Public speaking tips? (and example)

[Guest guest]

Public Speaking Tips? (and example)

OK now I'm looking for tips from some of you that are either older yourself, or

from parents who have teens or young adults who have overcome a speech

impairment like apraxia only to break down when having to speak in front of a

bunch of people.

I know a teenage actress with apraxia that overcomes her impairment when she

memorizes her scripts ( then the words are in her motor memory) Put the

phenomenal memory I've seen in my own son and most others report in their late

talker child together with being able to speak better when you have a motor

planning helper like a script- and it's really no wonder there are as many

actors as there are who have speech impairments (mainly from what I know

stuttering- which is also a motor planning disorder)

http://www.stutterhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=128

But I'm talking about -no script. Does anyone have any tips to share for when

you have to get up in front of a group of people to speak and you don't have

something memorized? The only other tip I know other than memorizing is I get

Tanner to say things in a different voice (try to use more of his right brain)

and that seems to work...but last night I forgot about that too.

It was true that Tanner was losing his one tooth last night and it was bothering

him- but he used that as his reason why not to read his own poem " Stuff " in

front of everyone last night at his school's poetry night. So there we were in a

darkened room lit mainly by candles and child after child (and some parents)

each read a poem- some read more than one. I'm sitting there waiting and looking

for Tanner on the line and don't see him. I get up and look for him and he's

hiding off to the side. He tells me that he can't read his poem- so I find my 14

YO other son Dakota who agrees to read it for Tanner. Dakota read it with such

feeling -it really was beautiful. Only one thing. Dakota changed one word in

this poem and as we were going home he explained why and Tanner said " but that's

how I feel "

Since Tanner's poem has to do with how he feels about his speech I asked Tanner

if I can post his poem online for everyone to read it and he said " sure " .

What's ironic is that many would consider Tanner resolved as he is really doing

so well at speech -he's able to talk and be understood.

You can hear Tanner speak here http://www.debtsmart.net/talk/tanner.html

But there are limitations to how well he speaks -when he is tired or stressed or

has to explain something complex he still breaks down. Phones are no longer a

problem probably due to years now (?) of X Box live he plays with his friends

which I highly recommend (overseen of course) As you can tell from the link

above actually since two of the recordings were over the phone.

Anyway here's the poem of how Tanner feels about " stuff "

Stuff by Tanner Geng age 12

There's stuff I know about

But when I can't say it

I say likeah, ahlike, ahlike, like that.

When I can't say the stuff I know about

I think people think I'm retarded.

I know the words.

I have trouble saying them.

I want to talk about all kinds of stuff

Stuff about test scores

Stuff about TV shows

Stuff about Disney

Stuff about my family

Stuff about what is going on in the news

I know what I want to say

I know the words

I just have trouble saying them

So sometimes I don't say stuff.

The word that Dakota changed was " retarded " which he changed to " stupid " I'm

leaving the poem just as Tanner wrote it as he wished. I just want to add that

Tanner has lots of friends and is active in sports and does well in school.

There isn't any teasing and I as well as Dakota who used to go to this school

are 100% confident that if Tanner got up and read his poem himself -even if he

messed up in speech -everyone would sit there and wait for him to finish and

snap and play the drums when he was done just like they did for everyone else.

So...other than memorizing or using different voices and tips like that- Any

tips that worked for you or your child?