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ESL Oral Presentation Activities (See Activities)

ESL Oral Presentation Activities

Giving a speech is difficult in any language. Teach your students that it is natural to be nervous, but there are presentation skills they can develop to become better at public speaking.

 

Use these ESL speech activities to help students improve their posture, eye contact, gestures, and voice.

 

Jump to ESL Oral Presentation Activities

 

Types of Speeches

There are three basic types of speeches: Informative, Demonstrative, and Persuasive (See Speech Topics at bottom).

 

An informative speech tells the audience about something. It does not try to persuade. It’s only purpose is to give the facts. You can give an informative speech on just about anything.

 

A demonstrative speech tells or shows the audience how to do something. It gives clear steps from start to finish. Examples include how to cook a dish, how to build a house, or how to play a sport.

 

A persuasive speech tells the audience why they should do something. It gives clear reasons why the audience should change their mind and agree with the speaker.

 

Types of Delivery

There are four basic types of delivery: Impromptu, Outline, Manuscript, and Memorized.

 

Impromptu speeches are generally short and require little to no preparation. Usually there aren’t any written notes. The speaker must think on the spot. It’s common to be asked to give an impromptu speech at a special occasion like a wedding or to accept an award.

 

Using an outline is the most common type of speech delivery. The speaker prepares an outline which highlights key words and facts. Because there is something written, it is harder to maintain eye contact than an impromptu speech.

 

A speech with a manuscript has every word written down, so the speaker does not forget to say anything. It takes a lot of practice to sound natural with a manuscript because written English is slightly different from spoken English.

 

A memorized speech is the most difficult and takes a lot of preparation. The speaker must write a manuscript and then memorize every word. This is the popular route of the Speech Contests that I’ve experienced in Japan. The speaker can practice gestures and intonation, but memorized speeches usually sound lifeless and unnatural.

 

See also:

Speaking of Speech and Getting Ready for Speech are good resources for more ESL oral presentation activities.

Try Our ESL Oral Presentation Activities

Posture

Eye Contact

Gestures

Voice

Debate

Activities by Topic

Being A Good Audience

Being A Good Audience

Students practice being a good audience by listening to short speeches and asking questions. A fun ESL oral presentation skills activity.
Demonstration Speech Assignment

Demonstration Speech Assignment

Students prepare and deliver a demonstration speech about a topic of their choice. Includes assignment, sample speech topics, and evaluation forms.
Informative Impromptu Speech

Informative Impromptu Speech

Students prepare and deliver an informative impromptu speech about a topic of their choice. Includes sample ESL speech topics and peer evaluation form.
Persuasive Argument Activity

Persuasive Argument Activity

Students give a short persuasive speech giving reasons why they should be given a bag of candy. The student with the most convincing argument gets the candy.
Persuasive Speech Assignment

Persuasive Speech Assignment

Students prepare and deliver a persuasive speech about a topic of their choice. Includes assignment, sample speech topics, and evaluation forms.
Presentation Skills Final Exam

Presentation Skills Final Exam

Students take a written final exam to test their knowledge of presentation skills and how to give an effective oral presentation.
Speech Conclusion

Speech Conclusion

Students learn about the different parts of a speech conclusion and practice giving a conclusion comparing two brands of cookies.
Speech Introduction

Speech Introduction

Students learn about different types of introductions and practice giving a speech introduction comparing two brands of snack foods.
Visual Aid Speech

Visual Aid Speech

Students prepare and deliver a visual aid speech. Includes handout, list of speech topics and peer evaluation form.
Brainstorming ESL Writing  Topics

Brainstorming ESL Writing Topics

Students brainstorm ESL writing topics by writing as many words as possible for one minute about given topics. An ESL essay writing activity for students of all levels.
Becki

Hi fellow EFL Sensei!

I'm Becki, the Co-Founder and the one who put up all these great speaking activities. We’re here to provide enjoyable lessons for teachers like you! Learn more

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