Do you want to improve your students’ oral presentation skills in middle school? Speaking in front of groups is a part of most people’s lives, from presentations at work to stating one’s opinion at a public meeting.
However, with some people, public speaking is something that terrifies them. Having to stand up in front of a group of people and give a speech? It can be terrifying!
Helping your students become proficient and confident public speakers is one way to prepare them for success in life. Today, let’s discuss how you can improve your students’ oral presentation skills through five various teaching ideas.
5 Ideas to Improve Your Students’ Oral Presentation Skills
Idea One: Teach by Example
If you want to improve your students’ oral presentation skills, teach by example. For many students, learning by watching and listening to others as they do things is a very impactful method of instruction.
Here are a couple of ways to do this:
- When you give an oral presentation assignment, present an example yourself. Tell students what a good presentation will include and ask them to watch for it as you present. Discuss these things (and any mistakes you made) when you are done presenting.
- Utilize available videos on the Internet. There are lots of videos out there on YouTube and similar sites. Find videos of oral presentations similar to the presentation you are assigning or even ones that show good examples of specific skills you are trying to cultivate. Watch these (in part or full) and have students discuss what they see. On this same note, you can look for poor examples of these things and discuss the mistakes they see and how these mistakes impact the presentation.
You can also check out this article, How To Incorporate Oral Presentations Into Your ELA Program.
Idea Two: Present Often
When looking to improve your students’ oral presentation skills, it’s important that students practice and present often. Skills do not develop on their own; they must be practiced.
Give your students frequent opportunities to practice oral presentation skills. These opportunities can be formal or informal.
Here are ten ideas on how you can incorporate oral presentations into your teaching for middle school students:
- Have students debate their viewpoints about topics related to what you are teaching.
- Encourage students to present short summaries or reviews of books they’ve read through a short book talk. In this Book Talk Assignment, students can persuade their peers to read (or not read) a book.
- Students can research and present current events. Check out this article, 6 Fascinating Ideas For Teaching Current Events, to learn more about teaching current events.
- Have students present their findings and conclusions from science experiments they’ve conducted.
- Assign each student a historical figure to research and present to the class. In this Biography Symbolism Assignment, students research a person’s life, creating a life map. They can then present it to the class through an oral presentation. You might also want to read this article: 10 Ways To Develop Research Skills in Middle School Students.
- Have students create and present short stories or narratives.
- Let students create a video of a presentation through an assignment such as the Book Unboxing Assignment.
- Have students create TED-Ed style talks on topics of interest or related to the curriculum.
- Through this Rant Writing Unit, students could create a rant in the style of Rick Mercer. Since students love to rant to one another, turning it into an oral presentation can be a great way to improve your students’ oral presentation skills.
- After completing a unit or project, have students reflect on their learning journey and present their reflections to the class.
Regular practice will improve your students’ oral presentation skills and help them develop ease and comfort with public speaking, making them better presenters.
Idea Three: Provide Variety
To improve your students’ oral presentation skills, including a wide variety of types of oral presentations is important. This allows students to practice their skills in various situations and formats.
Additionally, some students will have an easier time with some types of presentations than others. By including variety, you not only allow students to practice in different situations but also give them a wider variety of situations in which to be successful.
If you would like to include a variety of presentations in your classroom but are unsure of where exactly to begin or don’t have time to create all the materials from scratch, check out Oral Presentations Bundle 1 or Bundle 2. They include various fun and engaging oral presentation projects ready for you to use in your classroom.
Idea Four: Incorporate Student Critique
Seeing other students speak and present gives students plentiful opportunities to learn from each other – from successes and mistakes. Having students actively offer constructive critiques of their classmates not only helps make sure students pay attention to their classmates but also offers constructive feedback to the presenter.
Some ways you can incorporate student critique include:
- Providing students with a structured rubric outlining the key components of an effective oral presentation, such as clarity, organization, eye contact, volume, and content.
