oral presentation vce english

The Comprehensive Guide to Acing Your VCE English Oral Presentation

Are you just getting started on your VCE English oral presentation, or find it daunting to speak in front of an audience?

If so, we can assure you that being as prepared as possible will allow you to make a great presentation and also calm your nerves! 

To help you do this, we have provided a step-by-step approach to acing your VCE English Oral Presentation. Plus, we’ve got a downloadable annotated example just for you! 

Let’s get right into it! 

What is the VCE English Oral Presentation?  What are you required to do?  How to Approach the VCE English Oral Presentation Preparing for Your Presentation Presenting Your Speech 

What is the VCE English Oral Presentation?

The VCE English oral presentation is the assessment task which tests your knowledge and skills for Outcome 2 of Unit 4 in the Study Design .

Learn more about VCE SACs and VCE English SACs + the Framework of Ideas !

The focus is on your ability to construct a sustained and reasoned point of view on an issue currently debated in the media.

Note: An Oral Presentation may be required in Unit 2 to which the following tips also apply. 

The topic of your speech can be chosen by you, however, it must be a contemporary issue that has been debated in the media at any interval between September 1st of the previous year until the current time of assessment. 

To make sure that you are aware of the several issues appearing in the media within the designated time period, it’s important to read newspapers and take note of the issues which may serve as potential topics for your speech!

Tip: Newspapers such as The Age and The Herald Sun are great points to start!

What are you required to do? 

You will be allocated 5-8 minutes to present your stance on your chosen topic, and convince the audience of your views — you should consider multiple perspectives to the issue as well as the engagement of the audience. 

Some schools may allow you to include a multimodal presentation that supports the context of your issue and audience, to accompany your speech.

Note: The specific requirements for your assessment may vary based on your school.

Key knowledge you will be assessed on:  

• An understanding of arguments presented in texts
• The ways authors construct arguments to position audiences, using sound reasoning and use of evidence, and persuasive use of spoken language
• The conventions of discussion and debate
• The structures and conventions appropriate for spoken texts that present an argument
• The conventions for the acknowledgment of sources in spoken texts
• The conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English

Learn more about acing your end of year VCE English exams !

Access our VCE English Oral Presentation Example !

How to approach the vce english oral presentation, #1: choosing your topic .

The first step to acing your oral presentation is choosing the right topic — remember it must be a contemporary issue that has appeared in the media within the past year. 

When deciding on your topic it is important to consider the larger social issues that it may fall under, such as societal inequality, poverty, quality of life, climate change, religious discrimination . However, remember that your chosen topic should be more specific as you won’t be able to discuss all the key points of these broader issues. 

Examples of Topics: 

• Compulsory Vaccinations 
• Indigenous Australian “Close the Gap” Campaign 
• Reintroducing Medevac 
• Australia’s Refugee Policy 
• The Repercussions of Working from Home 

Once you have chosen your topic you need to decide on your contention , which is your view on the topic.

To produce a high-level oral presentation it is important to be passionate about your topic, as this transcends into your presentation. When you have a particular view on something everything from tone to your delivery becomes more convincing for the audience!

When writing out your contention, remember again to be specific.

For example, rather than choosing the issue ‘Discrimination on the basis of religion has no place in our society,’ you could narrow it down to, ‘ The implementation of the Religious Discrimination bill in Australia, whilst being perceived to uphold equality, in reality has the potential to do more harm than good.’

In this way you are speaking specifically of the implementation of the bill , and not on all acts that may concern religious discrimination as a broader issue. 

#2: Planning Before You Write 

Before you begin writing your speech, it is important to consider a variety of aspects about your chosen topic. 

These are as follows: 

Identify a Persona Adopting a persona that is relevant to the topic can enhance your speech, as your point of view is supported by your specific role in society.  For example, you could adopt the persona of a high-school teacher, in order to convince the audience of how the shift to online learning has significantly reduced the active involvement of students towards their education. 

Identify Where You are Making the Speech Paying attention to the setting of your speech is important, as this helps the audience engage with your speech and create a picture for themselves.  If you are speaking on the issue of climate change you could set your location as the Global Environment Summit. 

