A Guide to Public Speaking in Front of Children

Any actor will tell you that a performance given specially for children is a delightful experience - always provided, of course, that a suitable play has been selected. The child's capacity to think imaginatively, to become completely absorbed in what he sees and hears, makes him a ready and attentive listener, uninhibited in his reactions and loudly generous in his praise.

But, no adult can so quickly withdraw his attention or retreat into another world so completely as can a child who is bored with the proceedings, for in this respect also children have no inhibitions and are not deterred by considerations of 'proper' social behaviour. When a young child is bored he does not care who knows it. He quite simply 'switches of' in his mind. For this reason anyone unaccustomed to talking to audiences of children should tread very warily indeed when doing so. I do not mean that children are an 'awkward' audience. They are most willing to enjoy themselves and to go more than half way to meet an entertainer; but he must entertain, not preach. It is possible to get home a moral when talking to children without their being aware that you are doing so; but the pill must be well-sugared for children even more then adults dislike being 'got at' and will give a lukewarm reception to a speaker whom they suspect is doing this.

Children like illustration and are fascinated by how things work, so, if it is at all possible, talks to children should contain some visual element, either in pictorial or cinematic form. You can teach children how to deal with minor First Aid crises much more effectively if you smear one of them with a little tomato sauce, wrap him in bandages and tell him he is a casualty, than you can be describing what a casualty would look like.

In no circumstances should a speaker adopt a patronizing manner to children, however young. Their youth does not preclude intelligence and many youngsters these days are extremely intelligent and have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, so long as it is seen to be worth acquiring and has an apparent relevance to their lives. It is wiser, however, to ask children to reserve their questions until the talk is concluded, otherwise the speaker may well find himself swamped with questions and unable to reach the conclusion he had planned.

While it is not easy to talk to children with 'adult language', it is necessary to use a simplified vocabulary. It is easy for an adult to imagine that because he understands the meaning of a word his young listeners will understand it also. This is not always the case. Speakers sometimes indulge in rather subtle humour when talking to young children and this is not wise, for children do not often appreciate subtle wit, preferring something of the more frankly slapstick variety. This is not a question of intelligence but of natural development. Mankind is not born subtle or sophisticated.