The goal of our Speech elective is to learn how to communicate in a clear, concise and compelling way for the Glory of the Lord. We believe this skill sets students apart in everything they do whether that be in academics, the workplace or in personal relationships. In Speech, students learn the building blocks of communication; developing their speaking as well as listening skills.
Students learn how to prepare and present speeches to Introduce, Inform, Persuade, and Demonstrate. They learn how to choose topics and adapt them to a specific audience. They study how to create multimedia aids in presentations so that they are credible in today’s digital world. And, finally, they spend a great deal of time developing their delivery skills in order to bring life to a message and hold the attention of their audience. Although many students begin the semester with great apprehension about public speaking, by the end of the semester, the overwhelming majority have gained tremendous confidence because of the tools they have been given and the many opportunities to practice.
Speech is a course designed to help students organize their ideas, research more effectively, and speak confidently in front of peers, adults, and others they encounter as they journey through life. These qualities are essential to a Christian education, equipping the students to fulfill God’s plan for their lives by learning to communicate in such a way as to bring glory to God. A key benefit to speech class is that it improves student’s lives by helping them overcome their fear of public speaking. As they spend time practicing and presenting their speeches, their apprehensions about speaking in front of others fade, and they find that the skills they have acquired in speech class are directly transferable to their other courses. Their confidence in these acquired skills develops so beautifully that it is not unusual for speech classmates to give speeches to each other “for fun,” thus equipping them for life.
~ Karen Braswell, RCS Speech teacher