SNACK: Chris

Start Communications unit - read Communications unit

1. Ian - Skit/Song

2. Flags
Call - Andy
American Flag - Adam
Cub Flag - Frank
Extra - Calvin

3. Winter/Spring Plan
a. Jan. 22 & 29th may switch- field trip to TV Station
b. Camping trip
i. Silver creek falls or Champoeg
ii. Friday afternoon to Sunday or Saturday morning to Sunday
c. Optional- Handyman and Geologist
d. Visiting Boy Scout troops individual choice now- before choosing a troop make sure to go to at least 1 regular meetings. Must pick a troop, including meeting with Scout Master by 18th
4. Boy Scout Knowledge Game
5. Communications Unit
a. Different Methods of Communication
b. 3 minute speeches at January 22 meeting
i. Topic of interest to you, don't need to do research
ii. Can use props or computer but don't let them distract you
iii. Focus on what you want to say
1. plan out what you want to say
2. Have notes not of what to say but just of the topics
3. practice so you don't have to read your notes all the time
iv. Focus on speaking skills
a. Look at your audience
b. Speak clearly and loudly

c. Body language game
6. Announcements
a. January 11, 2:45 meet at my car on 10th street after school. Putting up
birdhouses at City Park.
b. January 14th Eagle Court of Honor at 258. Great thing to see regardless
of what troop you join. 7pm introduction, 7:15-7:45 ceremony, reception
following. Wear uniform.
c. January 17th Pack meeting 6:30, doing skit learned today.
d. January 18th Lock in if you signed up
e. January 19th Rock Wall Climbing with Troop 186. 6 pm until 8. OSU.
f. January 22'~ regular meeting unless change to field trip to TV Station.
7. Closing

10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPEAKING

Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is nat ural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here's how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable presentations:

Know the room. Be familiar with the place In which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.

Know the audience~ Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

Know your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it. your nervousness will Increase, Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.

Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises.

Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine your. self speaking your voi oud clear and assured When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.

Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They don't want you to fail.

Don't apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's atten- tion to something they hadn't noticed. Keep silent.

Concentrate on the message - not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and outwardly toward your message and your audi- ence. Your nervousness will dissipate.

Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.

Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters Club can provide the experience you need.

Writinq with Writers Home

Tips From the Pros

Pick Your Main Ideas
Don't try to put too many ideas into your speech. Research shows that people remember very little from speeches, so just give them one or two ideas to hang onto. Remember, you only have one minute for your speech!

Write Like You Talk
Remember that you're writing a speech, not an essay. People will hear the speech, not read it. The more conversational you can make it sound, the better. So try these tips:

* Use short sentences. It's better to write two simple sentences than one long, complicated sentence.
* Use contractions. Say "I'm" instead of "I am" "we're" instead of "we are."
* Don't use big words that you wouldn't use when talking to someone.
* You don't have to follow all the rules of written English grammar. "Like this. See? Got it'~ Hope so." Your English teacher might be horrified, but people don't always talk in complete sentences with verbs and nouns. So try to write like people talk.
* Always read your speech aloud while you're writing it. You'll hear right away if you sound like a book or a reel person talking!

Use Concrete Words and Examples
Concrete details keep people interested. For instance, which is more effective? A vague sentence like "Open play spaces for children's sports are in short supply." Or the more concrete "We need more baseball and soccer fields for our kids"

Get Your Facts Together
You marsh people to believe that you know what you're talking about! So you'll need to do some research. For instance, let's say your big issue is the environment. You promise to pass a law that says all new mrs must run on electricity, not gas. That will cut down on air pollution! But it would help if you had a few facts: How much bad air does one car create each year? How many new cars are sold in the U.S. every year? So how mud will pollution be cut every year? Use the library or the Internet to do research. Your new policy proposal will sound really strong if you have the facts to back it up.

There are many issues you can talk about at your inauguration. How do you pick one? A good idea is to look inside yourself and find out what you feel very deeply about. Maybe it's the environment Or maybe you care about stopping war. Or you feel passionate that all schools should have more art and music classes. Or you feel that downloading music or the Internet should be tree! Your issue should reflect who you are and what you care about.

Persuade With a Classic Structure
In a speech where you're trying to persuade someone, the classic structure is called "Problem-Solution "In the first part of your speech you say, "Here's a problem, here's why things are so terrible." Then, in the second part of your speech you say, "Here's what we can do to make things better" Sometimes it helps to persuade people if you have statistics or other facts in your speech And sometimes you can persuad people by quoting someone elSe that the audience likes and respects.

Simplify
After you’ve written a first draft of your speech, go back and look for words you can cut Cutting words in the speech can make your points more clear One speechwriter for a U S Senator has a sign above her desk that says: “Fewer Words = Clearer Point.” - It helps to remember to always simplify a speech by cutting out words.