Unit 6
​​
Speech

Unit Theme and Plan

UNIT 6: Applied Professional Communication
Integrated with Ongoing Portfolio Development

Activities

Teaching with E.L.O.N.  (Enriched Learning Opportunity Nexus) that seamlessly integrates AI 
Unit Purpose
Students apply their communication skills in authentic, real-world speaking scenarios. They practice impromptu speaking, interviewing, panel discussion, teamwork-based presentations, crisis communication, and professional etiquette. This unit expands students’ practical speaking competencies while providing concrete evidence of their readiness for academic and workplace communication. All tasks contribute to Portfolio Section 6.


Standards Alignment
  • SL.1: Participating effectively in discussions
  • SL.3: Evaluating information, speakers, and arguments
  • SL.4: Presenting clearly and professionally
  • SL.6: Adapting communication to different contexts
  • W.4 and W.7: Preparing professional materials


Essential Questions
  1. How do strong communicators adapt their speaking to different real-world contexts?
  2. What strategies allow speakers to succeed under pressure, such as in interviews or impromptu settings?
  3. How do collaboration and professionalism influence communication outcomes?
  4. How does a portfolio document a speaker’s readiness for the real world?


Portfolio Requirements for Unit 6
Students add the following artifacts throughout the unit:
  • Impromptu speech reflection
  • Interview preparation worksheet
  • Mock interview feedback
  • Panel discussion notes
  • Collaborative presentation plan
  • Professional communication self-assessment
  • Final professional speaking reflection
  • Teacher evaluations from select tasks


WEEK 1: Impromptu Speaking and Interview Skills


DAY 1 — Impromptu Speaking Techniques
Mini-Lesson
  • Quick-structure strategies (PREP, 5-second frame, past-present-future)
  • Remaining calm and organized
  • Using simple, clear language under pressure
Group Activity: Impromptu Speaking Hot Seat
Each student draws a prompt and has 30 seconds to prepare and 60–90 seconds to speak.
Group members provide feedback on clarity, organization, and confidence.
Portfolio Integration
Students complete an impromptu speaking reflection, describing:
  • What strategies helped
  • What challenged them
  • How they plan to improve


DAY 2 — Professional Interviewing: Preparation
Mini-Lesson
  • Types of questions: behavioral, situational, reflective
  • Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
  • Professional tone, posture, and body language
Group Activity: Interview Question Workshop
Students rotate through stations practicing:
  • Behavioral responses
  • Strengths/weaknesses framing
  • Describing challenges and achievements
Portfolio Integration
Students add an interview preparation worksheet including:
  • Five practiced interview answers
  • A list of personal strengths
  • A career or academic interest statement


DAY 3 — Mock Interviews
Mini-Lesson
  • Managing stress
  • Listening actively
  • Asking strong follow-up questions
Group Activity: Partner or Panel Mock Interviews
Students interview each other in rotating pairs or small groups.
Interviewers evaluate clarity, presence, and professionalism.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Mock interview feedback forms
  • A short reflection on how their communication improved


DAY 4 — Professional Etiquette in Communication
Mini-Lesson
  • Email and workplace communication
  • Professional greetings, closings, and transitions
  • Respectful disagreement and collaborative decision-making
Group Activity: Communication Scenario Role-Plays
Groups act out workplace scenarios, such as:
  • Handling a disagreement during a team meeting
  • Giving corrective feedback respectfully
  • Explaining a mistake professionally
  • Requesting clarification or support
Discussion follows analyzing effective strategies.
Portfolio Integration
Students complete a self-assessment on their professional communication strengths and growth areas.


DAY 5 — Panel Discussion Preparation
Mini-Lesson
  • Panel etiquette and collaboration
  • How to contribute without dominating
  • Asking and answering questions professionally
Group Activity: Panel Design
Students are placed into topic-based groups (technology, ethics, community issues, sustainability, education, etc.).
Each group prepares for a 10–12 minute panel discussion, assigning roles such as:
  • Moderator
  • Opening speaker
  • Evidence specialist
  • Audience question responder
Portfolio Integration
Students add panel preparation notes and their role responsibilities.


