Let Them Speak While You Speak

Proverbs 15:22 NLT Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.

Interactive Public Speaking is highly effective with youth and young adults. It helps keep them engaged in the message by allowing them to participate rather than limiting them to being a spectator.

What is it?

Interactive Speaking is facilitated by the presenter with open ended questions asked to the audience allowing them opportunity to speak into the topic discussed.

The Advantages

Giving opportunities for students to share what their battles are can be therapeutic for them but it also helps you as a leader to know where they are at, and what they are facing in their school, community and home life.

Teens don’t talk but they like to talk. Teens need to talk but have no place to talk. Interactive speaking can be a safe place to talk.

How To Ask Questions

The questions must be specific. Too broad a questions is difficult to respond to as your audience will over analyze the question in search for your “correct” answer.

Example1: Why do we need friends? (Too broad, they will wonder what you are thinking) vs. What are the advantages of having a friend who cares about you at school?

There are some answers that students may be too uncomfortable to share. In those cases word the question so you receive a third person response (Ex: 2a) or word the question so that the response is undetermined it could be first person or third person response. (Ex:2b)

Example2a: What have you seen people do to gain the attention of others?

Example 2b: What have you done or seen others do to gain attention?

If a student publically shares something quite personal, maybe even painful to them, their transparency can make them quite vulnerable. Affirm them, with an interactive question that will let them know that they are not alone.

Example3: “How many others have felt that same way? Raise your hand if you too have experienced what Philip is talking about.”

You can learn so much in letting your student's speak; from the name of the video game that is out in two more sleeps, new drug terminology, new shows on MUCH TV, teen pressures, harmful games and fantastic analogies to illustrate the very point you are speaking about. Create opportunities for them to speak and participate in the truth you share. You are not the only person in the room students can learn from. Give them a chance to speak while you speak and watch them empower their peers and you.

Extra Tip’s and Hints

Hint: Keep a pen by your notes. As students share their answers write them down in your notes. When you get home, enter it into a list of examples or struggles of teens. You can use this as a resource of examples that you can apply in your next message labeled as Current Examples That Students Are Facing.

Tip: Too many interactive questions can lead to a loss of control. Once teens get talking, sometimes they don’t know how to stop.

___________________________________________

A member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) Alison has dedicated her time to developing her gift of Public Speaking so that her listeners would believe the truth that she shares and to raise up other strong youth communicator’s in Canada. She has been speaking full time for four years and is currently enrolled in Youth Speakers University.

Speaking Tips are from Alison’s Public Speaking Enhancement Workshop for any inquires message her today. http://www.inspiringteengreatness.com