shouldn’t be exaggerated or overboard. Remember gestures are supposed to contribute to the speech, not detract from it.
iv. Eye-Contact- Students should maintain good eye contact with the audience and especially the judges. They shouldn’t stare at the ceiling, back wall, floor, or podium.
v. Posture- Students shouldn’t lean on the podium. They should stand up straight and have a relaxed posture.
B) Composition Contest- Students are judged on the content of their speech and the vocal and non-vocal points of their compositions.
1) Content- Half of the points awarded to the student come from this section. The student should have a thought-out, organized, well-supported, logically flowing and comprehensible composition. Introductions, conclusions, and topics/thesis statements should be strong
i. Getting Started- If the student has difficulty selecting a topic suggest a topic or have them write on something that they are passionate about. If they can’t write it in English, have them write it in basic Japanese and work with the student to translate it into English. The student must learn something from the experience, so DO NOT TRANSLATE FOR THEM.
II. Recruiting Volunteer Participants for the Contest
A) Participation should be voluntary not mandatory or forced upon unwilling students.
B) Make flyers.
C) Remind students often about the upcoming contest.
D) Personally approach enthusiastic students and ask them if they would be interested in participating.
III. Preparations for the Contest
A) Choosing the proper recitation- Carefully choose a recitation that best fits the student’s speaking ability.
B) Record the recitation/composition- If possible, make either a video recording or sound recording of the speech/recitation. If possible, have the ALT do this. This recording serves as a reference for the student.
IV. Key Points Regarding the Practice Routine for the Contest
1) Make a schedule, and set up realistic goals for the student, and make them stick to them. Until the English speech competition is finished, English is the top priority, not club activities. This is one of the few times that English should and must take precedent.
2) Have the ALT or JTE practice with the student a little bit (no more than thirty minutes) every day. Doing little by little over an extended period of time is far more practical and efficient than trying to cram all of it in a week or two. Do not have the student practice over the thirty-minute limit. If you do, you will tire them out, and the practice shall cease to be a practice, and will become mindless and worthless that will bore you and the student.
3) Keep the practices serious. Practice time at school is a simulation for the actual contest, not a time to memorize or mess around. All memorization should be done outside of school, at home.
4) Have the student keep a journal of their progress and their goals. This gives them a reference point and shows them their progress. It also gives them confidence, since they can see their progress.
5) Make sure that the students doing the recitation contest know the meanings of their pieces. This will help them to understand the emotions and feelings of what they are memorizing. Students just like actors need to know their motivation in order to act out something.
V. The Ideal Practice Routine
A) Ideal preparation time- Starting one-month prior to the contest is the best, if possible.
B) The first week- After the student has watched the video or listened to the voice recording of their recitation/composition, have them practice reading aloud their pieces. Be sure and correct any mistakes. If the student progresses quickly, have them begin memorizing sections of their speech/composition along with the appropriate gestures and other vocal and expression points. Make sure that they take notes of these things or they will forget.
C) The second week- Once the student has at least one-third of their piece committed to memory, have them practice reciting it from memory. If you have other students participating, have them, too, practice reciting it. These other participants can serve as the audience. After they present, give them comments and advice and have them record this information in their journals.
D) The third week- The student should have at least two-thirds of the speech committed to memory. As the week comes to a close they should have the whole speech memorized- maybe not perfectly.
E) The final week before the contest- The last week should be spent polishing up any mistakes and correcting any major flaws in presentation. Sometime during the last week, videotape the student presenting their speech, and afterwards show the student the video and have them analyze their own performance. Afterwards, practice to correct these mistakes.
1) The last day of practice- Have the student present their speech only once- after all they only have one chance at the contest. DO NOT OVERPRACTICE!!! If the student has been diligently practicing over the past month they will do their best, but don’t drain them by practicing for hours on end. Tell the student to eat a nice dinner, go to bed early, and eat a big breakfast the morning of the contest.
F) The day of the contest- If possible, go to the contest with the student- this makes them more at ease. Before the contest, have the student practice ONLY A WEE BIT. Do not try and change anything about the speech before the contest. The student will do his/her best.
G) Relax and enjoy watching your student recite their piece.