Identify Your Target Audience Targeting your speech towards a specific audience complements the earlier techniques and helps make your presentation have a greater impact on the audience. It allows you to give the audience a specific role or character to play whilst listening to your speech. For example, on the topic of cancel culture you could address young leaders, members of the communication commission and victims of cancel culture. 

What is the purpose of your speech? What do you want the audience to think? In order to perfect your oral presentation you have to think of it as more than just an assessment. What is the lasting message you want the audience to have after listening to your speech?  On the topic of cancel culture, you may want to convince the young generation that cancel culture is not a proactive approach to implementing social change, and they should instead engage in more reasoned discussion to evaluate all aspects of the conversation. 

#3: Research and Finding Your Evidence 

Remember, a good speech has sufficient evidence to back up arguments! Once you have finalised your contention, research a variety of articles on your topic and collate evidence that supports your arguments as well as that which refutes it.

It is always important to consider the other side of your argument in order to best present your point whilst rationally rebutting others. 

Types of Evidence include:

• Quotes from authority 
• Statistics and Figures
• Personal anecdotes 
• Expert Opinion 

#4: Writing Your Speech 

Step 1: Incorporate a Hook

The first part of writing your speech is to include a ‘HOOK start’ to draw your audience’s attention immediately. This may take any form of your liking including a quote or a rhetorical question.

For example, “When did Justice come to mean that we support punishment without a chance at redemption?” 

Step 2: Address Your Audience Directly

Ensure that you show immediate awareness of your audience by addressing them directly. This can be done by referring to them as ladies and gentlemen, members of the community or parents and guardians.

You should choose a form of addressing your audience based on the target audience you had set earlier. 

Step 3: Make Your Arguments

Remember to have a minimum of 3 clear arguments that support your contention, with a rebuttal in at least 2 of these arguments.

By including a rebuttal section within your arguments you increase the persuasive impact of it. As you refute the opposing ideas, it positions the audience to agree with your stance on the issue. 

Step 4: Use Personal Tone and Rhetorical Questions

Adopting a personal tone by using pronouns such as “we” and “our” is also helpful in writing your speech as it creates a sense of inclusiveness for the audience as they feel a collective responsibility to join your stance on the issue. 

The use of rhetorical questions can also be equally effective, as it leaves the audience with an obvious answer that supports your arguments. 

Step 5: Back Up Your Points with Evidence

In addition to these other techniques you may wish to highlight significant pieces of evidence to make a large impact, as well as repeat your key ideas so the audience is constantly reminded of your stance. 

Want to learn more about writing strong analysis? Check out our complete guide on writing VCE Argument Analysis for English !

Step 6: End Your Speech Strong!

The last step is to make a strong conclusion, with a lasting message. This could be a surprising statistic or a memorable quote.

For example, “Cancel Culture is: you’re all good, or you’re all bad and human nature is much more complicated than that.” 

Think you might need some help acing this assessment? Build up your confidence with our English Melbourne tutoring team !

Preparing for Your VCE Oral Presentation 

The most important aspect of an oral presentation is practice . Without practice it doesn’t matter how well you have pieced together your research to form a well written speech if your delivery is lacking. 

It’s common practice to leave it to the last minute to start memorising your speech. However, in reality you should spend as long as possible memorising it!

It is important to note however that when we speak of practice, it is not enough to know what comes after what in your speech — rather it is about developing a persuasive tone of voice, which is usually lost when you simply read it off a piece of paper. 

Also remember TIMING is KEY — you only get a few minutes to present your speech, so you don’t want too much information to the point where you’re speaking so fast and no one can understand what you’re saying. Equally you shouldn’t speak so slow that you are dragging on one particular point. 

The best way to practise is to time yourself and speak in front of any audience, for example, parents or siblings. 

Did you know that you can change which English subject you take in Year 12, even if you didn’t do it in Year 11? Check out our guide to selecting VCE subjects !

Presenting Your Speech 

Of course the oral presentation, while having a written component, has a main focus on the spoken and delivery components. 

