Kevin has written the following Article for IDIOM as a result of a workshop he ran at the AATE Conference in December.

The skills of communicating persuasively have been recognised in the National Curriculum as fundamental – in both the written and spoken genres. Persuasive communication places specific demands on a writer or speaker and helping students understand these will assist them in confidently starting their persuasive assignment.

Audience Analysis

Jock Elliott has become only the second Australian to win the prestigious Toastmasters International Speaking Competition.

Check out his Speech on You Tube and note particularly the wonderful structure and language devices he used.

It woud be a very useful rsource in teaching your students some of the skills of Public Speaking.

It was most pleasing to meet so many colleagues at our Workshop.I trust you all took away some ideas for teaching Persuasive Communication.We would love to hear some feedback as to the suitability of these resources.

Did you find the 16 Persuasive Tools worthwhile? Can you see your self using the Barack Obama speech to teach these tools?

Use the PRES Formula with your classes and I am sure you will be amased at the ease, the learning and the enjoyment your students will undergo.

It was reassuring to meet with so many teachers and discuss this very relevant topic.

We were pleased to have so many attend our Seminar and the Slide Show is attached to this Blog.

The feedback form participants indicates to us that this topic of Persuasion needs a considerable amount of In-Service.

We would be delighted to work with English teachers in schools if required.

I have put together a short animated video with 8 persuasive tools. Have a look http://video214.com/play/WKIBFPHAnwNcwvTpU8vymA/s/dark

I think this movie can be used by teachers to show many aspects of preparation for a speech. One area that was significant centered on the idea of speech preparation.Encourage your students to prepare by saying it out aloud and not going over it in your head.Saying it aloud lets the speaker know how the words will sound and if there any difficulties.Our minds can create brilliant speeches that are very difficult to say.

YouTube and TED provide examples of young people presenting (in the case of TED, they are big audiences and high quality recordings). A good example is Birke Baehr http://www.ted.com/talks/birke_baehr_what_s_wrong_with_our_food_system.html
This is a god presuasive presentation containing all the components on an appropriate topic. As such, it is an excellent exemplar to show students - especially those in years 6/7.

It was great to meet such enthusiastic educators at the VATE Conference on 7 December. We promised you the slides with the formulae - they are attached. I hope this helps with teaching persuasive communication - both spoken and written.

We were delighted to make contact with so many of you who attended our Workshop. Thank you for your kind comments about our presentation. It's always gratifying to know that what you are delivering has relevance and practical application for teachers.

Please contact us via this web site if you would like any support in this area we call Public Speaking. We are very much aware that 50 minutes does not allow sufficient time to talk about all the areas of Persuasive Speaking.

Julia Gillard’s speech on asylum seekers and refugees

Take the time to read the June 3-9 BRW which has some very useful material on Sales presentations.

I would encourage English Co-ordinators to consider including a Sales Presentation in their curriculum planning. It could be selling an idea, a product or an issue.

Kevin and Adrian thoroughly enjoyed the interchange with teachers from Lourdes Hill College and Calvary Christian College recently. The skills of Persuasive Speaking were the key areas for discussion. Robert Cialdini's work is a must for teachers who are looking at this key topic.

Do you think the new Curriculum documents will mean significant changes to the Oral Presentations that you ask your students to undertake? If so what are they and do you need any support with resources?