In this episode, I react to a speech delivered by 9-year-old Dalton Sherman to over 20,000 school staff in Dallas, Texas in 2008. The speech itself is very inspiring. In addition, there are many aspects of the speech content and delivery that could be referred to when training other children in public speaking skills. Here is the link to Dalton’s speech on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hMe8Nil2i20. #publicspeaking #studentvoice #empowerment #orallanguage #oracy

“Where do I start?” It’s very understandable that teachers may be nervous and uncertain as to how to begin public speaking training with children. Few will have received training in public speaking themselves and few also will have received training in how to train children in the skills of public speaking. You don’t have to be a fantastic public speaker yourself to train your students in theses skills. In this episode, Siobhán offers some advise on how you might begin the process. As promised , here is the link to my YouTube channel where you will find playlists of speeches. https://youtube.com/channel/UC3Db-XDKu7cPktNM8x9XS3Q. #orallanguage #newprimarylanguagecurriculum #publicspeaking

It is inspiring, insightful and uplifting to talk with youth coach and life coach, Helen Butler in this episode of the’LET’s Stand’ podcast. With a deep understanding of and empathy for young people, Helen positively and powerfully conveys the potential and possibilities of young people when supported and given a voice. Referring to speaking as a fundamental skill that will carry people through life, Helen comments on how valuable this skill is, especially when we don’t know the full range of occasions on which young people may need to fall back on this acquired and practiced skill. Helen paints bright and vivid pictures of our highly capable, courageous and confident youth in the stories she tells, from her work with ‘Get Lippy’ to Youth Democracy groups. Helen’s aim is to help parents and young people to be the very best they can be. In this episode she shares so many wonderful nuggets of wisdom for parents AND teachers alike, in relation to encouraging, enabling and empowering our young people to maximize their potential. Enjoy! If you’d like to contact Helen directly, you can email [email protected] or check out helenbutlercoaching.org. If you’d like to find out more about ‘LET’s Stand’, check out www.letsstand.ie.

In this episode I give my analysis, my evaluation of Amanda Gorman’s performance of her poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’ at US President Joe Biden’s Inauguration. I was deeply touched, moved and inspired by the content and delivery of this poem. My analysis also touches on how teachers might choose to use Amanda’s spoken word poetry performance in their classrooms. See Amanda Gorman’s full performance of ‘The Hill We Climb’ here: https://youtu.be/LZ055ilIiN4. For more information about ‘LETs Stand’ check out: www.letsstand.ie . #AmandaGorman #SpokenWordPoetry #PowerofPoetry

My Dad, Frank Keenan is a legend. At 84, his memory is not good, it’s remarkable as is his captivating ability to recite lengthy monologues with expression and passion. This podcast is a snapshot of some of that amazing ability and a reflection on the impact his love of speaking, monologue and poetry has had on his life. I was delighted to record this chat with him via Zoom during the 2nd Level 5 lockdown due to COVID-19.

What is the story behind the widely acclaimed ‘LET’s Stand Public Speaking Programme? Listen to Siobhán Fitzgerald, creator of the Programme describe how her own childhood experiences motivated and inspired her to create the Programme. The ‘LET’s Stand’ Programme is currently being implemented in many primary and secondary schools across Ireland and the EU.