The opening speeches are probably going to be the part of GC that your students stress the most about. This is when they have to give a 90-second speech in front of all of their classmates defending their countries' positions as well as propose solutions for the future.
It is important that you give students enough time to dedicate to their opening speeches as this is the part of the conference that they can take a lot of ownership and pride over. And since my curriculum proposal does not include writing a position paper, the opening speech should be used as the principal writing assignment for GC. Plenty of guidance should be given to the students about what makes a powerful opening speech, and I encourage you to provide lots of review and edits along the way. That being said, as long as they've done thorough research, the process of writing their speeches really shouldn't take that long. When it comes to practicing their speeches, however, that could always use more time.
Class #1
Use the below guide to get students writing a first draft of their opening speeches. Read through the structure and the example together, pointing out the syntax and rhetoric used to create a formal, convincing opening speech.
Class #2
Have your students finish writing their first-draft speeches by this class. Prepare some materials to help illustrate what makes a powerful speech delivery. Go over some of the key aspects of good public speaking, such as eye contact, emphasis, clarity, engagement, etc. Below is a video I used to show students that even kids can give some of the most moving speeches (s/o to Greta) so long as they practice, practice, practice.
Then, have the students do a "first run" of their opening speeches. They may protest that they are underprepared, but I suggest going ahead with it as it will scare them into practicing on their own more. Also, this is a good way for you to hear what they have written and give feedback/edits.
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