- Creating peer evaluation forms where students can provide written feedback on their peers’ presentations. Include prompts or questions to guide students in their evaluation, such as:
- What was the main message of the presentation?
- What suggestions do you have for improvement?
- Dedicating class time for peer review sessions, where students can watch and evaluate each other’s presentations. Encourage them to take notes during presentations and provide feedback based on their observations.
- Turning students into peer coaches! Pair students up and assign them as presentation coaches for each other. Before the presentation, brainstorm tips for a great presentation with your students and have coaches follow the tips while observing their peers. After the presentations, have students discuss their observations and feedback with each other.
- Share (with permission) video examples of presentations from previous years and discuss why they were effective. Encourage students to use these examples as presentation benchmarks and learn from other students’ strengths.
Make sure that you model how to give constructive feedback by providing examples of both positive and negative criticism. Show students how to frame feedback in a specific and respectful way.
Idea Five: Encourage Self-Critique
Along with peer critique, self-critique is another great way to improve your students’ oral presentation skills. Self-reflection is an incredibly important skill to develop, and helping students reflect on their presentations is a great way to help develop this skill.
Having students specifically reflect upon what they did well and where they could improve after each presentation they give can help improve skills measurably. This can be done orally or in writing.
Another way to have students productively reflect upon their presentations is to have them record them and then view and respond to their performance. Because we do not always accurately perceive what we do and don’t do, watching ourselves on video can help us get a more accurate picture of our actual presentations.
Oral presentation and public speaking are incredibly important life skills to develop. By having students work on these skills regularly and deliberately, you can help them succeed not only in the classroom but also in the future.
Oral Presentation Skills Resources for Middle School
Are you seeking complete and comprehensive resources to improve your students’ oral presentation skills? Look no further! I have two oral presentation bundles with engaging and interesting assignments.
Oral Presentations Bundle 1
This bundle includes the following assignments:
- Current Events News Assignment: In this activity, students examine online or print news sources to report on a current event for their class.
- Hot Topics Class Debate Assignment: Students led their classmates through a class discussion on a “hot topic.”
- Book Talk Assignment: Students creatively review their book for the class.
- Rant Writing Unit: Students rant to each other daily; why not channel that creative energy into some high-quality writing? Rants are an engaging way for students to write and share their thoughts and opinions in the classroom.
Here’s what teachers have said about this bundle:
“This is a great bundle of activities for students to practice their oral communication skills. It includes everything you need from start to finish to get going. It is very helpful to clearly teach this strand of Language, as well as easy for differentiating.” – Simone M.
“This resource rocked. It helped me set the stage for getting my students talking and presenting on a regular basis. I will be using this one for a long time to come.” – Collin A.
You can get this Oral Presentations Bundle on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
Oral Presentations Bundle 2
This bundle includes the following assignments:
- Persuasive Pitch Assignment: Inspired by popular TV shows like “Shark Tank” and “Dragon’s Den,” this assignment is a hit among students. They will brainstorm ideas to improve their school, such as installing recycling bins or creating a snack program, and pitch their ideas to their classmates, acting as judges.
- Good News Assignment: Students are constantly exposed to the news in today’s world. It is essential to highlight current events and the positive happenings around us. In this assignment, students will search for uplifting news events and share them with the class through an oral presentation.
- Spoken Word Assignment: This assignment engages students by combining public speaking and authentic writing. Students plan, write, and present their spoken word poems, enabling them to express their thoughts and opinions creatively.
- Book Unboxing Assignment: This assignment aims to promote reading in your classroom by leveraging students’ love for social media and YouTube culture. Students will select 3-5 books they have read and “unbox” them for the class.
Here’s what teachers have said about this bundle:
“So engaging for students – they loved this! This resource made teaching and learning oral presentations so much fun. Highly recommend!” – Julie V.
“These oral assignments were very engaging for my students. They enjoyed the variety and relevant tasks. Thanks!” – Margaret B.
You can get this Oral Presentations Bundle 2 on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
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