How to be a Speaker for Junior High Students
Good speakers for junior high students keep hopes and dreams burning bright at a time when a student's future prospects are just forming. If you want to help students at a most imperative time, then by all means please do. Here are some tips to help get you started.
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Instructions
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Have something to speak to teenagers about. The possibilities are endless. Do you have experience working with people hooked on drugs? Maybe you did drugs as a teenager or had a child who was addicted. A nurse could speak on sexually transmitted diseases or the dangers of drinking and driving. Think about something you know firsthand and make a list of what you would tell a young teen if you could. Study other speakers' techniques.
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Once your list is finished consider the groups who would be interested, as well as the best way to relay your information. If you sell artwork the best class to have a presentation for would be an art class. Be creative. Prepare your presentation and practice until you know it by heart.
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If you are serious about being a speaker do some math and decide how much you should charge to be able to do this for a living or a side job. But be realistic.
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Make your presentation entertaining yet educational. If you bore them you won't help. Your reputation will not precede you, minimizing your chances of visiting other schools, and you will not be invited to return.
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Have some kind of interactive work or a visual presentation to go with your talk. Teens bore easily and will not want you to talk at them, but with them. A good example is for an author to have students write a paragraph on anything they wish. Do not have names on the papers. Read some of the paragraphs aloud and discuss where the story could go.
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When your presentation is complete you need to write a letter, make copies and send them to junior high schools or comparable classes within a fifty mile radius. Give a brief explanation on what you plan to speak on and why you are an expert, along with your contact information.
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Before you go to the school ask the teacher to have the class make a list questions and ask these questions at the end of the presentation. Be honest with your answers. Teens appreciate honesty and the response will be great.
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Most teachers will send a thank you card from the whole class or have the students personally write a thank you note. Be sure to respond, and if your thank you is from each student, be sure to take the time to write each one personally. Not only does this leave a lasting impression, but the teachers will be impressed and appreciative.
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Tips & Warnings
When students write their paragraph remind them it must be school appropriate.
