Matter: what you're saying
In the past two lessons you've learnt how to use your manner to entertain your audience and how to organize your thoughts so they can have a greater impact. Now we just have to figure out what you want to be talking about- that's called matter. There's one rule when it comes to matter: if you're not interested, your audience isn't either.
So, what does that mean? Well, let's say you've written a speech about climate change because you thought that's what your teacher wanted. You've probably got some killer facts, a few hard hitting metaphors and a solid "you've stolen my future" look practised. But none of that matters if you're not genuinely interested in that topic.
Let's be clear, there's a huge difference between being vaguely aware of something and being genuinely interested and knowledgeable on a topic. It's not a bad thing to not know all about Feminism, or to be a bit confused about the political complexities of Australia Day.
You don't need to talk about the big stuff. Sure, it's important and its good to stay aware of world issues but public speaking isn't about that.
This is going to sound cheesy, but the most important thing is you. What do you have to say? What is something that you want other people to think about? Your matter should matter to you.
An amazing example of kid who wants to make a difference but still talks about things that he knows about that affect him is Kid President. He and his brother created a video series where he gave talks to try and inspire people to do better. He didn't list statistics from the news, or talk about textbook topics. He talked about what he wanted to talk about.
Take a look at this video to see how good matter effects a speech
Watch the video through, and then talk with the person sitting closest to you about Kid President's matter. Have you heard someone talk about that before? Were you interested in what he had to say? Do you think he was interested in what he had to say?
Challenge 1: What do you not want to hear?
There's nothing worse than getting half way through your own speech and realising that even you don't care what the ending is. So in this activity we're going to figure out what you don't want to hear. Find a piece of paper (it's sort of flat and white looking, like a word doc but not inside a computer) and write a list of everything you wouldn't want to hear about on the left hand side. On the right hand side, write down the topics of conversations you've had with people lately.
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You should have about 5 topics on each side.
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Once you're done you need to try and spot the difference. What's the main thing that separates the two columns? The answer to that question will help you decide what you want to talk about from here on out.
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For example, the answer could be "the list on the left is all about things I don't really know about, and on the right its all my extra curricular activities". So from here on out, try and write speeches about those activities because that's what you care about.
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If it matters to you it's good matter. Just because it isn't some huge speech about politics doesn't mean it can't hold some deeper meaning. You could give a cracking speech about how learning to dive is a lot like creating closer connections with people. At first you don't really trust the situation and you try and protect yourself by holding back and not giving your all. But that doesn't allow you to get the perfect dive, and it certainly doesn't let you form a good relationship. It's all about risk and trust.
See? The topic itself doesn't have to be in the news, the only thing your matter should be is something interesting to talk about. If you wouldn't chat to a friend about it then why on earth would you write a whole speech on it?
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Make the most of being a kid!
The best thing you can do when deciding your matter is make it something only you can say. Check out this speakers choice of matter and how it set her apart.
How did Adora make the most of her matter? What did she do to make people listen to her, and to respect her opinion despite the disadvantage of being a child in a room full of adults? Chat to a friend or with your class about her choices.
Challenge 2: What can I say?
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For this challenge you have to come up with two different characters. Both have had a mishap with a pair of shoes they've bought from the shop, and desperately want a refund. However each has a different problem with the shoe, and one is in their early 20's while the other is verging on their 90's.
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The rest of their character is up to you. Your goal is to figure out how each character can most effectively get a refund. After all, a 20 year old can't say a shoe threw their hip out, but a 90 year old could certainly get away with it.
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What can they say? Write a 100 word refund request from each character and discuss why their matter (what their saying) is different, even though their end goal is the same.
So, what's so special about matter?
You did it! You've made it through your third communication lesson with grow your voice! Just before you go, pick a page in your workbook and write down everything you want to remember from this lesson
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It doesn't matter if its a mindmap, a list, a comic strip or url to one of the videos make sure you've got some solid proof that you now know all about matter.
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If you're feeling especially confident get your teacher or parent to submit your work to growyourvoiceyouth@gmail.com so we can put it up here as an example!