Giving a Speech

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Giving a Speech

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

anxious

Adjective

ˈæŋkʃəs

feeling worried or nervous

He is feeling anxious about his job interview.

She's anxious because today is her big wedding day.

I'm getting more and more anxious about my job.

I feel anxious when I go to the dentist.

She doesn't answer my call. I'm getting anxious.

collapse

Verb

kəˈlæps

to fall down

The building collapsed during a storm.

Their marriage completely collapsed.

Financial scandals caused the company to collapse.

The stock market crash caused the economy to collapse.

A massive earthquake in Nepal has caused thousands of buildings to collapse.

audience

Noun

ˈɔːdiːəns

the group of people who have gathered to watch or listen to something (e.g. a play, concert, speech)

The audience is enjoying the show.

There was a huge audience at the outdoor concert.

I feel nervous when I perform in front of a large audience.

The chairman is speaking on the stage to an audience of hundreds.

Many comedians include the audience in their performances.

The audience was delighted with the band's performance.

persuade

Verb

pərˈsweɪd

to convince somebody to do something

I am trying to persuade my colleague to help me.

He persuaded her to sign the deal.

I persuaded my parents to let me attend the rock concert.

He finally persuaded her to go on a date with him.

My dad tried to persuade me to give up buying a motorcycle.

I don't know how to persuade her to come with us on vacation.

I need to persuade my mom to allow me to join the training abroad because I really want to learn more and live in another country.

reaction

Noun

riːˈækʃən

what you do, say or think as a result of something that has happened

Her reaction to the news was quite negative.

She gave a surprised reaction.

Frankly, his reaction to the news was not what I expected.

Though the new model of automobile exceeded previous performance standards, it got a negative reaction from test drivers.

shake off

Phrasal Verb

ʃeɪk ɔːf

to get rid of something; to overcome

It didn't take long for the young singer to shake off his nerves.

intellectual

Noun

ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl

a highly educated and intelligent person

Noam Chomsky is a well-known intellectual.

self-esteem

Noun

self eˈstiːm

a feeling of satisfaction with your own character and abilities

Experts say that cyber bullying can lead to depression and low self-esteem.

speech

Noun

spiːtʃ

a formal talk that a person gives to an audience

His speeches are always very long.

He gave an interesting speech.

topic

Noun

ˈtɑːpɪk

a subject that you talk, write or learn about

Today's meeting will cover several important topics.

The topic of their conversation is their new cell phones.

skyrocket

Verb

ˈskaɪˌrɑːkɪt

to abruptly increase

Income inequality in the state has skyrocketed.

Due to prolonged dry weather, commodity prices started to skyrocket.

Housing prices in this area have skyrocketed since last year.

The price of the company's stock skyrocketed after they announced the merger.

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor.

Lauren has just given a speech to the local film society.
	Hannah Hey Lauren, your speech was fantastic! The audience loved you!
	Lauren Really? I was too stressed to even notice the crowd's reaction. I felt so anxious I thought I was going to collapse.
	Hannah Well you can shake it off now, because you did wonderfully. You really persuaded me that we all need to support the film society. If we don't get more members soon we're going to go broke.
	Lauren Come on, I wasn't that good...
	Hannah Don't have such low self-esteem. Falling membership is a big problem for the film society. You found a way to approach the topic that was honest and reasonable.
	Lauren Do you think it will make much of a difference?
	Hannah I don't think that numbers will skyrocket or anything like that. But it'll have an impact. I'm definitely going to tell my friends to join up after hearing your speech.
	Lauren Thanks. I was really worried that I was trying to be intellectual, but I just sounded silly.
	Hannah Not at all. You came across as thoughtful and persuasive. I'm sure everyone else in the film society really appreciated it.
	Lauren Thanks, Hannah. You're a good friend.

Check your understanding:

Why did Lauren not notice the crowd's reaction to her speech?

What was the goal of Lauren's speech?

What's Hannah going to do after hearing Lauren's speech?

Exercise 3

Role Play

Role-play the following situation with your tutor.

Situation

Your friend has to deliver a speech on a certain topic. He/she is very worried and does not know what to say. The topic is ‘pollution.’ Help your friend think of things to say and calm him/her before the speech. Your teacher will play the role of your worried friend.

Exercise 4

Discussion

Have you ever given a speech or a presentation? If so, what was it like?

How do you feel when giving a speech or a presentation?

Do you like being at the center of attention? Why? Why not?

Do you think self-esteem is important?

What topic would you feel most comfortable speaking about in front of an audience?