Why Drama is so Important in School – PART 4 – PRESENTATION SKILLS

PRESENTATION SKILLS – is part 4 of the 12 part series: Why Drama is so Important in Schools.

No matter where you go in life, you’re going to have to Get up in front of a group, a class, or an audience and present an idea for a project, a report, a paper, or some other material.  Even if it is just your boss and you want to pitch a new project, you will need to prepare and present your idea.

This is where drama becomes such a valuable tool for your kids in their toolbox for life. It’s about telling a story effectively, and keeping your audience engaged during that time. Preparing to go on stage is a process. From:

• Initial review of your script,
• to identifying what and how you want to say your lines
• to rehearsing multiple times
• having the correct props
• effectively telling the story
• dressing appropriately
• to having the confidence to actually stand up in front of an audience and perform

With the main goal of keeping your audience engaged.

Julius Caesar for Kids

These are all the exact same skills you use when giving a presentation.  Let’s face it, whether in the class, in front of a customer, or in the board room, if your audience is bored while you are delivering your presentation, they stop paying attention. You’ll find them checking their phones, or looking out the window, or nodding off. At that point, they’re not engaged anymore.  Presenting is about engaging and keeping your audience engaged in your material.

PRESENTATION SKILLS LEARNED FROM DRAMA:

• Confidence
• Talking in front of a crowd – learn techniques to combat those nerves!
• Rehearsing your presentation
• Using props to help present your subject matter effectively
• Dressing appropriately for your audience
• KEEPING YOUR AUDIENCE ENGAGED

Taming of the Shrew cast

There are no classes in school that are specifically designed around learning how to effectively present.  Even in college, we might take a speech class where the emphasis is around being comfortable in front of an audience as opposed to effectively engaging the audience.  Many people join ToastMasters to learn how to work on this skill, which is a very effective way to learn how to polish your speaking skills. However, in lieu of a ToastMasters class on your school campus, Drama is the best thing to get kids ready for presenting in the real world.  It’s a skill they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Notes:

Classes shown are based on Playing With Plays books.

Art provided by Ron Leishman and can be found at: ToonClipArt.com