WEEK 2: Panels, Collaborative Presentations, and Crisis Communication


DAY 6 — Panel Discussion Day
Activity
Groups conduct their panel discussion in front of the class. Afterwards, students complete a peer review of the panel’s effectiveness.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Their panel notes
  • Moderator or participant script (if used)
  • Teacher feedback


DAY 7 — Collaborative Presentation Skills
Mini-Lesson
  • Coordinating roles
  • Aligning tone and message
  • Visual and verbal coherence
Group Activity: Collaborative Micro-Presentations
Teams are given 30 minutes to prepare a three-minute presentation on a prompt such as:
  • “One improvement our school could implement tomorrow.”
  • “How technology will shape communication in the next decade.”
  • “A community challenge and a possible solution.”
Teams practice smooth transitions and unified delivery.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A collaborative presentation plan
  • Notes on teamwork effectiveness


DAY 8 — Crisis and On-the-Spot Communication
Mini-Lesson
  • Managing unexpected questions
  • Clarifying misunderstandings
  • Staying calm and credible under challenge
Group Activity: Crisis Scenario Simulation
Groups are given a short scenario such as:
  • A school event went wrong
  • A product failed
  • A community misunderstanding occurred
Each group prepares a brief press-style statement and responds to audience questions.
Portfolio Integration
Students add a reflection on crisis communication strategies they used and what they learned.


DAY 9 — Final Applied Speaking Task
Mini-Lesson
  • Integrating storytelling, professionalism, clarity, and presence
  • Final review of advanced speaking techniques
Activity: Professional Showcase Speech
Students deliver a short professional speech such as:
  • A college admissions-style personal statement
  • A leadership or advocacy speech
  • A professional introduction for a career fair
  • A scholarship or award speech
Portfolio Integration
Students add their final manuscript and teacher rubric.


WEEK 3: Reflection and Portfolio Completion


DAY 10 — Capstone Professional Reflection
Group Activity: Communication Growth Roundtable
Students discuss:
  • Their greatest improvements across Units 1–6
  • The most useful real-world speaking skills
  • How they will use communication skills beyond school
Portfolio Integration
Students complete the Unit 6 Reflection:
  1. Which applied speaking skill do you consider your strongest and why?
  2. Which skill improved the most during this unit?
  3. What challenged you the most in Unit 6?
  4. How do you see yourself using these skills in college, careers, leadership, or daily life?
  5. Looking back across the entire course, what are you most proud of in your speaking growth?
Students finalize Portfolio Section 6 and submit their complete Speech Portfolio.


Unit 6 Portfolio Checklist
  • Impromptu speech reflection
  • Interview preparation worksheet
  • Mock interview feedback
  • Professional communication self-assessment
  • Panel discussion preparation notes
  • Panel script or notes
  • Collaborative presentation plan
  • Crisis communication reflection
  • Professional showcase speech manuscript
  • Teacher rubric
  • Unit 6 final reflection
​The following activities include AI tools that enhance student engagement, provide data-driven insights, and facilitate personalized learning. 
​GROUP ACTIVITY 1: Final Speech Structure Audit
AI Tool: Claude.ai (Complex Reasoning)
Purpose: Provide high-level structural feedback on full-length drafts.
Procedure
  1. Each student shares their complete speech draft with their group.
  2. The group chooses one draft and uploads it to Claude.ai.
  3. Ask:
    “Identify structural strengths and weaknesses in this speech and recommend improvements.”
  4. Groups review Claude’s suggestions and decide which to adopt.
  5. Group members rotate so everyone receives a peer-plus-AI critique.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Claude’s analysis
  • Revised structural section
  • A justification for which recommendations they accepted or rejected


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 1: Delivery Performance Analysis
AI Tool: Yoodli AI (Speech Delivery Analyzer)
Purpose: Provide quantitative feedback on pacing, clarity, filler words, facial expression, and confidence.
Procedure
  1. Students record a practice version of their final speech.
  2. Upload to Yoodli.
  3. Review metrics such as:
    • speaking rate
    • % filler words
    • pacing consistency
    • clarity and articulation
  4. Students create a micro-plan for improvement.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Screenshot of Yoodli results
  • Specific delivery improvement plan


