Teaching kids the S-B-KG strategy.

Often when students are onstage and make a mistake (like skipping a part of their speech) their first instinct is to stop and apologize. But I believe in encouraging kids to "fake it". No one knows what the speaker is supposed to say except for the speaker. So the best thing he or she can do if a mistake occurs is to keep going as if nothing has happenened at all.

Giving kids a specific strategy to use is essential so I teach them S- B- KG or Smile, Breathe, Keep Going strategy. When kids realize that they've made a mistake instead of apologizing, panicking or getting flustered I teach them to smile and look up at the audience. This gives them a moment to collect their thoughts. Next, they should take a deep (but not to obvious) breath. Breathing encourages calmness which is important when under pressure. Finally, he or she should simply keep going.

This strategy helps students learn how to recover when giving a speech and it is also beneficial because it teaches children to keep their composure when they are nervous, which is a valuable like skill. So teach your young speakers the S-B-KG strategy today!

#Strategies