The main things to consider for the presentation of your speech are:

• Tone of Voice 
• Hand movements
• Eye contact
• Voice projection

Tone of Voice

The tone of voice is particularly important as it adds to the persuasiveness of the presentation. If you adopt a sympathetic tone, the audience can connect that to philanthropic and caring attitudes making them more likely to agree with you.

Conversely, when you use a tone of anger, the audience too are likely to be angered and determined to enforce a change. 

Hand Movements and Gestures

Another physical element of presentation is hand movements , using your hands to emphasise significant statistics or evidence can also improve persuasiveness. 

Eye Contact and Voice Projection

Other elements of presentation associated which increase the engagement of the audience include eye contact and voice projection.

When you are looking directly at the eyes of the audience they are more likely to pay attention to what you are saying.

For this reason it is important that if you are using cue cards, you should ensure they fit within your palm and only contain the important points. This ensures that you are not looking down at them the whole time or reading off them.

Likewise, with voice projection, a loud and determined voice will make it easier for the audience to understand the content of your speech and therefore make reasoned judgement. 

Now you’re all set, and you’ll be able to make a great presentation! 

Also preparing for your VCE English exams? Check out our Master List of VCE English past papers !

Need help managing your workload? Read our guide on how to manage multiple VCE SACs at once !

Are you looking for some extra help with preparing for your VCE English oral presentation?

We have an incredible team of VCE tutors and mentors!

We can help you master the VCE English study design and ace your upcoming VCE assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online!

It’s no use practicing to a wall! Why not get a tutor in Box Hill to listen and give useful feedback on how your English Oral Presentation is going?

We’ve supported over  8,000 students over the last 11 years , and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational VCE tutor and mentor,   get in touch today  or give us a ring on  1300 267 888!

Abhisha  Vaheesan  completed her VCE in 2021 and is currently an undergraduate student studying Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging (Honours) at Monash University. As much as she is invested in Biology and putting together the building blocks of life, she is equally immersed in debating the conflicts of modern literature. Aside from this, she loves listening to music, is an avid  writer and K-drama fanatic.

• Topics: ✏️ English , ✍️ Learn

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VCE English: Advice for your Oral Presentations

Wednesday 19th, July 2023

As part of your assessment for VCE English, you are required to ‘ develop and present a point of view text.’ In other words, you need to complete an oral presentation. This is quite unlike the other assessments you get, as you are required to plan, write, and present a speech.

Most students find this assignment daunting, but it can also be very enjoyable as you get to explore a current issue (more on this later). This article will give you a run down on what to expect from this assessment, and tips and tricks to help you ace it!

How to Choose a Topic

The most important part of this assessment is choosing a suitable topic. VCAA stipulates that the issue must have appeared in the media before September 1 st of the previous year. In some cases, your teachers may give you a short list of topics to choose from, or if you’re lucky, you will be given completely free reign.

Either way, you need to choose a topic that you have a lot to write about. After all, you do need to talk for around five minutes!

Start by making a list of some significant events that appeared in the media in the last year. You can use news articles to help with this! Using these events, see if you can brainstorm the issues that occurred. Of course, there are multiple issues that can stem from a single event. You can use these to come up with some topics, for example:

To help decide your final topic, brainstorm some arguments for each one. You should choose the topic that has the strongest arguments, and the one you will have the most fun writing.

Advice for Writing your Speech

It’s a given that the most important part of this assessment is writing the actual speech. Before you begin writing, make sure that you have done a lot of research into the topic, have plenty of evidence, quotes, and a rough plan. Here are some other tips:

Have a structure

Your listener needs to be able to follow along with your speech – therefore, you need to have a clear structure. They should know when you are starting a new argument or reading out your conclusion.

The best way to introduce your arguments is by signposting. You should have about 2-4 of them. This is when you very clearly state what your argument is before you begin discussing it (think topic sentences).

Your speech should also have a clear introduction and conclusion. Your introduction should also contain your contention, so your listener knows what your perspective is. Make your contention specific and unique!

Start with a bang

The very first sentence that you read out sets the mood for the rest of your speech. Therefore, you should start with an engaging hook to keep your listener’s interest. Some good ways to start are a speech are using analogies, anecdotes, or a shocking fact or statistic.

