SUBJECTS: English
YEARS: 7–8, 9–10
Have you ever sat through a classmate's oral presentation and nearly fallen asleep in the middle of it?
Often this is because the speaker isn't using their voice in a way that gets your attention and keeps you interested. In this Heywire audio story, explore how Alpha Capaque, a young woman from the Northern Territory, uses her voice effectively to engage her listeners.
Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community?
The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22 year olds in regional Australia. Enter to get your story featured on the ABC and score an all-expenses-paid trip to the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. More: https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/
Things to think about
- 1.You probably know it's important to vary the expression in your voice when speaking, but how else can you use your voice more effectively? You might pause after an important point to emphasise it, or exaggerate particular words for effect. You should also consider the pace, or speed at which you talk. Can you think of three more vocal skills?
- 2.Why does Alpha emphasise 'this' when saying, 'This is the city'? Why does she slow down when saying, 'I hated it'? Describe the difference in Alpha's expression when expressing her feelings about Darwin and describing the sea. What do the sound effects add when Alpha lists the dangers of Darwin's beaches? Write down other examples of Alpha's use of emphasis, pace, expression, pauses and sound effects.
- 3.Do you think Alpha used her voice effectively? Write her an email explaining why you find her story interesting. What advice would you give to one of your classmates who was about to give an oral presentation? Make a palm card with some hints for effective speaking.
- 4.Do you think Alpha used her voice effectively? Write her an email explaining why you find her story interesting. What advice would you give to one of your classmates who was about to give an oral presentation? Make a palm card with some hints for effective speaking.
Date of broadcast: 31 May 2013
Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).