Public Speaking
Public Speaking is a crucial life skill that can benefit people at high school and university and in their professional life (and even social life). One of the longest-running programs at SmartQuad is designed to develop student's public speaking skills. Students involved in this program write a speech about a topic of their choice, and they have to present it within a designated time. Needless to say, the student's grade level and cognitive abilities are taken into consideration, and the feedback is always constructive.
The amount of time each student has to present their speech also varies depending on the speaker's age. As a rule, preschoolers and first-grade students have to speak for approximately 30 seconds to one minute. Students from 2nd to 4th grade have 1 to 2 minutes to complete their presentations. And students from 5th to 8th grade have to speak for 1 to 3 minutes each.
In addition, students from the third grade and up have access to a public speaking event called "table topics." While in the previous scenario students had to present the topic they had worked on beforehand, during this event, they have to improvise and give spontaneous answers to the questions they have not seen before (however to minimize the pressure,the amount of time they need to spend addressing each topic is shorter).
These so-called table topics are designed to test the general knowledge of our students, encourage social interaction, and develop impromptu speaking skills. During the event, a student is given a specific topic by one of the mentors, and they have to speak about it without any prior preparation. The duration of the answer typically ranges from 30 seconds to one minute, and after each answer has been given,students are provided with constructive feedback that highlights their mistakes for future consideration but at the same time does not discourage them from speaking out in the future events.
This exercise is especially beneficial for those students for whom English is a second language. And even though the lessons are free, the knowledge they provide is truly priceless.