Quick Guide
- Keywords: Presentation, script, delivery, ‘read, look up, and say’ technique
- Learner English level: Intermediate and above
- Learner maturity: High school and above
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
- Activity time: 20 minutes
- Materials: 250-word chunked speech script handout (see Appendix)
Students often read their scripts with their eyes downcast, focusing on the accuracy of their speech content but neglecting to engage with their audience. This accessible activity can improve students’ presentation skills through iterative practice. Students read part of their script, look up to connect with the audience, and speak the content from memory or with minimal reference to the script. This activity, an adaptation of the ‘read, look up, and say’ technique (Fanselow, 1972) using chunked scripts, helps balance accuracy of content with engaging delivery. For ease of understanding, I refer to a reader-friendly sample script adapted from LeBeau (2021) (see Appendix).
Preparation
Step 1: Choose a topic that is familiar to students.
Step 2: Create a Word file and prepare a 250-word script in easy English. As the focus is on improving delivery rather than grammar or vocabulary, make sure the script is at a level that your students can read with ease. For my example (see Appendix), I transcribed and edited a speech about visiting a city from LeBeau (2021).
Step 3: Edit the script so that students can easily modify it, changing place names, dates, events, and food names as needed. In my example, I have underlined parts of the script that could be left black for students to fill in (e.g., ‘…are you a baseball fan?’)
Step 4: Divide the script into manageable sense groups by starting each chunk of language on a new line.
Step 5: Print the script as a handout or make it shareable with students online.
Procedure
Step 1: Explain that students will practice a technique that will help them to engage with their audience.
Step 2: Demonstrate the technique. Read part of a script, look up to make eye contact with students, and speak.
Step 3: Hand out (or share) the prepared chunked script (see Appendix), and have students practice the technique in pairs.
Step 4: Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5.
Step 5: Ask one student to stand up and face the other students in their group.
Step 6: Explain that the presenter has 3 minutes to rehearse the script. Reassure them that it is OK if they cannot finish in that time.
Step 7: Explain that the other students will time on their smartphones the total time the presenter can look up. Set an initial goal of one-minute cumulative ‘look up’ time for the first round of practice.
Step 8: Have students begin their presentations. Gradually increase the time as practice continues. Encourage regular practice to see continuous improvement and greater comfort in public speaking.
Conclusion
The ‘read, look up, and say’ technique, along with chunked scripts, provides a practical way for students to improve their presentation skills. By balancing content accuracy with engaging delivery, students can increase their confidence and ability to interact with an audience. This activity helps students become more engaging speakers, promoting a more interactive presentation style.
Extension
As the class proceeds, have students edit the script to make it more personalized.
References
Fanselow, J. F. (1972). Read and look up! Literacy Discussion, 3(2), 231–246.
LeBeau, C. (2021). Speaking of speech: Premium edition. Cengage Learning.
Appendix
The appendix is available below:
