Public Speaking for 7th & 8th Graders

Rise Ready is built for the in-between year — the anticipatory pressure that builds before high school. Students in 7th and 8th grade are already forming their identities, comparing themselves to peers, and sensing that the stakes are rising. This track teaches preparation, purpose, and story structure: the tools that let them walk into high school with a communication foundation already built.

Most 7th and 8th graders know they're supposed to get better at speaking. What they don't know is how — because nobody taught them the actual mechanics. Rise Ready closes that gap: here's how great communicators prepare, here's what you're trying to do to your audience, here's how stories are built.

The interview voice session is particularly useful at this stage. High school scholarship interviews, club applications, and team tryouts start earlier than most parents expect. Students who come through Rise Ready know how to walk into those rooms.

Five sessions — built to build

Summer: five consecutive days, 90 minutes each. Fall/spring: once a week for five weeks, 60 minutes each.

1. 01
   Preparation

   How great communicators prepare. The reps, structure, and 80/20 of deliberate practice.
2. 02
   Purpose

   Speaking with intent. What are you trying to do to your audience — and are you actually doing it?
3. 03
   Story Structure

   Hook, relate, stakes, turn, land. The five-part structure borrowed from the writers and sharpened for real rooms.
4. 04
   The Interview Voice

   High school and scholarship interviews. Same REAL Pitch framework, higher-stakes audience.
5. 05
   Showcase

   A 4-minute story performed for parents. Real applause, real feedback.

Summer camp or school-year cohort

Common questions about Rise Ready