Do you need a persona? 

Taking on a persona is a unique way to present an oral presentation. This is where you put yourself into someone else’s shoes and write in their perspective. Usually this will be someone that is more heavily involved in the issue than you are.

Perhaps you are writing about the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence software such as ChatGPT. You could write as a University Professor who is concerned about plagiarism or as a student finding it useful for studying.

You don’t have to use a persona – you can do just as well without one. It also fits certain topics better than others. If you choose to use one, make sure you do lots of research to understand the character, and make it clear to your audience who you are.

Think about your overall register/context

Depending on your topic and persona, there may be a certain register than suits your speech. Register refers to the level of formality and really depends on the context.

If you are presenting a speech in front of work colleagues, you may require a formal register. However, if you are presenting a speech in front of primary school children, an informal register will be best to keep their attention. Of course, you will be presenting your speech in front of your classmates/teachers. However, depending on the persona you adopt, you can change your register to suit.

Inclusive language is important

When writing a speech, you need to connect with your audience and really try and show them that the issue impacts them in some way or another. Therefore, try and use inclusive language where possible!

Tips for Presenting Your Speech

The job isn’t over once you have written your speech – you then must present it! Here are some tips to help you with this part.

Time yourself

It is likely that your teachers will set a time limit for your presentation. Usually it is around 5-6 minutes, which is equivalent to around 750 words. Before the day of your presentation, it is important that you practise the speech in timed conditions.

This will tell you if you need to cut and change parts of the speech and prevent you from getting penalised.        

Vary your tone

Your voice is a very powerful tool – by changing the tone of your voice, you can add emphasis and draw attention to specific parts of your speech. No one wants to hear you speak in the same voice for five minutes straight – this shows a lack of enthusiasm and passion towards the issue. Change your tone to match what you are saying – does a certain part of your speech make you angry, frustrated or even sad? Show this through your voice! You can also change the pace that you are talking at and change up your volume.

Make cue cards but don’t rely on them

A cue card is a small piece of paper that has words written on them, that tells you what you need to say. This is much preferred to reading off a sheet of paper! Although they are very useful, you shouldn’t rely on them – your marker doesn’t want to see you staring at them for the entire duration of your speech. Therefore, make sure you practise your speech enough times so your cue cards become your safety net in case you forget something – not what you rely on completely.

Don’t forget to make eye contact

Giving eye contact is a sign of confidence and connects you to your viewer. Make sure you regularly look up from your cue cards and don’t take your eyes away from your audience for too long.

Body language is important

Just like varying your tone, physical actions can help enhance your presentation too. Don’t stay rooted to a single spot during your presentation, feel free to walk around a bit and use hand gestures. Don’t overdo it though!

Hopefully you found this article helpful and are now feeling more confident about completing your oral presentation. Just make sure you choose a topic that you are passionate about and practise your presentation as much as possible – you can certainly ace this assessment!

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VCE English Issues: Oral Presentation

• 2022 issues
• Persuasive Writing
• Oral Presentation
• Evaluate Sources
• Bibliography

What is an Oral Presentation?

Making a good oral presentation is an art that involves attention to the needs of your audience, careful planning, and attention to delivery. You can make an oral presentation for a number of reasons:

• to inform 
• to persuade
• to entertain

Terminology

Colloquialism

A colloquialism is a word, phrase, or other form used in informal language. Colloquialisms include words, phrases such as "raining cats and dogs" and "dead as a doornail"; and aphorisms such as "There's more than one way to skin a cat".

Voice Register

Fallseto - talking through nose and throat. Talking in a lower voice makes your presentation carry more weight.

The way that your voice feels. Rich smooth and warm.

Having a question sound like a statement or a statement sound like a question. Prosody is the patterns of stress, intonation and rhythm of oral language.

How fast or slow are you talking? Using silence to place emphases a point that you have just made. The audience will stop and think as well.

Same sentence can mean different things if you use a different pitch. 

