Programmes / Communication / Public Speaking for Secondary Students
Public Speaking Workshop for Secondary School Students
Most secondary students are not short of things to say. They hold back because they are afraid of making a fool of themselves, would rather blend in than stand out, or are not sure their point is worth making.
Our public speaking workshop treats speaking as a skill that can be taught: through real opportunities to speak, honest feedback and techniques that work. Students spend most of the session on their feet.
What Secondary Students Practise
Their voice
Students learn to project so the back of the room can hear them, and to cut the fillers they did not know they were using. In one exercise they try to speak for a full minute without a single filler. They also practise pacing, using pauses on purpose, and enunciating clearly without putting on an accent.
Their eyes, posture and hands
Students take turns as newscasters, practising eye contact while working from a script. They then present a weather forecast using only their gestures to bring it to life. Posture and movement are practised in the same way.
Their words, voice and body together
We use the 3Vs of communication, verbal, vocal and visual, so students can see which part of their delivery is helping the message and which part is getting in the way.
Speaking without a script
Students learn a simple structure for organising their thoughts in a few seconds, and then try it on the spot in short impromptu speeches, with feedback from their peers and coaches.
Speaking So That People Understand
A student can speak fluently and with real confidence, and still leave a room unsure of what they asked for. We teach students to aim for understanding, not just delivery, using One Point, One Listener, One Check:
One Point: say the single idea the room should keep in one sentence.
One Listener: shape the message for the people actually in front of you.
One Check: confirm it landed before you leave the room.
Students also learn something no slide can teach: leaning in when you speak signals that you are genuinely interested in the people you are speaking to. That willingness to connect builds trust.
Facing the Fear of Speaking
Fear of public speaking is common, and nothing to be ashamed of. Students look at where their own fear comes from, and then build confidence in small steps, starting with a short self-introduction to a partner and working up to speaking in front of the group.
We do not tell students "you've got this" and send them on stage. We give them a plan, the chance to practise it, and feedback they can use the next time.
What Schools Have Seen
One secondary school ran its Secondary 1 public speaking programme with us for its whole cohort four years in a row. Secondary 2 student leaders at another school said afterwards: "It was very enriching and allowed me to put the new skills i learnt into practice!"
How Our Public Speaking Workshops Run
Every session follows the Leaven Learning Cycle, our adaptation of David Kolb's experiential learning cycle: experience, reflection, insight, behaviour and consequence. Theory sits inside the reflection, not in front of it.
Who it is for
Whole cohorts, so every student gets a foundation in speaking
Student leaders who speak to peers, teachers and outside audiences
Selected students preparing for presentations, assemblies or competitions
Formats
Half-day workshops of 3 to 4 hours
Multi-session programmes across a term, with practice between sessions
Formats designed around your school calendar
Questions Schools Ask About Public Speaking Workshops
Do students have to speak in front of everyone?
Yes, but not straight away. Students build up from pairs to small groups to the whole room, so the first time they face the group they have already practised.
Can a whole cohort take part?
Yes. We plan the number of coaches to the size of the cohort, so every student gets time to speak and receive feedback.
Do you also train primary or polytechnic students?
Yes. Our communication workshops are customised for primary, secondary, junior college, ITE and polytechnic students. See our communication workshops.
Related Programmes
Plan a Public Speaking Workshop
Tell us which level your students are at and what they need to speak for. We will design the workshop around it.