The World Is Your Stage. Own It.

Great speaking does not come easy. But even the wallflowers among us can’t avoid speaking forever. In Own Any Occasion, speaker and educator Erik Palmer taps into his vast experience to simplify the process of extraordinary speaking, whether you’re giving a wedding toast or preparing for a one-on-one sales call. His approach is equal parts preparation and delivery: Never speak unless you have something worth saying, and never let a poor performance diminish a good message.

In 11 steps, Palmer shows readers how to craft the perfect message and captivate audiences with exceptional delivery, no matter the circumstance. He demonstrates that the steps to impress when you meet your in-laws for the first time are the same ones that will help you succeed in front of an auditorium full of executives. Whether your audience is large or small, your message personal or professional, Palmer’s easy system will help you become the best speaker you can be in any situation.

Own Any Occasion is for anyone who wants to master the art of speaking well, from first-time presenters to seasoned pros looking for a new process. Give yourself the tools to impress every listener and develop a more confident you.

A large part of our everyday communication involves argumentation and reasoning—for example, when we want to persuade others, make good purchasing decisions, or analyze the messages we receive from advertisers and politicians. But how well do we prepare students for these tasks? Can they critically evaluate a speaker’s point of view? Understand rhetorical devices? Apply logic? Build an effective argument, whether written or spoken?

In his new book, Good Thinking, Erik Palmer shows teachers of all subject matters how to transform the activities they already use into openings for improving student thinking. Building on his previous work in Well Spoken (Stenhouse, 2011) and Digitally Speaking (Stenhouse, 2014), he reveals how all students, not just those in advanced classes, can begin developing sophisticated reasoning skills that will improve their oral and written communications.

Blending theory with practice, Palmer shares a wide range of classroom-tested lessons, including ways to understand argument in paintings and images, address ad hominem attacks using a traveling debate, create a class comedy club, write syllogisms, analyze character and plot development, and teach logic through a class Booger Patrol. He explains complex concepts in simple, practical language that gives teachers a deft understanding of the principles of good arguments, proper use of evidence, persuasive techniques, and rhetorical tricks.

“Once you start looking, you’ll see arguments everywhere,” Palmer writes. “All of them are opportunities to teach good thinking.”

With State Standards emphasizing listening and speaking across the curriculum, these long-neglected language arts are regaining a place in schools. For teachers, this means reexamining practices and rethinking expectations. How much do we know about teaching listening and speaking as the complex communication skills they are? How do we teach students to discuss appropriately, integrate and understand the mountains of information they receive, and express themselves clearly and effectively?

In this lively and practical book, 20-year teaching veteran Erik Palmer presents an approach aligned to the six Common Core anchor standards for speaking and listening but focused on preparing students for 21st century communication inside and beyond the classroom. Here, you’ll get concrete guidance for teaching and assessing

* Collaborative discussion
* Listening and media literacy
* Questioning and reasoning
* Speech presentation
* Effective multimedia use
* Adapting speech to different content and tasks

With due respect to reading and writing, we do most of our communicating in the classroom and in life through listening and speaking. Filled with examples and specific activities targeted to variety of subjects and grade levels, this book is an essential resource for all teachers interested in helping students acquire core skills that cross the content areas and support long-term success.

Find out more about Teaching the Core Skills of Listening & Speaking.

“Clearly written and full of numerous effective strategies, Well Spoken offers invaluable advice and tools for teachers…”  – Kelly Gallagher

“Palmer’s ideas are an excellent resource…I have already seen an improvement based on his  ideas…”  – Middle school teacher

“NEVER have I seen a better book than Well Spoken!” – Book reviewer for the California Association for the Gifted

“Well Spoken provides a thorough guide for any teacher or school interested in integrating speaking into the curriculum.” – Educationworld.com

“I should have been prepared for the utter lack of professional resources related to speech pedagogy. I was not. Fortunately, one of my students discovered your book and website…You have provided an indispensable professional resource.” 
– SMSU professor

Find out more.

As digital natives, our students are certainly at home online, but how much do they know about using the Internet as a research tool? Do they know how to ask the right questions, find the best and most credible resources, evaluate the facts they come across, and avoid plagiarism and copyright violations when they incorporate others work into their own? For too many, the answer is no and research projects intended to engage students in independent learning wind up wasting time or creating incomplete or faulty understandings.

In this step-by-step guide, classroom veteran Erik Palmer explains how to teach students at all grade levels to conduct deeper, smarter, and more responsible research in an online environment. You ll find practical lesson ideas for every stage of the research process and dozens of tips and strategies that will build your students Internet literacy, establish valuable academic habits, and foster skills for lifelong learning.

This PD Online course, Teaching the Core Skills of Listening and Speaking, will give you an understanding of the requirements of the listening and speaking standards that have been adopted in the last few years. For years, listening and speaking skills have been taken for granted or seen as “nice to have but not necessary,” as educators have focused in other areas. Now, we are beginning to see that these crucial skills inform all we do in education, and that direct instruction is needed to develop these in students.

This course will get you started on the path to developing competent oral communicators in your classroom. You will notice that students are better, more-engaged, deeper listeners and better, more-engaging, well-spoken communicators when you apply the principles you’ll learn in these six modules:

Module 1: Fostering Collaborative Discussion

Module 2: Honing Media Literacy Skills

Module 3: Understanding and Evaluating a Speaker’s Argument

Module 4: Presenting Knowledge and Ideas

Module 5: Using Multimedia to Enhance Presentations

Module 6: Tailoring Presentations for Different Occasions

Purchase the course on the ASCD Website.

Author and educator, Erik Palmer, puts the spotlight on the often-neglected language arts by offering new and exciting ways to bolster students’ speaking skills.

Teachers assign oral activities, but they don’t usually spend much time teaching students how to be successful with those activities. What does it take for students to be effective oral communicators?

Listen Up! Speaking Matters answers that important question. Veteran teacher and author, Erik Palmer, presents an approach to teaching speaking skills that is focused on preparing students for 21st century communication both inside and beyond the classroom.

You’ll visit elementary, middle, and high school classrooms where teachers are guiding and assessing students in collaborative discussions, media literacy, questioning and reasoning, speech presentation, effective multimedia use, and adapting speech to different content and tasks. You’ll learn about PVLEGS (Poise, Voice, Life, Eye contact, Gestures, Speed) and how this concept can help students become more effective public speakers.

Throughout the video, Palmer provides his expert advice on how teachers can focus on oral communication in their classroom and how these techniques can be implemented on a school-wide basis. You’ll also see him jump back into the classroom with a lesson on making thoughtful and targeted presentations to different audiences.

Listen Up! Speaking Matters is a key resource for teachers and schools committed to helping students acquire essential oral communication skills that cross content areas and support long-term success.

Purchase the DVD from the ASCD Website.