GROUP ACTIVITY 2: Visual–Verbal Alignment Workshop
AI Tool: Canva Magic Design + ChatGPT (Alignment Checker)
Purpose: Ensure visual aids match tone, structure, and message purpose.
Procedure
  1. Groups examine one member’s slides and speech side by side.
  2. Ask ChatGPT:
    “Evaluate whether the visuals support or distract from the message.”
  3. Canva Magic Design suggests alternative layouts as needed.
  4. Groups help redesign slides to better align with message purpose.
Portfolio Integration
Students include:
  • Before/after versions of revised slides
  • Notes on how alignment improved audience understanding


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 2: Emotional Tone Consistency Checker
AI Tool: IBM Watson Tone Analyzer
Purpose: Ensure emotional tone matches purpose—informative, persuasive, reflective, or ceremonial.
Procedure
  1. Students paste their full speech text into Watson.
  2. AI reports tones (analytical, confident, tentative, joyful, angry).
  3. Students determine whether tone aligns with speech goals.
  4. Revise sections with mismatched tone.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Tone report
  • One revised section with rationale


GROUP ACTIVITY 3: Counterargument Stress Test (for persuasive speeches)
AI Tool: Perplexity.ai
Purpose: Strengthen arguments by identifying weaknesses.
Procedure
  1. Groups enter:
    “Provide the strongest counterarguments against this speech topic.”
  2. Groups discuss which counterarguments are most dangerous.
  3. Students craft stronger rebuttals or adjust argument logic.
Portfolio Integration
Each student adds:
  • The list of counterarguments
  • Their improved rebuttal


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 3: Verbal Filler Minimizer
AI Tool: Whisper AI + ChatGPT
Purpose: Reduce filler words and verbal clutter.
Procedure
  1. Students record themselves practicing again.
  2. Whisper generates a transcript.
  3. Paste into ChatGPT and ask:
    “Highlight filler words, repetitive structures, or unclear sections.”
  4. Students strategize where to pause, breathe, or restructure sentences.
Portfolio Integration
Students add the annotated transcript and a “filler-word improvement plan.”


GROUP ACTIVITY 4: Audience Reaction Simulation
AI Tool: Character.ai or Inworld AI
Purpose: Simulate diverse audience reactions and questions.
Procedure
  1. Groups set up an AI audience simulation (e.g., experts, skeptics, students, city council, parents).
  2. Each student “presents” a 1-minute excerpt to the simulated audience.
  3. AI generates possible reactions, questions, or critiques.
  4. Groups discuss how the speaker should adapt.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Their simulated Q&A
  • Notes on changes they will make to anticipate audience challenges


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 4: Memorability Enhancer
AI Tool: Sudowrite (Creative Rewrite)
Purpose: Improve vividness, rhythm, and memorability of key lines.
Procedure
  1. Students enter their speech’s hook or conclusion.
  2. Ask Sudowrite to generate versions that are:
    • more vivid
    • more concise
    • more rhythmic
    • more formal
  3. Students adopt elements that enhance clarity and emotional impact.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • AI variations
  • Their revised hook or ending
  • A short explanation of why they chose it


GROUP ACTIVITY 5: Peer + AI Rubric Calibration
AI Tool: ChatGPT (Rubric Mode)
Purpose: Align student assessment with final-speech expectations.
Procedure
  1. Teacher provides the final speech rubric.
  2. Groups paste it into ChatGPT and ask:
    “Explain this rubric in simple language and suggest examples of high-level performance for each category.”
  3. Groups compare AI’s interpretation with their own to calibrate expectations.
Portfolio Integration
Students add a simplified version of the rubric with notes on how they will meet each category.


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 5: Final Reflection Coach
AI Tool: Reflect.ai or Replika
Purpose: Support honest, introspective reflection at the end of the unit.
Procedure
  1. Students interact with Reflect.ai or Replika and discuss:
    • strengths
    • struggles
    • moments of growth
    • what they learned about communication
  2. The AI prompts deeper reflection, then students convert insights into a written piece.
Portfolio Integration
Students add their final reflection essay and personal growth summary.


GROUP ACTIVITY 6: Showcase Rehearsal – Real-Time Feedback Loop
AI Tool: Yoodli AI Live Mode
Purpose: Practice final delivery in a semi-authentic environment.
Procedure
  1. Groups rehearse final speeches live through Yoodli’s real-time feedback system.
  2. AI highlights issues as they occur:
    • too fast
    • too monotone
    • too many fillers
    • low volume
  3. Group members offer human feedback to supplement AI data.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A performance log
  • A final delivery improvement checklist
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