While Public Speaking has not been defined in terms of national standards, speaking, listening and writing are often listed as content standards within Language Arts.
"I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve." - Patrick Henry.
With these words, the first verbal shots of democracy were fired in 1775. However, if Mr. Henry were enrolled in a gifted and talented class today, his teachers might find it difficult to find a curriculum that could help him learn how to speak freely and without reserve!
In the past, writing a speech has always been thought of as the duty of English and Reading classes only; however, all of today's research reports that these are skills that must be drilled in every class a gifted student attends - especially the maths and sciences. If they were in the business world, while they would be called upon early and often to make speeches, there are precious few professional opportunities to learn how to write a speech.
The key to writing a speech once students have their thesis is an understanding of process writing. Much the same way that math teachers send homework back for "re-do's," students have to get accustomed to the idea that a perfect speech is not going to flow from their pens or word processors every time they sit down to write. It takes several rewrites before a speech can really meet both their needs and the needs of their listeners.
Creating the rest of a speech becomes very much like the learning style exercises performed to create the thesis statement! Try to bring in as many supportive topics as possible to help the audience grasp meaning in the presentation.
