Speaking in Public
How Will This Session Help Me Get Ready For Work?
Most jobs require us to speak in front of others. That might be a formal presentation, explaining our views and ideas in a meeting or making suggestions to a client or customer. Lots of people find this makes them nervous but there are ways to make your communication clear, engaging and effective and minimise the fear factor!
Questions to get Started
Can you think of a time when you had to speak in front of others - for example a family or community event? How did you feel?
Why do you think people get nervous about speaking in public?
What are the signs that someone is nervous when they are presenting?
Focused Virtues
The Focused Virtue for this session is Resilience.
Resilience gives us the courage to speak out when I need to, in formal presentation settings and also in a group so my voice is heard and my ideas are clear.
Ask Yourself: "Can I grow in resilience to express myself well to others?"
Listen with focus, speak with your heart.
Skills Development:
When you are hunting for your first job or starting out in the workplace, speaking in public—whether that’s delivering a presentation or speaking up in a team meeting—can feel incredibly daunting. That is where resilience comes in. Building the mental toughness to handle your nerves, manage the butterflies in your stomach, and push through the anxiety of speaking in front of others can be excellent for your career.
One of the best ways to build that resilience and overcome the fear is to properly organise your thoughts beforehand. Putting your ideas into a clear, logical order stops you from freezing or getting muddled when the pressure is on. Depending on your topic, you can structure your thoughts using an approach that fits:
Chronological: Explaining a project timeline or events in the exact order they happened.
Cause and effect: Showing the audience how one action leads directly to another outcome.
Problem and solution: Explaining a workplace issue and immediately offering a way to fix it.
Always start with your main idea, keep it simple by cutting out distracting details, and use linking words like "next" or "therefore" to guide your audience through.
Another massive confidence booster is using visual tools like slides, charts, or diagrams. Visuals are fantastic because they take the pressure off you—the audience is looking at the screen, not just at you. A clear diagram can explain a complex idea instantly without you having to find the perfect words on the spot. Just keep your slides simple and uncluttered; use bullet points, big fonts, and clean images so they support what you are saying rather than distracting people.
When nerves strike, they can also affect how you speak, so being aware of your body and voice is key to staying in control. Anxiety can make your pitch rise or your talking speed accelerate, but maintaining a steady, controlled tempo and volume makes you sound—and feel—confident.
Your body language can also help enormously. Instead of crossing your arms, which can look defensive, try leaning forwards slightly to show engagement. Use natural hand gestures to explain your points, and remember to smile to look approachable. Wrapping up with a quick summary ensures they remember your message, proving that with a little resilience, you can conquer your nerves and stand out as a confident communicator.
Interview Practise: Case Studies and Questions
You have been asked to present something to your team about ideas to improve the staff changing room, but your nerves are hitting hard. How could you get everyone to engage with ideas for improvement? How can you present your ideas?
Do I have ideas about how to structure a presentation or explanation so that people will follow and understand me?
Do I have techniques to manage my nerves in a situation where I have to speak in front of others?
Guidance and Resources for Facilitators
1. Content & Background Knowledge
The EAL & Re-Entry Context: Adult women returning to work or learning English often experience severe "language anxiety"—fearing that their accent, grammar, or vocabulary will make them look unprofessional or unqualified. When speaking in group meetings or presentations, they may stay silent even when they have valuable ideas.
Structuring Ideas for Language Support: Using clear, predictable structures reduces the mental cognitive load of translating in real-time. When learners have a set formula, they can focus on their message rather than searching for vocabulary:
Chronological: First Next Finally.
Cause & Effect: This happened As a result...
Problem & Solution: The issue is... We can fix it by...
Body Language & Vocal Presence: Vocal pitch often rises when anxious, and non-native speakers may shrink their physical presence. Grounding strategies—steady pacing, open posture, eye contact, and using visual aids (charts, slides, samples)—help shift attention to the content and build authority.
2. Key Misconceptions to Address
"I need perfect English grammar before I can speak up in a meeting." Reframe: Workplace communication is about clarity, not perfection. Accent and minor grammar slip-ups do not stop a good idea from being valuable.
"Visual slides are only for formal speeches." Reframe: Visual tools, physical items, or diagrams take the pressure off your speech and help everyone understand faster.
3. Step-by-Step Workshop Activities
Activity 1: The "3-Part Formula" Pitch (20 Mins)
Setup: Introduce simple signpost transition words (First, Because of this, My suggestion is).
Task: In pairs, learners pick a workplace scenario (e.g., Improving staff room schedules or Organizing stock). They prepare a 1-minute talk using the Problem & Solution structure:
Problem: "The problem we have is..."
Cause: "This happens because..."
Solution: "To fix this, I suggest..."
EAL Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters written on a whiteboard or handout.
Activity 2: Visuals & Tempo Practice (15 Mins)
Task: Learners bring a simple physical object or show a diagram on a phone (e.g., a organized cleaning checklist, a daily care schedule, or a stock list).
Focus: Practicing a slow, steady speaking tempo while pointing to the visual guide. The partner gives feedback focusing only on speed and posture (ignoring grammar).
4. Reflection & Discussion Points
"What is one sentence starter you can use in a meeting when you want to share a good idea?"
"How does using a picture, checklist or chart help overcome language barriers when explaining something to a colleague?"