Build your oral presentation skills

Tips and Hints

• LaTrobe University Guide
• Tips on How to Deliver a Speech for School or Work
• Top 10 Public Speaking Exercises Tips and hints to improve your public speaking skills
• 12 Ways to hook an audience in 30 seconds
• Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations
• A Quiet Person's Guide To Effective Public Speaking

Watch " How to give a great TEDx talk" for some great tips on how to structure your talk.

Although the video is specifically geared towards delivering a TED talk, there is plenty for VCE students to take away.

• Make sure you use a strong opening hook .
• Order your points so they follow naturally in the sequence of your talk.
• Craft a great closing story with a call to action.
• Add images to help tighten transitions and augment your stories.
• Rehearse and practice in front of real audiences for several weeks

Click here for: Strategies for an effective oral presentation

Please visit your Teacher Librarians for help preparing your 'oral'. Don't leave a practice session to the last minute.  Come early and we can endorse or improve.   Teacher Librarians can help with: 

• Researching your topic
• proof reading your written piece
• practising your presentation
• presentation design
• moral support
• << Previous: Persuasive Writing
• Next: Fake News >>
• Last Updated: Jun 15, 2023 4:18 PM
• URL: https://materchristi.libguides.com/issues

Ronnie's Ramblings

Vce english made easy, the oral presentation – facing your fears – unit 4 vce english (adapted for the new study design).

UPDATE: THIS POST HAS NOW BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THE NEW STUDY DESIGN FOR 2024. IF YOU HAVE READ THIS POST PREVIOUSLY, IT MENTIONED THE STATEMENT OF INTENTION, BUT THAT IS NO LONGER A REQUIREMENT FOR THIS STUDY DESIGN AND THE WEIGHTING OF THIS SAC IS NOW 20% OF THE UNIT 4 MARK.

I dread oral presentations. I still do. I have never enjoyed public speaking, but everyday I stand up in front of my classes and deliver Oscar-winning performances. It’s different though. When I speak in front of my students, I’m teaching them, trying to engage them, and build a rapport with them as well as educate them, but place me in front of my colleagues or a whole school for an assembly and I am a nervous wreck. My palms sweat, I can’t look at the audience, my voice starts to shake and I feel like my heart is in my throat about to jump out of my mouth making it difficult to speak. The fear is real, so for those of you who feel the same, I get it, but like I’ve said in my previous posts, I just think back to the little engine that could and say to myself, I know I can. And you can. Once it is over, that’s it. It was never as bad as you thought it would be, and the sense of relief that you have is priceless.

I don’t know why I fear public speaking, maybe it’s the fact that I don’t believe I’m good at it, or I’m saying the wrong thing, or that people are judging me, I don’t know. But just like my debilitating fear of birds (it’s next level, don’t get a budgie near me), I can’t explain why I’m scared, I just am, however, I’d rather be delivering a speech in front of 1000 strangers than be confronted by a pigeon (I have a bird story, but I’ll tell you that at the end.)

Many of you will be doing an oral presentation for English, or one of your other subjects this year. This post isn’t just for Year 12s (though there are elements that I talk about that are specific for Unit 4), but for every year level and student who is required to deliver an oral presentation. You just can’t wing it. For those of you in Year 12, this is worth 20% of your Unit 4 mark – that’s huge. This is your chance to make the most of that weighting and lift up your results, and therefore planning and preparation are key. Some of you are natural speakers and for those of you who have competed in debating and public speaking competitions the performance and delivery part of this outcome will come naturally to you. For the rest of us, we need to practice and fully immerse ourselves in our speech.

Consider it a performance, adopt a persona, and deliver a monologue. I have watched and assessed many speeches in my time (and it’s been a looooong time), and the memorable speeches are those that come from the heart, the ones that I have forgotten, I’ve forgotten for a reason. They are not genuine, they’re bland, they’re formulaic and there’s no emotion. The students just read from a piece of paper (that they haven’t even bothered to cut up to look like cue cards) or they’re reading from their computer screen because they typed it up the night before and haven’t had the time to print it off.

So where do you start? There is a process to writing a persuasive speech, and you need to give yourself some time to put it all together. Like any piece of writing you need to consider the topic, research, plan, draft, edit, perfect. This blog will give you some tips about how to approach writing your speech.

