• Programs and classes
• Types of Programs

Public speaking classes and programs for different ages

Kids can begin self-betterment in this area, as early as aged five. Find public speaking classes for kids and youth.

Some programs may focus on developing teens in the art of debate and public speaking. Find a select list of public speaking classes for teens.

Related camps and programs

Here’s a look at some related options for parents and kids. We encourage you to explore our site for all the best in education and learning programs. Even as you search for camps that meet your immediate options, it’s valuable to consider programs and classes that can better you in areas adjacent to your development of public speaking skills. After school programs really open up a Pandora’s box of learning possibilities for kids at all ages and stages of their development. Start with a look at the world of after-school educational programs.  Beyond that, here’s a look at more closely-related options: 

Public speaking summer camps and programs offer kids and teens means to take part in a weeklong immersion in this learning. Here, a day-in, day-out exposure to training, tricks and techniques will help them improve their speaking and develop rich confidence in their abilities.

After school leadership programs are another way to take weekend or after-school time to self-improve and engage in learning. Similarly, leadership camps offer a weeklong immersion in personal development.

Performing arts camps put kids on the stage in a different setting, of course. It’s a way to take all the skills used in speaking — projection, confidence, gesture — and explore them in a milieu where they also perform publicly, if a little more creatively.

Acting camps are another way for confident kids and teens to take it to another level, one that may start dreams of still bigger things. 

Explore the world of kids arts’ camps to find even more possibilities that allow kids to spread their wings, develop their creativity, and learn more about themselves. 

What skills will you acquire in kids' public speaking programs? 

There are many skills kids and teens acquire and develop through public speaking. Few types of kids' camps or after school lessons can be as personally enriching and rewarding, really. There are the lessons and skills they acquire directly through programming, then there’s a whole collection of attendant secondary or tertiary personal and soft skills. When you get up in front of people and give a speech that purports to change people’s minds, whole new worlds open. 

Primary skills developed in speech classes: 

Some of the typical curriculum in an after school public speaking program or class might be: 

• Introductory logic, with discussion of basic reasoning and logical fallacies
• Research skills
• Speech writing skills
• Classical debate
• Aspects of the science of persuasion
• Preparation and moderation
• Vocal modulation
• Different genres and forums for speech presentation
• Effective use of humour
• Thinking on their feet (extemporization) 

Still other study variants included in some classes and programs may include reviewing famous historical speeches. Kids may be introduced to classical rhetoric, coupled with critical analysis. Public speaking curriculum in more advanced coursework explores the cultural backdrop of successful speeches, and teens learn much beyond the scope of speech presentation.  

Improved communication skills are an obvious over-arching skill learned in these classes. Not only do kids and teens improve confidence in speaking, they also improve their vocabulary, learn about eye contact and body language, and acquire a host of other skills. 

Deeper skills development

For older students, these classes can be important preparation for post-secondary education, where presentations and in-class participation are critical to success. There’s more: 

Improved social interaction, and empathy skills are deeply important to their development and maturation. 

Increased boldness includes an enriched appreciation of their personal power and inner strength. 

Critical thinking skills  are tested, as presenting a speech forces students to see the flaws in their own logic, as well as others’. 

Self-organization and self-discipline are part and parcel of speech preparation and the courage it takes to stand in front of others and speak. Development in this area has implications for many other areas of life, of course. 

Kids develop skills at writing, editing, proofreading, in the presentation of ideas clearly and cogently, through the immediate feedback of this forum. While instructors may offer them feedback, they also hear themselves speak and gauge audience reaction to ideas they present. 

Other understanding they acquire may be more ineffable, often appreciated better as they get older. Kids at debate camp develop skills and talents that apply to the areas entrepreneurship, academics, and a wide array of other areas of life. Prodigious young public speakers will be better-prepared for success in business and other challenging careers. They’ll be bolder, better at networking, more able to speak their minds, better able to elucidate a position or argument. 

Some of the obvious careers that would benefit from time at public speaking include sales, marketing, and teaching, as well as many more.  

Sources and further reading

"The benefits of public speaking." virtualspeech.com.