Public Speaking

Senior Public Speaking: The Language of Leadership

Rhetoric, negotiation, and the art of being heard

Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

A strong idea still needs the right delivery, whether that is a debate, a job interview, or a podcast.

What Happens in Every Class

Theory

Classes are built on real theory, not simplified checklists. Formal logic, rhetoric, and behavioural economics, the study of why people actually make decisions, are taught from their original sources, so students understand the reasoning well enough to build their own argument.

Application

Behavioural economics gets applied right away: a persuasive speech day, a competitive Speaker’s Idol event, and an advanced data storytelling unit where students learn to make numbers argue a point, not just illustrate one.

Group Engagement

A multi week debate unit and a podcasting unit build toward a final speech presentation delivered to a live audience at year’s end.

Applied Thinking

Negotiation and interview skills are taught back to back. Reading another person and adjusting an approach mid conversation matters in a college interview, a summer job negotiation, or any conversation where the other side has something you want.

Curriculum Spotlight

Weeks 24 and 25: Behavioural Economics

Behavioural economics looks at why people actually make decisions, often different from the reason they give. Robert Cialdini organized this into six principles: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity.

Students spend two weeks finding these principles in real advertising, then apply them in Week 26 (Sales) and Week 27 (Negotiation), thinking about whether the use is fair.

What Topics Do we Cover in this Level?

Evidence-Based Communication & Critical Thinking

Rhetoric, formal logic, and effective reasoning
Building ethos, credibility, and trust in communication
Behavioural economics and how people make decisions
Advanced data storytelling and communicating complex information
Figurative language, humour, and techniques for making ideas memorable
Empathy: learning to comprehend, convey, and connect
Analyzing and dissecting speeches, with self-review after recorded presentations
Distinguishing persuasion from manipulation and constructing advanced satire

and more