The Peer Factor
Standing up in front of a group of
peers during one’s adolescent years
can be a daunting experience, even for
those who successfully tackled a few
oral report presentations in elementary
school, or for those who seem to exude
confidence in other types of situations. A
whole new set of worries can arise with
this age group. The need to “fit in” is ex-
tremely strong at this age, and the teen
crowd can be unforgiving. So any type
of blunder in front of one’s peers at this
age can be devastating for a teen’s con-
fidence. This is where good preparation
plays a vital role in a teen’s successful
public speaking experience.
Practice Makes Perfect
Preparation can make or break a
speech of any kind. The more your child
can practice his speech, oral report, or
presentation ahead of time, the better off
he will be because he will be comfort-
able with the material.
It is a great idea to practice in front
of a mirror. This way your child can see
how many times he is looking down at
his notes. Encourage your child to prac-
tice in front of family members at home.
Make sure everyone is told to give both
positive and constructive feedback. Your
child should also practice what to do in
case he makes a mistake. After all, ev-
eryone makes mistakes during a speech,
even those who are seasoned at it. Role
play solutions for gracefully continuing
after a mistake, such as taking a deep
breath and repeating the last idea, refer-
ring back to note cards, or making a joke
about being afraid of public speaking.
Your child will be less fearful of making
a mistake if he has the skills to fix it.
How Parents Can Help
From an early age, give your child
chances to talk in front of groups with-
out forcing him or putting him on the
spot. Encourage your child to choose
topics that really interest him when he
is asked to do an oral presentation for
class. Take a video of your child practic-
ing his speech so he can see first hand
the things he does well and the things
he needs to work on. Teach your child
how to relax. Breathing in deeply sev-
eral times just before getting up to pres-
ent, or visualizing doing a good job, will
often help to calm nerves. Don’t focus
on what can go wrong. Instead, be posi-
tive and patient, and talk about solutions
to those things your child finds difficult
(such as speaking clearly or slowly). Tell
your child it is perfectly normal to be
nervous, and that he is not alone because
most people are nervous when speaking
in front of a group.
To help your teen, you might sit
down together to watch various people
speak on television (such as newscast-
ers, politicians, or talk show hosts).
Then discuss what you each thought
were positive and negative aspects about
their approaches. Older students can in-
corporate what they’ve learned into their
own presentations.
continued on page 44
E lmwood F ranklin s chool
Preparing children for success in life
Founded in 1895, Elmwood
Franklin School is the only indepen-
dent school in Western New York with a
preschool through eighth-grade config-
uration. Guided by our mission to
prepare children for success in life,
our students are given the oppor-
tunity to learn and to lead in a
nurturing, child-centered environ-
ment where curiosity is rewarded,
risk-taking is encouraged, and chal-
lenging assumptions is expected.
As an independent school,
Elmwood Franklin School does
not focus on testing. We put our
focus on students, and
we take a comprehensive
approach to learning that
challenges and inspires stu-
dents. Without question,
we set high standards. We
also give our students the
support necessary to meet
our expectations and the
opportunity to discover
their own learning styles
and pursue their passions.
Our well-rounded program fea-
tures an emphasis on creative thinking,
character education and service learn-
ing, academic and char-
acter honors, robotics
and coding instruction,
outdoor education and
frequent field trips,
gym every day, public
speaking, leadership,
fine and performing
arts, foreign language
instruction, and much,
much more.
As a result, our students graduate
well-prepared for the challenges of high
school and beyond. In a recent indepen-
dent survey of Elmwood Franklin School
graduates, 97% felt the overall quality
of education they received at Elmwood
Franklin was exceptional. Additionally,
2/3 of our alumni were placed in hon-
ors level courses or received high school
credit for their work at EFS, and 2/3 of
our alumni held leadership roles in their
high schools.
104 New Amsterdam Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14216
716-877-5035
www.elmwoodfranklin.org
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December 2018 WNY Family 41