Choose a topic that you’re passionate about

I have absolutely no interest in golf. None. When someone asks me what I think about the LIV golf league I look at them with a blank stare and tell them that I have no opinion because it doesn’t interest me and I have no idea what they’re talking about. I’m using this example because someone did ask me once, and I have no idea why they asked me. But ask me about teacher conditions and pay, and standardised testing in schools and the VCE system and I have a lot to say. I won’t say what I think about them now because this isn’t the forum to do so, but I could go on passionately about it for hours.

Therefore, when you are thinking about what topic to talk about choose one that you are emotional about. It has to be recently discussed in the media (that’s what the study design says), but it should be something that stirs some sort of emotional response from you. Make it personal. What do you love? What bothers you about the world today? What is the government doing that grinds your gears? What do you want to see change to make the world that you’re living in a better place?

I get frustrated when a student asks me what topic to do and that they’re not passionate about anything. If that’s the case, then I feel sorry for you. How can you not have any thoughts or opinions about something that can impact your life in one way or another? I have one student who is going to talk about prejudices against ‘gingers’ (redheads) which I think is fabulous. They themselves are ‘ginger’ and will take a personal perspective on the topic, and when they deliver their presentation they will be giving that insight into the world of a ‘ginger’ that those of us who are not, will learn to be empathetic towards.

Sport, local issues, education, health, issues that impact young people that us old people don’t get, these are topics that you will have an opinion on. It doesn’t always have to be serious, it can be lighthearted (like my ginger student), but don’t choose something that you don’t know enough about and that you are not at all interested in. Talking about the war between Russia and Ukraine, as serious as it is, unless you have a very specific contention and are clearly passionate about, you will bore the teacher assessing you. Same goes with climate change. If you are passionate about climate change, which we all should be (my opinion), talk about a specific aspect that irks you, what needs to change and how do we change it? Be specific about your topic when you choose it, otherwise it becomes an informative rather than a persuasive speech and your contention and intention are blurred.

If you’re stuck for topics, here’s my TikTok with some suggestions

https://www.tiktok.com/@ronnies.ramblings/video/7375061284221455632

Plan and research

This is vital. You may think you know everything about your topic, but you don’t. I don’t know everything about English (even though it sounds like I do), but I have to plan what I’m going to teach, research elements of my teaching to ensure that I know what I’m talking about. This is where that cool little tool Chat GPT can be very useful in your research. I’m totally against using it for producing your speech, but use it to help you find different elements of the topic and suggest what to research – this is what makes it a great tool. Make sure that you always reference your research to avoid any plagiarism.

Once you have completed your preliminary research start planning your speech. Consider your contention first – what is your point of view on the topic? Then what is your purpose or intention? What do you want the outcome to be? This will allow you to have direction in the development of your speech. When you have decided on the contention and intention, develop your supporting arguments. Remember! Arguments are not examples! Students often make this mistake. They will structure their speech around examples rather than arguments. If you consider breaking up your arguments thematically then you will be able to include the examples as your supporting evidence. By thematically, I mean that you look at the implications of the topic such as economic, safety, ethical, moral, health, environmental, social, justice, etc. Choose three strong themes and develop this into your supporting arguments.

Consider a rebuttal. Now rebuttals don’t always have to be included as a separate point but can be linked to one of the arguments that you’re discussing so weave it in.

What you may find during this process is that you will need to do some additional research to include as supporting evidence.

I’ve included a planning document that I have been using for years with my students to help them organise their thoughts and may help you too.

Write your speech

Now that you have organised all of your ideas you need to write your speech. There are a number of things that you need to consider though such as audience, context and purpose.

When delivering your speech consider who your audience is. I tell my students that they can adopt a persona and consider the forum in which they will deliver their presentation. Will it be a TED talk? Who will the audience be? Is it a youth forum where politicians will be present to listen to the views of young people? Sometimes your teacher will give you a specific audience and context and always go with what your teacher has suggested.

