Use a Podcast Course for a High School Speech Elective

Finding a doable high school speech elective for your homeschooler is not easy. Unless you’re in a co-op that includes that standard high school course, you probably have to do it yourself. And let’s face it – doing speech in homeschool is hard to do properly! Because you actually need to speak in front of people! And if it’s just you, the dog, and a couple siblings, high school speech may feel like a giant fail.

But what if there was an out-of-the-box option for learning public speaking skills and having an audience to speak in front of? What if it was innovative and actually fun? That’s where using a podcast course as your high school speech elective could be a great fit for your student. Let me explain.

High School Speech Elective Content

High school speech courses seek to develop communication skills in students. This usually involves preparing speeches to inform, entertain and persuade. Your teen will gain confidence as they practice these communication skills.

Additionally, speech courses focus on these public speaking skills:

• Clear articulation
• Engaging Presentation Style
• Vocal Tone
• Timing
• Assessing the Needs of the Audience

But what is a homeschool student to do? Who can they practice in front of? And how can we make sure we give them opportunities to grow in their public speaking skills?

This is where launching a podcast is an innovative option for homeschool students! Here’s why.

Podcasting Skills

Podcasting is one of the newest forms of mass media, but the ease of entry provides a homeschool teen with an audience, a purpose, and a plan for growing their public speaking skills.

Podcasts can take the form of solo shows, where your teen aims to entertain or persuade his audience. Or, a podcast can be an interview-style where your teen learns how to ask great questions and follow-up with the guest. The goal of an interview-style podcast might be to inform the audience.

Best of all, creating a podcast gives your teens valuable life skills in technology and communication. And you might be surprised to know that your teen can start a podcast with $0 down. There are free hosting platforms and your teen can get started recording right into his phone. Of course, there will always be new equipment that he can upgrade to in the future, but your high schooler really can start with no financial risk.

Use Podcasting as a Summer Project

Podcasting can be a great summer project for your teen. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to figure out all the ins and outs of what makes a great podcast. Your teen might need to set up interviews with guests or research topics that he wants to cover.

But podcasting can also be an enjoyable project, that your teen may not even realize he is learning skills taught in typical speech classes in high school.

Here’s what diving into podcasting will teach your teen:

• Learn about podcasting as a communication tool
• Complete market research about potential show ideas
• Study & practice the art of interviewing
• Learn about the technical aspects of podcasting
• Write an elevator pitch
• Evaluate different types of marketing
• Organize and complete the steps to launching Season 1

Speech Elective Credit

Your teens can pursue the topics they’re passionate about, gain experience in new mediums and platforms, all while earning credit on their homeschool transcript.

You can DIY a Podcast Elective for your teen by keeping track of tasks, hours spent, and a final project. An Elective Tracking Sheet will help you with the paperwork.

Or, you can enroll your high schooler in an online course that will provide the step-by-step game plan to get them started successfully.

The Podcast Launch for Teens is an easy to follow, self-paced online course for homeschool high schoolers! And your teen will launch a successful podcast by the end of the course. The teaching is done for you, and you will learn how to count this toward credit on the high school homeschool transcript.

Here’s what one recent student had to say about the Podcast Launch for Teens:

I hope you’ve been inspired to think outside the traditional curriculum box. Encourage your creative teen to start a podcast and count it on the homeschool transcript as a speech elective.

Download these resources to learn more:

• Podcast Ideas Brainstorm
• Sample Schedule of Podcast Launch for Teens Course