The School Owner’s Guide to Launching a Children’s Public Speaking Programme
The School Owner’s Guide to Launching a Children’s Public Speaking Programme
Public speaking is one of those skills schools know their students need, but it is often difficult to turn that need into a structured programme.
Many schools already encourage students to participate in debates, presentations, assemblies, drama, competitions and leadership activities. These are valuable, but they are not necessarily the same as having a structured public-speaking programme with a curriculum, progression pathway, trained facilitators, assessments and measurable outcomes.
If your school is considering introducing a dedicated public-speaking programme, the first question should not be, “Can we teach public speaking?”
The better question is:
“Can we build a programme that students can follow consistently, teachers can deliver confidently, parents can understand, and the school can operate sustainably?”
That is where the real work begins.
Learn about the Fordax Public Speaking Licensing Program for Schools, Companies and Institutions – https://go.fordaxbschool.com/fordax-junior-programs
What a Structured Public-Speaking Programme Should Include
A good children’s public-speaking programme should be more than a weekly class where students are asked to stand in front of their classmates and speak.
Students should progressively learn how to organise their thoughts, communicate clearly, manage nervousness, use their voice effectively, present ideas, tell stories, participate in discussions, persuade an audience and respond confidently to questions.
A structured programme might include areas such as:
- Speaking with confidence
- Voice and pronunciation
- Body language and presentation skills
- Storytelling
- Speech writing
- Impromptu speaking
- Debate and argumentation
- Presentation skills
- Persuasion and influence
- Leadership communication
- Interview skills
- Group discussions
- Stage and audience management
The programme should also become progressively more challenging as students develop.
A seven-year-old should not be taught exactly the same way as a sixteen-year-old.
The Hidden Cost of Building It Yourself
One reason many schools never move beyond occasional speaking activities is that building a proper programme internally takes considerably more work than it initially appears.
You need to develop the curriculum, write lesson plans, create teaching resources, prepare presentations, create activities, develop assessments, train teachers, establish student progression, produce certificates, set up a learning platform and develop systems for monitoring participation and performance.
You also need someone to continuously review and improve the programme.
If you decide to build a sophisticated programme completely from scratch, the cost can easily become significant.
Depending on the quality and scale of the system, a school could spend approximately $25,000 to $120,000 or more developing the curriculum, digital platform, instructional materials, assessment system, training, branding, content and operational infrastructure.
The cost varies significantly depending on whether the school develops everything internally, employs specialist consultants, builds its own technology, produces video content and creates a programme for one school or a larger network.
And the financial cost is only part of the equation.
There is also the cost of time.
Your academic team may spend months researching, writing, testing and revising materials that could otherwise be spent on teaching and school operations.
Before You Build, Consider What You Actually Need
There are generally three approaches a school can take.
The first is to build everything internally.
This gives you complete control, but it also means carrying the development cost, hiring or allocating specialist staff, maintaining the curriculum and taking responsibility for every part of the programme.
Learn about the Fordax Public Speaking Licensing Program for Schools, Companies and Institutions – https://go.fordaxbschool.com/fordax-junior-programs
The second is to hire consultants to develop a programme for you.
This can reduce the internal workload, but you may still have to manage the curriculum, technology, teacher training, assessments and ongoing updates after the initial project is completed.
The third is to work with an established education provider that already has the infrastructure and licence the programme for use in your school.
For many schools, the third option can be worth considering because it changes the question from:
“How do we build all of this?”
to:
“How do we implement an existing system effectively?”
What Should You Expect From a Ready-Made Programme?
If you are considering licensing a children’s public-speaking programme, don’t simply buy a curriculum.
Look at the entire system.
A serious programme should ideally provide a clear curriculum covering different age groups and levels. It should have lesson materials that teachers can actually use, student activities, assessments and a method for tracking progression.
Technology can also make a significant difference.
A good learning platform can give students access to lessons and resources while allowing the school or programme operator to monitor participation and progress.
