AUDIO SCRIPTS
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the main reason for all our worries and fears – no
one wants to look a fool.
Now this response is more than just nerves.
That’s normal, and it would be strange not to
feel nervous. Nerves will keep you alert and stop
you feeling too relaxed. If controlled well, nerves
can make the difference between an average
speech and one which keeps people listening and
wanting to hear more.
LESSON 1.5 VIDEO RECORDING 1.2
James Hammond
So how can we control our nerves and become
more confident about making a speech? Well, the
most important thing is to get your nerves to work
for you rather than against you.
I intend to discuss a number of things you can
do to help. First of all, I can say that rehearsal is
essential. Nerves are caused by fear and being
unfamiliar with things, so take time to practise
your speech to feel comfortable with what
you’re going to say. Secondly, it’s a good idea
to know your introduction by heart. You’ll feel
most nervous at the beginning and may stumble
over words. If you learn the beginning, this will
become second nature and help you get into
the main part of the speech more comfortably.
Another good thing to do is begin with some kind
of interest hook, such as an anecdote, or diagram
or photo. This will engage the audience and help
you get over the beginning of the speech.
Take some deep breaths before you start. This’ll
help control your nerves. Breathe in slowly, count
to three and then breathe out slowly. Finally,
remember, you will always be more nervous
than you look. You can ‘trick’ your mind in a few
simple ways to help you – try and look confident
and you’ll become more confident. Stand in a
relaxed way, hold your head up and smile. Look
happy and enthusiastic, even if you’re not!
One other thing is to focus on something other
than yourself. Pay attention to the environment
you’re in to distract yourself. Notice the
audience. For example, how are they dressed?
Who’s wearing glasses? Who’s the most
attractive? All of this will help to trick your
mind into not noticing the situation you’re in.
The less you concentrate on how you’re feeling,
the more confident you’ll become.
You should use plenty of eye contact, change the
pace of your delivery, change the volume of your
voice, and perhaps move around a bit. Don’t worry
too much about mistakes. A few mistakes are all
right, they show the audience you’re human. One
way you can really engage with your audience is
humour – tell a joke! If you aren’t good at jokes,
tell a story, or draw on your personal experience to
connect with your audience.
The main rule about public speaking is that
there are no rules! This seems a strange thing to
say, but it’s true – everyone is an individual and
so you have to find what works for you in terms
of delivering a speech. The most important
thing is to control your nerves, build your
confidence and learn to enjoy it!
LESSON 2.1 RECORDING 2.1
1
Well, I live in a detached house in a suburb
of a major city. Mmm, what do I like about
it? Mmm, well, for a start it’s a friendly
neighbourhood. I also like the access to all
the facilities and shops, but what I really like
is the fact that my local area is very green –
you know, lots of parks and open spaces for
the kids. The public transport connections
are very good too, so I can be in the city
centre in a very short time if I avoid the
rush hour. So I guess you could say I have
the best of both worlds! I suppose it’s what
people call a ‘desirable area’. The only
real problem, I think, is the lack of good
schools. Class sizes are too big, and there
aren’t enough places for everyone so some
kids have to travel four or five kilometres
to school every day. That means there are
more cars on the already congested roads.
2
I live in a farm cottage on the edge of a very
small village, almost a hamlet really, in the
countryside. It really is very rural – about
25 kilometres to the nearest town. It’s the
peace and quiet I like really, and the fresh
air. There aren’t many vehicles on the
roads – so no traffic congestion … the air’s
very clean, and there’s very little noise and
light pollution. The whole pace of life is
much slower – no one rushes anywhere. Oh
yes, and the fantastic views. The beautiful
natural environment with the hills means
I’m surrounded by magnificent scenery.
The main environmental issue is a wind
farm that some people are opposed to, but
I guess renewable energy is the future. The
other big problem is a lack of affordable
housing. A lot of people from London and
other cities are buying second homes here,
which means that prices rise and young
people are forced to move away.
3
I live in an apartment block in the city
centre. It’s the cosmopolitan atmosphere
I like. There’s always plenty to do, and
such a wide range of shops. I can go out
at any time of the day or night and get
whatever I want, either food and drink or
entertainment. The cultural activities are
endless. I love the liveliness of the city and
being surrounded by people all the time –
you know, that constant buzz of activity.