Audience and context are important when making your language choices. Who you are talking to determines the type of language that you choose to deliver your point of view. Are you going to be formal, emotional, funny, sarcastic, angry, informal? Tone is essential, but it’s also able to change depending on the argument that you’re presenting. In reading some drafts that students have submitted to me, one student has adopted a very satirical tone in their speech which works really well in putting forth their opinion. If delivered properly, this will be clear in how they assert their point of view and will lead to a successful speech.

Remember when you studied argument analysis and you had to analyse the language choices that writer employed and the impact that had on the audience? That is what you are doing now. You are being selective in the choices that you make with your language and how you want your specific audience to respond.

Opening and closing are do or die

Absolutely vital that you get this right. The opening needs to be engaging. Don’t just tell me your name and topic and define it. Hook me in and keep me hanging on to every word. Use emotion. Use short powerful sentences and questions. Get me thinking. Make me feel guilty or responsible if you have to. But suck me in to whatever you’re talking about. Also, clearly state your contention. I have listened to many speeches where I’m given a lot of background information about a topic, but I have no idea what is being argued, and don’t know even by the end of the speech. Make this very clear in the opening before you launch into your first argument.

Signpost your arguments, but avoid the usual firstly, secondly and lastly. Be original as you transition to different points.

The closing is where you let the audience know what you want the outcome to be. Are you offering a proposal, do you want to see a call to action? What is the solution to the problem? There needs to be a solution or outcome of some sort. Finish strong! Make us feel something and be in agreeance with you when you finish your speech.

Rehearse and practice!

This is important. You need to rehearse your speech and get feedback from peers, parents, siblings etc. Are they bored? What is missing? What can be taken out? Are you talking too fast? Too slow? Have you varied your tone? Are you pausing? Is it too short? Are you just reading or are you passionately talking about your topic?

Take this feedback on board and improve it. You don’t need to memorise your speech, and by all means use cue cards. If you have lived and breathed your speech during the process of putting it all together, then you won’t need to rely on your notes as much. They are there as an aid.

Once you’ve adjusted the speech with the feedback you’ve been provided, deliver it again. Keep practicing.

I hope that this helps you gather your thoughts and put together your speech for this important SAC. Remember that it’s ok to be anxious if public speaking isn’t your thing and going back to that bird story I mentioned in my opening…

Just imagine me locking myself in my room as a bird flies around like crazy in my house and I’m calling the police to try and get it out and they’re laughing at me on the phone. I’m paralysed with fear and the bird has taken ownership of my house and because I’m so scared I can’t even run outside. I was held hostage by a bird in my own home for two hours. I had to call work and tell them I was running late because of said bird. I was terrified. Everyone but me thought it was hilarious (even the fire brigade after I tried them when the police had laughed at me). It’s funny I know. Everyone I tell the story to thinks it’s funny, but it was one of the most traumatic moments of my life. Speaking in assembly didn’t even come close.

The bird eventually walked out of the house after purposefully torturing me for two whole hours and made a complete mess of my place. Moral of this story, never leave your windows open to let the birds in. Also, when you’re doing your presentation and you start to get nervous think of me trying to get the police to take me seriously when I told them that the intruder in my house was a bird.

All the best and keep it zesty!

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VCE English Units 3 & 4 Oral Presentation: Issues

• Accessing Media articles
• Oral Presentation Tips
• Referencing
• Graphic organisers

Select your issue from the list of possible topics

1.   Should secondary school students be allowed to use Artificial Intelligence in their assessment tasks?

2.   Should prisoners be allowed access to the internet?

3.   Should pill testing be available to drug users at music festivals?

4.   Should duck and quail hunting be banned in Victoria?

5.   Should Australia introduce a four day work week?

6.   Should radical climate change protests be allowed?

7.   Should Australia become a cashless society?

8.   Should mental health services be free?

9.   Should children under 14 be banned from using social media?

10. Should the government be doing more to tackle domestic violence?

11. Should there be safe injecting rooms in Melbourne and regional cities?

12. Should SUVs and large utes be banned in city centres?

13. Should the Australian government be doing more to combat homelessness?

14. Should the Australian government provide more resources to improve Indigenous health? 

Marian College Resource Centre

• Next: Accessing Media articles >>
• Last Updated: May 20, 2024 11:07 AM
• URL: https://mariansw.catholic.libguides.com/vceoralpresentation

VCE Oral Presentations: Oral Presentation

• Oral Presentation

Tips and Tricks

• Oral Presentations: Tips on How to Deliver a Speech for School or Work
• Top 10 Public Speaking Exercises
• 12 Ways to Hook an Audience in 30 Seconds
• Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations
• A Quiet Person's Guide To Effective Public Speaking

What is an Oral Presentation?

