Teacher Enhances Student Videos with Speaking Skills Framework

Woman wearing headphones recording a podcast in a soundproof studio with a microphone. Photo: cottonbro studio/Pexels

An eighth-grade teacher named Rachel, who has taught a range of subjects including English, math, science, and civics over a 20-year career, wanted her students to create short videos for a series titled I’m Passionate About…. The idea was for students to pair up based on shared interests, ranging from jazz dance to Fortnite and spicy snacks. Rachel, an experienced educator who also coached sports, debate, and forensics, aimed to support both academic and extracurricular skills through this project.

Rachel noticed that most student podcasts and videos are hard to watch. She realized that while teachers often provide tools, they rarely offer guidance on how to use them effectively. Online resources, she found, were unhelpful—focusing on technical tips rather than speaking skills. Her own extensive teaching background, which included coaching debate and forensics, gave her unique insights into the gaps students faced in oral communication.

Speaking Skills: The Missing Piece

Rachel turned to a book called Well Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students, which outlines an 11-step framework for effective presentations. This framework, authored by Erik Palmer, divides speaking into two parts: preparation and delivery. Drawing from her experience in teaching diverse subjects and coaching communication-intensive activities, Rachel recognized the framework’s potential to transform her students’ videos.

Before speaking, presenters should consider their audience, organize content, and plan visual aids. During delivery, they must focus on poise, voice clarity, and engaging gestures. Rachel’s background in civics and debate helped her emphasize the importance of audience analysis and clear organization in her lessons.

From Theory to Practice

Rachel adapted this framework for her students’ videos. She taught them to analyze their audience, asking: Who’s watching? What would appeal to them? She emphasized the importance of connectors—linking their passions to viewers’ lives. For example, she guided students to think about how their topics could resonate with viewers who might not share the same interests, such as connecting the economic impact of the Denver Broncos to a broader audience.

For instance, a team passionate about the Denver Broncos could highlight the team’s economic impact: One home game brings $29 million into the city and supports 400 local jobs. Rachel’s experience in teaching math helped her illustrate the significance of these numbers, making the connection more impactful.

Rachel also stressed organization and transitions to keep viewers engaged. She advised students to dress appropriately and create a distraction-free set, no odd items in the background. Her attention to detail, honed over years of teaching and coaching, ensured students understood the importance of every element in their videos.

But the real challenge, she found, was performance. Students often appeared flat on camera, lacking the energy they show in person. Rachel encouraged them to add life to their voices and maintain camera contact, a skill rarely taught but key for engagement. Her experience in forensics and debate allowed her to provide specific, actionable feedback on delivery.

Performance: The Key to Engaging Videos

One technique Rachel used was having students rerecord their videos multiple times. She encouraged them to listen to their initial takes, identify areas where they sounded flat, and then add more life to their delivery. By the third or fourth take, students began to sound more animated and engaging, mirroring the energy they might show in casual conversations. This iterative process, a hallmark of her teaching style, reinforced the importance of practice and self-reflection.

Camera Contact and Poise

Rachel also addressed the importance of camera contact, a skill often overlooked in video production. She explained that looking directly at the camera lens creates a connection with the viewer, making the presentation feel more personal. For students using laptops, she pointed out that the camera is typically at the top of the screen, so looking at themselves on the screen would only show their foreheads. Her practical tips, informed by her experience in teaching technology-related skills, helped students avoid common pitfalls.

Additionally, Rachel taught students about poise, encouraging them to avoid fidgeting or rocking back and forth. She had them observe their own tics and rerecord until they appeared still and confident on camera. This attention to detail, a trait she cultivated through coaching debate and forensics, helped students present themselves as polished and professional.