Primary school public speaking Workshops
High energy, fun and engaging public speaking workshops that help Year 5 and 6 students write, practise and deliver speeches with greater confidence.
Ideal for classroom presentations, speaking assessments and students preparing for Year 6 student council or leadership speeches.
Why teach your students to Speak Up?
Public speaking is one of the most useful skills students can begin developing before they reach high school.
In upper primary, students start presenting ideas, explaining their thinking, persuading an audience and putting themselves forward for leadership opportunities. For many students, their Year 6 student councillor or student leader speech is the biggest speech they will give during primary school.
A primary school public speaking workshop gives students structured practice before that pressure arrives. It helps them write a clear speech, speak with purpose, use their voice effectively and present themselves with confidence in a safe, supportive environment.
These skills are becoming more important than ever. Many students are growing up with fewer everyday opportunities to practise face-to-face communication and extended speaking. In a world of screens, short messages and fast digital communication, students still need to learn how to stand in front of others, organise their thoughts and communicate clearly.
Building public speaking confidence early helps students with classroom presentations, leadership speeches, debates, assemblies, high school transition and everyday communication.
Key Skills Acquired
✅Understanding and controlling public speaking nerves
✅ Structuring ideas into a clear and memorable speech
✅ Preparing for student leader and councillor speeches
✅ Building confidence speaking to students or adults
✅ Projecting voice clearly and confidently
✅ Using voice, pace and pauses to keep their audience engaged
✅ Presenting with confident body language and eye contact
STRUCTURE OF THE Workshops
The workshop is designed as a gradual process, so students are not expected to stand in front of the whole class straight away. They first learn the key skills, practise them with a partner, then build up to small groups, medium-sized groups and, where appropriate, the whole class.
This creates a safe space for students to practise speaking step by step, building confidence through repetition, rehearsal and supportive feedback. The workshop is split into two practical parts:
Preparing to Speak
Students learn how to organise their ideas and prepare to speak to an audience. Focus areas include:
Understanding speaking nerves
Building confidence
Speech structure
Delivering the Speech
Students then learn and practise the delivery skills that help them speak clearly and confidently in front of others. Focus areas include:
Breathing and Projection
Voice tone
Body language
Eye contact
Every workshop can be tailored to suit your students. Schools can request additional focus on speech writing, debating, persuasive speaking, student leadership, student council speeches or another upcoming speaking task.
“There's nothing better than seeing a student considered by teachers to be typically quiet and shy, by the end of the workshop, to come out of their shell and present passionately, expressing themselves to their classmates for the first time. Finding Your Voice gives them the skills and confidence, opening a safe space for them to do just that, and they carry those skills for a lifetime.”
-Adrian Alaberg
Testimonials
Student feedback following the session was overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting increased confidence and a better understanding of how to present effectively. It was pleasing to see students successfully implement the strategies they had learned when delivering their presentations, resulting in noticeable improvements in their confidence and speaking skills.”
-Adrienne Rintoul, Year 6 teacher, Davallia Primary School
“Adrian is a first class presenter who is very relatable. His delivery is both engaging and informative, where he utilizes personal experience and research to ensure his messages are clearly understood.
Our students enjoyed working with Adrian and at the end of the workshop even the most nervous of students were able to write and deliver a speech to their peers with confidence.”
-Adryan Winnan, Head of Student Leadership, CBC Fremantle
"Adrian's workshop was very helpful in making me understand why I feel nervous when public speaking, and how I can overcome the nerves. He helped me feel confident and prepared for my head girl speech."
-Student Leader, Year 11, Seton Catholic College
“Adrian captured the student interest from the outset. The easy-to-understand strategies to combat nerves and deliver an engaging and impactful message were underpinned by current research in psychology and neurobiology...
Adrian's presentation skill and workshop organization was excellent, and his ability to tailor his presentation to the audience and the time we had available was very much appreciated.”
-Ellen Fortini, Head of Year, Perth College Anglican School for Girls
“These sessions are always engaging… There were plenty of laughs as they practiced standing and delivering speeches, with lots of encouragement along the way. We look forward to seeing our leaders using these new skills in all facets of their schooling”
-Stuart Hayward, Deputy Principal: Students, Emmanuel Christian Community School
“Our student leaders thoroughly enjoyed the public speaking workshop and found it both engaging and highly beneficial. Adrian connected exceptionally well with the students, delivering relevant and practical content in an enthusiastic and approachable manner.
The workshop provided simple, effective strategies and tools that our students can immediately apply to improve their confidence and communication skills. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience, and we would highly recommend the program to other schools looking to develop their students' leadership and public speaking abilities”
Troy Holdaway, Assistant Deputy Principal, Aranmore Catholic College
“Adrian Alaberg’s leadership/public speaking workshop was engaging and empowering. Students participated enthusiastically and engaged in all aspects of the workshop. Adrian’s relatable stories of failure and success helped build confidence, showing that leadership isn’t about fitting a mold, it’s about believing in yourself and having the courage to try. He made everyone feel capable, reminding us that perseverance and self-belief are key.”
-Angela Gileno, Acting Deputy Principal: Mission & Identity, Emmanuel Catholic College
"The workshop was very beneficial to me as I struggle with feeling nervous whilst public speaking. It helped me to gain understanding that it's perfectly normal to feel nervous and how to grow from this"
-Student Leader, Year 9, Kolbe Catholic College
Adrian’s story
B.App.Psych (Bachelor of Applied Psychology)
B.A (Hons) Eng & Cultural Studies
Grad.Dip.Ed (Secondary)
When I was 15 I had a speech for English class that was perfect on paper. But when I stood in front of my classmates, I froze. My mind went blank, I stumbled, stuttered, and sweat. I failed the assignment. No amount of knowledge could help me when I physically couldn’t present it.
Once I finished school I decided to face that fear in the most extreme way I could think of: by stepping onto the stand-up comedy stage! That decision changed my life. Over the next 15 years I toured WA's comedy scene, became Perth's lifestyle and weather presenter on Channel 9's Today Perth, worked as a professional MC, presented nationally on Channel Nine’s Today Show, and even appeared on a global Netflix series.
From being too scared to speak in front of my class to confidently presenting to millions worldwide, I’ve learned (often the hard way) what it takes to communicate with confidence. Now I teach what I've learned at schools across WA through Finding Your Voice to give students the confidence and skills I wish I had at their age. It has become my mission
Packages
Finding Your Voice is designed for a small-medium sized student group (15-60 students)
intensive workshop
50mins
Best for schools with a limited time frame or a last minute booking, students learn the basic-intermediate skills of speaking and communication and are given the opportunity to read pre-prepared speeches to demonstrate their skills
essentials workshop
*MOST POPULAR*
1hr 45mins
Best for schools looking to significantly improve students’ speaking and communication. Students learn the skills of confident and powerful delivery and immediately demonstrate them in a group setting with their own speeches.
half-day flagship course
2hr 45mins
Best for leadership camps or full-day incursions. Students gain the full experience, learning speech-writing and advanced skills of speaking and persuasion, delivering to small and large groups and are able to refine skills that dramatically improve their speaking.
Finding Your Voice workshops may also be adapted to fit custom time frames or split among multiple sessions depending on your school’s needs
Fill out the contact form below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible for an obligation-free chat about making your students the best speakers that they can possibly be!
or email Adrian@findingyourvoice.com.au
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