Oral presentations, also known as public speaking, consist of  an individual or group verbally addressing an audience on a particular topic .

There are four reasons you would give a presentation:

• to educate,
• to entertain
• to present an argument.

How Can the Library Help You?

Visit the library team for help with the following:

• Researching your topic
• Proofreading your written piece
• Practising your presentation
• Presentation design
• Moral support

Five Basic Public Speaking Tips 5:01

How to Speak so that People Want to Listen 9:58

TED's Secret to Great Public Speaking 7:56

Five Simple Rules for Creating World Changing Presentations 4:28

• Next: Resources >>
• Last Updated: Sep 6, 2023 3:17 PM
• URL: https://geelong.libguides.com/vce_english_orals

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• VCE - Victorian Certificate of Education

Example Oral Speech

14 Found helpful • 3 Pages • Essays / Projects • Year: Pre-2021

This oral presentation script is one that was graded 20/20 at a select entry highschool SAC. It is a perfect example of how a persuasive speech should be scripted, and can be used as an example of how to use evidence to persuade your point and argue effectively without boring the audience.

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• SCSC Year 12 English Overview
• Student Calendar
• REVISION SKILLS
• SECTION A exam revision
• SECTION B exam revision
• SECTION C exam revision
• Outcome 1a - Reading and Creating - Nine Days
• Outcome 1b - Reading and Creating - Like a House on Fire
• Outcome 2 KK1
• Outcome 2 KK2
• Outcome 2 - SAC Information
• Written explanation
• Holiday Homework
• Weekly tutorials
• Weekly Tutorials
• Creative writing
• Oral Presentation
• Language analysis
• Burial Rites - The Author
• Burial Rites - The History
• Holiday Homework for 2020
• Feedback from Year 11

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Unit 4- area of study 2- presenting argument  sac- oral presentations.

• Implementing a sugar tax to curb Australian obesity
• Rising number of assaults on paramedics and ambulance workers
• Anti-vaccination movement
• Impact of the drought on Australian farmers
• Microplastics in the ocean
• Indigenous 'Close the Gap' campaign
• Making our education system more like Finland's
• Changing the date of Australia Day
• Quality of the NBN system
• Saving the bees
• Impact of the strawberry needle scare
• Epidemic of anxiety
• Is a zero road toll even possible?
• Should gay couples have the same adoption rights as straight couples?
• Should businesses be required to have a gender quota?
• Should political parties be required to run a certain percentage of women candidates?
• Gender workplace diversity
• Treatment of refugees on Manus Island
• Should there be a temporary ban on all immigration into Australia?
• MP citizenship
• Should the government classify Bitcoin as a legal currency?
• Homelessness in Australia
• Obesity in Australia
• Sexual harassment in the TV/movie/hollywood industry (#metoo movement)
• Should gender identity be added to anti-discrimination laws?
• Should workplaces/universities provide ‘trigger warnings’ and ‘safe spaces’ for staff/students?
• Informed consent with online data
• Religious freedom
• Same sex marriage freedom
• Adani coalmine
• Political donations
• Penalty rates in Australia
• Wage theft in Australia
• School funding
• Gun control
• Food labelling laws
• Indigenous recognition in the constitution
• Should we invest in public interest journalism?
• Pill testing at music festivals
• http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/ ​
• https://www.vcestudyguides.com/blog/oral-presentation-topics-2019  for more ideas
• Dogs are better than cats.
• Euthanasia is good
• There is no place like home
• Gender neutral toys encourage an identity crisis among our children.
• The dual citizenship drama is detracting from more serious challenges.
• It's time for a treaty!
• Internet trolls are misunderstood.
• LeBron James is the greatest of all time.
• Our elderly deserve more nurses in aged-care home. ​

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