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About ORA
Our renowned summer school, for students aged 13-25, in the colleges of Oxford.
Follow exciting day-by-day updates from each of our Summer School locations.
We offer a range of summer options for schools and other groups with our Oxford Summer school.
Small class sizes and high-calibre teachers are at the heart of life at the International Study Centre.
Our student blogs provide a daily insight into student life at the ISC, with photos and updates from all events.
Explore our beautiful Yarnton Manor campus virtually, taking a tour of the stunning buildings and grounds.
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Browse information on some of our top tutors and teaching faculty of the highest calibre.
We are delighted to have received several prestigious awards and accreditations.
Hone your skills in speech-writing and public speaking this summer on this summer Public Speaking course, residential in colleges of the University of Oxford.
2 weeks | Available July - August 2020
During this course, students will become adept at planning speeches and use them to deliver compelling arguments. Students will analyse techniques used in famous speeches throughout history, including right up to the present day.
This course provides a supportive and welcoming environment in which to develop confidence, structure and eloquence when speaking in public. Individuals will become skilled at researching, delivering and defending a speech in front of a range of audience types. Throughout the course, practical development sessions will ensure that students have ample opportunity to test and refine their skills as they go, providing an effective and comprehensive skill set by the end of the programme.
The course will start with an exploration of the skills required to be a great public speaker, and learning the theory and methodology of public speaking. The history of public speaking will be examined, and students will analyse famous historical speeches and the methods that famous and contemporary speakers, such as Former President Barack Obama, employ. Students will then examine the reasoning and means by which speakers overcome anxiety when speaking in front of a crowd.
Using universally recognised theoretical approaches to public speaking and reasoning such as the Toulmin method of argumentation (developed by Stephen Toulmin) and Aristotle’s philosophical approach to speaking, students will enhance their understanding of how to construct both a persuasive speech and an informative one, and explore the importance of research and preparation when constructing an effective speech.
Students will receive a full day of classical voice coaching which will emphasise the importance of language, tone, style, body language and more. Students will be able to put this training to the test as they give a talk on a topic of interest to all other 19+ students present at Oxford Royale. However, public speaking is not just about delivery; the end of a speech can sometimes be more tricky than the beginning.
Students will consider the importance of being able to think on their feet, and learn that preparation is the key when it comes to confidently responding to questions, managing audience reactions to speeches, and being a self-assured debater. Being well versed in all aspects of your speech’s subject matter is crucial: expecting the unexpected ensures that you are not questioned on unrehearsed topics. Also explored will be the pros and cons of using visual aids such as PowerPoints. The course concludes with a competitive debate.
By the end of the course, students will have:
Day | Week 1 (Scroll right for week 2) | Week 2 |
---|---|---|
Monday | Lesson 1: Introduction to Public Speaking Lesson 2: The world’s best speakers & famous speeches |
Lesson 11: From written to spoken language Lesson 12: Listening and feedback |
Tuesday | Lesson 3: Managing anxiety about public speaking Lesson 4: Different types of public speaking and the core speech Lesson 5: Narrative Lesson 6: Types of speech |
Field trip or educational event |
Wednesday | Lesson 7: Writing a speech Lesson 8: Metaphor |
Lesson 13: Analysing the audience Lesson 14: Questions and Answers; preparation and responses |
Thursday | Field Trip or educational event | Lesson 15: The Toulmin Model Lesson 16: Aristotle’s Rhetoric Lesson 17: Visual Aids and PowerPoint Lesson 18: Fallacies |
Friday | Lesson 9: Recap and peroration Lesson 10: Giving a speech Group tutorial |
Lesson 19: Preparing for debate Lesson 20: Debating Lesson 21: Tutorial |
Take this course if you would like to be able to deliver high quality, impactful presentations and would like to better understand how to captivate an audience like the great orators of history.
Oxford is a city like no other, combining startlingly beautiful architecture with a buzzing, modern city centre, with superb shopping, restaurants, cafés and more. With the colleges of Oxford University at its heart, some almost 800 years old, it is a city steeped in history and academia.
Students on Oxford Royale's Oxford summer courses will have the chance to live, dine and study in this stunning city, exploring all of its major sites and discovering its hidden secrets. Through both organised trips to key landmarks and free time in the evenings, students will become acquainted with all that Oxford has to offer.
As students walk the cobbled streets and gaze up at the spires, gargoyles and honey-coloured stone buildings, they will be walking in the footsteps of some of the most influential figures in history, including prime ministers, presidents, Nobel prize-winning scientists, authors and more.
Students will be accommodated in comfortable single rooms in either Merton or University College, depending on the course chosen - please contact our registrations team if you would like more information. Accommodation is the standard accommodation for university undergraduates who study at the university, so students are able to get a flavour for what being an undergraduate at the university might be like. Bathrooms are typically shared between students of the same gender, though in some cases en-suite facilities are available.
The programme is overseen by the Programme Director, who implements the day-to-day running of the programme. The Director is assisted by a team of Counsellors who very often are current members of the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge and are able to provide an insight into life at these prestigious institutions.
Students on this course:
At Oxford Royale Academy we are committed to providing our students with the most qualified and high-calibre teaching faculty available. All Oxford Royale Academy teachers are passionate about their subjects, and are looking forward to passing their knowledge on to their students this summer! For full details of last summer’s teaching faculty, please click here
At ORA, we go the extra mile to enhance the study abroad experience of our students. As part of this, every year our dedicated Events Team organises a series of fascinating guest lectures. Guest speakers come from a wide range of backgrounds and specialisms, including the worlds of online media, television and academia. Our students also have the opportunity to watch and participate in a number of debates, which take place on campus. These range from formal Panel Debates, involving teaching faculty and other staff, to informal discussions about current “hot topics” led by Counsellors.
At ORA, we never forget that our students are on vacation and seeking new experiences outside of the classroom as well as in lessons. Included with every ORA course is an extra-curricular timetable, carefully designed by our dedicated Events Team to ensure our adult students have fun, network, and get the most out of their time with us.
With an ORA summer course you also get:
(If your course takes place in more than one campus in the same city and you would like to know more about which location you will be allocated, please call our admissions team)
What our students have to say
Sara, Greece
Read how Sara has returned year on year, experiencing different summer courses in Oxford and Cambridge.
Read Sara's storyMifta, Indonesia
Read how Mifta's experience with us introduced her to lifelong friends from across the world.
Read Mifta's storyRebecca, USA
An aspiring cinematographer, Rebecca joined us at the ISC for our Future Filmmakers Gap Year Programme.
Read Rebecca's storyStudy in confidence with ORA's accredited, award-winning educational courses
Oxford Royale Academy is a part of Oxford Programs Limited, a company registered in England as company number 6045196. Registered office: 14 King Street, Bristol, BS1 4EF. The company contracts with institutions including Oxford University for the use of their facilities and also contracts with tutors from those institutions but does not operate under the aegis of Oxford University.