You should also ask about teacher training.
A curriculum is only as good as the people delivering it. Teachers or facilitators need to understand not only what they are teaching, but how to create an environment where children feel comfortable speaking, making mistakes and improving.
You should also consider certification, parent communication, marketing materials, programme administration and ongoing technical support.
These are the details that often become expensive when a school tries to build everything independently.
A Practical Alternative: Fordax Junior Speakers Club
Fordax developed the Junior Speakers Club around this challenge.
Rather than asking schools to create a children’s public-speaking programme from the ground up, Fordax provides a complete programme that a school or approved education operator can implement under licence.
The system includes the curriculum, lesson materials, student activities, assessments, certificates, learning technology, facilitator training, onboarding and programme support.
The objective is simple: give schools the infrastructure they need to offer a serious public-speaking programme without spending years developing the system themselves.
The programme is designed to help children develop practical communication skills through structured learning and repeated practice, rather than simply listening to lectures about public speaking.
Schools can integrate the programme into their existing timetable, extracurricular activities, clubs or enrichment offering, depending on their own structure.
What Does Licensing Mean?
A licence gives your school or organisation permission to operate the programme within the agreed terms.
Instead of paying a development team to create a new programme from scratch, you are accessing an existing education system.
This can significantly reduce the time between making the decision and actually launching.
It also means that your team does not have to start with a blank page.
Fordax provides the core programme infrastructure, while the school remains responsible for its local students, staff, safeguarding procedures and day-to-day operation.
Learn about the Fordax Public Speaking Licensing Program for Schools, Companies and Institutions – https://go.fordaxbschool.com/fordax-junior-programs
This distinction is important.
A licensing relationship should complement the school’s existing responsibilities, not replace them.
What Should a School Ask Before Choosing a Provider?
Before committing to any children’s programme, ask the provider some basic questions.
Is the curriculum structured by age or ability?
How are students assessed?
How are facilitators trained?
What happens when the curriculum needs to be updated?
Is there a technology platform?
Can the school monitor student participation?
Are certificates provided?
What support does the provider offer after launch?
What safeguarding standards does the programme follow?
Who owns the curriculum and intellectual property?
What exactly is included in the licence fee?
And perhaps most importantly:
How quickly can we realistically launch?
A programme that looks inexpensive initially can become expensive if your school still has to build half of the system itself.
Think About the Economics, Not Just the Programme
A school should also consider whether the programme can be financially sustainable.
If parents pay for the programme, calculate your expected number of students, annual student fee, staffing costs, technology costs, marketing costs and the school’s expected margin.
For example, if 100 students participate at an annual programme fee of $450, total student revenue would be $45,000.
That does not mean $45,000 is profit. Staff, facilities, administration, marketing and other operating costs still have to be considered.
The purpose of doing the calculation is to understand whether the programme can work commercially before you commit.
For a school that already has students, classrooms, teachers and administrative infrastructure, adding a structured programme can be very different financially from building an entirely new education business.
The Real Question
The decision is ultimately not simply whether your school can teach public speaking.
Your teachers probably can.
The question is whether you want to spend the time and money building an entire programme infrastructure yourself when an existing system may already be available.
If your school has been considering public speaking but has struggled with curriculum development, teacher preparation, technology, assessments or programme management, a licensing model may be worth exploring.
Fordax Junior Speakers Club was created for schools and education operators that want to offer structured public-speaking education without starting from zero.
You can review the programme, understand what is included, examine the licensing model and decide whether it fits your school’s students, budget and educational objectives.
The goal is not simply to add another activity to the school calendar.
The goal is to give students a structured opportunity to become clearer, more confident and more effective communicators.
And the school should have the systems to deliver that experience properly.
Company: Fordax School of Business & Communication
Website: https://go.fordaxbschool.com/fordax-junior-programs
Contact: partnerships@fordaxbschool.com
WhatsApp Number: +447403781031