The only thing I don’t like is the amount
of traffic and the pollution it causes. I live
quite close to a main road into the city
centre and it is constantly busy. I don’t mind
the noise but you can smell the traffic fumes
in the air. In the winter, we sometimes
get thick smog because of the pollution.
There are even a few days when we are
advised not to go outside unless it is really
necessary. Luckily, they are building a new
road into the centre away from residential
areas and, in a few years, this one will be
much quicker and the air much cleaner.
That will make a huge difference to the lives
of everyone here.
LESSON 2.3 RECORDING 2.3
P = Professor, S1 = Student 1, S2 = Student 2,
S3 = Student 3, S4 = Student 4, S5 = Student
5, S6 = Student 6
P:
Finally, to check you’ve all been listening,
I’m going to ask you a question. So, what is
a volcano? Yes, the young man in the red
shirt.
S1:
Erm … volcanoes are a natural way that the
Earth has of cooling off … well, the Earth
and other planets.
P:
Yes that’s right. OK. Do you have any
questions for me? Yes, the woman in the
green jacket.
S2:
Professor, can I ask what the biggest
volcano in the world is?
P:
Right, that’s easy. The biggest volcano
on Earth is Mauna Loa in Hawaii and it’s
about 8.5 kilometres high – that’s from
the bottom of the ocean to its top. It’s
interesting that most of the volcanoes
on Earth are found around the rim of the
Pacific Ocean. But there are volcanoes
around the coastline of Antarctica and
there are even volcanoes underwater.
There are probably more volcanoes and
eruptions than people think. Out of an
estimated 1,500 active volcanoes around
the world, 50 or so erupt every year.
Another question … yes, you.
S3:
Um, is it true that people can go inside
volcanoes?
P:
That’s an interesting question. Obviously,
you can’t go inside an erupting volcano. As
I told you, extremely high pressures under
the Earth cause volcanoes to erupt – the
pressure forces very hot lava up out of the
volcano. Lava flows can have temperatures
up to 1,250 degrees centigrade. But,
actually, the answer to your question is yes.
You can go inside volcanoes. Some people
live inside volcanoes as some of them don’t
erupt for a long time. In the USA people
live in three volcanoes, the most famous
being the large volcano under Yellowstone
National Park, which, incidentally, has
been showing a lot of activity recently. Yes,
the young man with the beard.
S4:
Could you tell me if Vesuvius is an active
volcano?
P:
Well, an active volcano is one that has
erupted in historical time. Vesuvius, which
is east of Naples in Italy, famously destroyed
Pompeii in ad 79 and it is the only volcano
on the European mainland to have erupted
within the last hundred years – I think it was
1944. So yes, it is an active volcano ... and a
lot of people live near it. In fact, one in ten of
the world’s population live within volcanic
danger zones. Another question ... yes?
S5:
I’d like to know why volcanoes stop erupting.
P:
That’s a good question. There are three
possible reasons. Maybe the heat runs out
when the rocks are melted. Or the hot rocks
– which, if you remember, we call magma,
solidify on their way up. Or the magma
can’t generate enough pressure to crack the
rock above it. OK, last question … yes?
S6:
Do you know whether the Chilean Copahue
volcano is safe for the local people?
LESSON 2.4 RECORDING 2.4
S = Switchboard, DR = Deborah Rydell, JR =
John Reynolds
S:
Good morning, Power Gas and Electricity,
how can I help you?
DR:
Good morning. Can I speak to John
Reynolds, please?
S:
Certainly. Who’s calling, please?
DR:
It’s Deborah Rydell, from the Department
of Energy.
S:
Putting you through now.
DR:
Hello, is that John?
JR:
Speaking.
DR:
Hi John, it’s Deborah from the Energy
Department. I wanted to have a chat with
you about the wind farm proposal, you
know, the one at Sparrow Hill.
JR:
OK, Deborah. You’re still in favour of it, I
hope. You’re not going to cancel it, are you?
DR:
Well, it’s not really my decision, John.
Personally, there’s no doubt in my mind that
wind farms are the future, although some of
my colleagues seem to think we should be
doing more with nuclear power. It’s much
more cost effective at the moment, they say.
