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LAMDA Public Speaking

This is an exciting opportunity for Y12 students to develop their communication and presentation skills and gain a qualification in Public Speaking. 

Public Speaking is more than speaking loud and clear. You will receive training on vocal delivery and physical expression that will develop your understanding of how you can have an impact on an audience. You will study persuasive and rhetorical techniques that inform expression. 

You will work towards a LAMDA qualification Grade 6, 7 or 8 in ‘Speaking Verse and Prose’, ‘Reading for Performance’ or ‘Speaking in Public’. These qualifications aim to help the student to: 

  • Read easily, fluently and with good understanding. 
  • Expand vocabulary to improve powers of self-expression. 
  • Improve confidence in speaking and listening. 
  • Memorise and recall information. 
  • Research and create persuasive formal presentations. 
  • Create and defend arguments. 
  • Engage in constructive informal conversation. 
  • Work both on his/her own and participate as a member of a team. 

Achievement is measured by Pass, Merit and Distinction. Students will receive a bronze medal for Grade 6, a silver medal for Grade 7 and a gold medal for Grade 8. 

Courses Offered

1. Speaking in Public

2. Speaking Verse and Prose

3. Reading for Performance

LAMDA-(London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) 

Syllabus Breakdown

You

ou will choose ONE of the three courses. You will work towards ONE exam between grades 6 and 8. 

1. Speaking in Public

  • Prepared Speech 1 (Contemporary Topic)
  • Prepared Speech 2 (own Choice)
  • Impromptu Speech

2. Speaking Verse and Prose

  • Interpretation and Technique (Set Piece)
  • Interpretation and Technique (Own Choice) 
  • Sight Reading/Sonnet Recital3. 

Reading for Performance

  • Interpretation and Technique (Set Piece)
  • Interpretation and Technique (Own Choice)
  • Sight Reading

Minimum Entry Requirements

Students must have met the general Sixth Form entry requirements of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above. Students will be guided to take the most suitable grade following an initial assessment. 

Why Study Public Speaking?

The ancient Greeks were right! We need to learn our grammar; the stuff we know. We need to test our ideas through logic; discussing and debating helps us understand. We need to express the grammar and the dialogue through rhetoric; communicating our ideas in a persuasive and convincing manner will engage those listening to us. 

We believe that learning to express ideas and arguments with conviction, commitment and clarity will prepare students for a wide range of life and career opportunities. The Public Speaking course will enable students to express themselves with more clarity and assurance. Students will analyse texts and topic, ensuring they widen their knowledge. Students will discuss their understanding of the texts and topics with their teacher and other students. Finally, the students will prepare to deliver expressive and crafted presentations. What was good for the ancient Greeks, must be good for our students: grammar, logic and rhetoric! 

LAMDA Examinations

LAMDA has been offering practical examinations in communication and performance subjects for over 130 years. Today, they offer a performance and communications-based syllabus leading to accredited and non-accredited awards in the UK and worldwide. Almost 98,000 candidates took their examinations in over 30 countries in one year, making LAMDA the largest statutory speech and drama awarding body in the UK. 

Their examinations are about achievement and empowerment. Anyone can take a LAMDA exam, regardless of age, ability, ambition or experience. Their ultimate aim is to provide every individual with the opportunity to develop the life skills they need to be a success, wherever their future takes them. 

What a Former LAMDA Student has said 

"It was a decade after I took my last LAMDA medal that I realised it really had helped... specifically, the first time I was asked to do a reading of one of my stories." 

Neil Gaiman, bestselling author and screenwriter

What Can I Do Next?

You will choose this option if you want a career in teaching, business or law; if you are considering applying to Oxbridge and you want to ensure you present yourself confidently, or; if you want the challenge yourself to improve your ability to persuade and present arguments effectively. 

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