Speakers Club

The Speakers club is a meeting place for young people to learn the concept of public speaking in a supportive and fun environment. Young people will learn the art of communicating, presenting and impromptu speaking for leadership skills through periodic short speeches, regular introduction of new vocabulary, learning listening skills as well as receiving and giving feedback. These meetings will not only build leadership skills but a great environment to make new friends. There are 1- hour club meeting sessions available for 5th/6th grade, 7th/8th grade, High school and Young Adult groups. Dates and Times TBD.

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115 Comments

  • Welcome to the new members of The Speakers Club-
    It was an exciting 1st meeting with the NCA 5th and 6th Grade Speakers Club members this Thursday March 2nd, 2017.
    The short introductory speeches sounded very promising and I’m sure we’ll keep getting better as the days go by.

    Our 1st Word of the day was Mellifluous… You all sure sounded Mellifluous

    ***Don’t forget your first Assignment to suggest new words via this forum to expand our vocabulary.
    Also we will start to fill roles going forward.
    Next week is a short meeting time. We will assign some roles and start practicing our leadership and Presentation skills.

    Please bring back your signed Club Member Agreement and Parent Approval Forms so we can get started.
    Have a great weekend!!!

    Reply

  • jejune- simplistic, superficial

    Hello Ms. Ayeni! I am unsure of where to post my word so I hope it’s okay that I am writing it here!
    ~Nordon

    Reply

  • Great Job!!! Nordon. I love that word. Thanks a lot. Since you’re first to post a word we’ll use that at the Speakers Club meeting this week.

    Our list is growing
    1. Mellifluous
    2. Ostracize
    3. Boon
    Now.. 4. Jejune

    I just looked JEJUNE up and there are additional meanings and usage below-
    The term Jejune is derived from the Latin jejunus, which means “empty of food,” “meager,” or “hungry.” Back in the 1600s, English speakers used jejune in senses very similar to those of its Latin parent, lamenting “jejune appetites” and “jejune morsels.”

    je·june
    pronounced jəˈjo͞on/ or \ji-ˈjün\
    adjective
    1.
    naive, simplistic, and superficial;
    “their entirely predictable and usually jejune opinions”
    He made jejune generalizations about how all students were lazy and never did any work.
    2.
    (of ideas or writings) dry and uninteresting.
    “the poem seems to me rather jejune”
    without interest or significance; dull; insipid: a jejune novel.
    juvenile; immature; childish: jejune behavior.

    Thanks again Nordon. We will continue to pick a word of the Day from words that are submitted.

    Reply

  • Starting next week we will begin our individual Speech Projects. NCA Speakers Club Members all have 2 topics to choose from. Be creative and be prepared to talk for 3mins only. You will be assigned dates this week.
    Option 1:
    All about Me- Tell us about yourself and describe what you would like to be when you grow up and how you think this will contribute to society.

    Option 2:
    Fairytale Life Lesson- Select a fairytale, tell us about it, the life lessons you learned from it and how you can apply it in your life.

    Feel free to ask questions or share your career ideas or favorite fairytales and lessons via this forum. There is no wrong answer. Remember our focus is on how you present.

    Reply

  • Last week was fun learning the different parts of a presentation and how to give successful presentations wherever we are.
    During our discussion we learned that our speeches have 3 key parts-
    1. A Bold Beginning or Opening
    2. A Meticulous Middle or Body and
    3. An Enduring Ending or Conclusion

    Well, it is Speech time this week. I am looking forward to practicing what we have learned so far. I am sure that whatever topic you pick will be great.

    This weeks word of the day is Meticulous, just because you all had a hard time explaining what that Meticulous Middle meant.

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    • Great addition to our everyday vocabulary.. Thank you for posting Olivia. This will be this weeks word of the day.

      ABDITIVE
      Ab´di`tive
      Having the quality of hiding
      Capable of hiding or concealing; tending to conceal.

      Origin
      Early 18th century (in an earlier sense). From classical Latin abditīvus from abdit-, past participial stem of abdere + -īvus.
      From Latin abditīvus (“removed or separated from”), from abdō (“hide, conceal”).

      Reply

    • Thanks a lot for posting Squirrel Girl. We can add one more word for this week.

      Deipnosophist
      Deipnosophist. (daɪpˈnɒsəfɪst)

      a person skilled in table talk
      n. (Rhetoric) rare a person who is a master of dinner-table conversation.
      [C17: from Greek deipnosophistai, title of a Greek work by Athenaeus (3rd century), describing learned discussions at a banquet, from deipnon meal + sophistai wise men; see sophist]

      Reply

  • I am looking forward to our Speeches this week. We have a lot of creative and ambitious people at our meetings. From a marine biologist, wildlife refuge person to an NBA Player, Health Bar owner, Teacher etc, you all sounded great last week.

    Our Word of the day list is growing
    1. Mellifluous
    2. Ostracize
    3. Boon
    4. Jejune from Nordon
    5. Meticulous
    Now.. Abditive from Olivia
    and…Deipnosophist from Abby

    Reply

  • I don’t know if this is a good one, but I won’t be here this week anyway but the word is: excerberates- make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse you don’t have to use this one this week but maybe next time ~Ellie

    Reply

    • Thanks so much Ellie!!! I think you meant to type Exacerbate

      Exacerbate is definitely a good one to add to our vocabulary as Word of the Day”
      Since you posted right after our meeting, it will be our next word of the day.
      It is another tongue twister like the 2 we had this Thursday but we can always practice pronouncing it and of course using it. Hope you’re using the others.

      Exacerbate
      ex·ac·er·bate
      iɡˈzasərˌbāt/
      verb
      make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.
      “the exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem”

      synonyms: aggravate, worsen, inflame, compound; intensify, increase, heighten, magnify, add to, amplify, augment; informaladd fuel to the fire/flames
      Example- “each party blames the other for exacerbating the problem”

      Reply

  • Here’s a word I found…

    ennui
    noun en·nui \ˌän-ˈwē\
    Definition of ennui for English Language Learners: a lack of spirit, enthusiasm, or interest
    synonym: boredom, tedium, listlessness, lethargy, lassitude, languor, weariness, enervation

    Reply

  • The Speakers Club at NCA has been so much fun, with very interesting personalities coming out with great speeches. I have enjoyed every single moment and seen a lot of growth in public speaking, leadership, team work, confidence building and listening skills.

    Our Word of the day list has grown
    1. Mellifluous
    2. Ostracize
    3. Boon
    4. Jejune from Nordon
    5. Meticulous
    6. Abditive from Olivia
    7. Deipnosophist from Abby
    8. Exacerbate from Ellie
    9. Desultory from Olivia
    10. Forsooth from Olivia
    11. Asseverate also from Olivia on a roll and
    12. Ennui from Sonja

    Thanks to all those that supplied the words with special Kudos to Olivia for her consistency in finding new words. Please continue to use them all in everyday conversations.

    Since we didn’t talk about 3 of the words so much because we were in speech week, let’s find additional synonyms for them

    Reply

  • Wow!!! to think the Speakers Club is already a year old.
    It was great working with the Northside Catholic Academy (NCA) Middle school students last year on the Northside of Chicago as well as the Union League Boys and Girls Club at Team Englewood High school over the summer on the Southside of Chicago. Being at the curriculum fair at NCA as well as listening to the final speeches leading to the the awards show was great. The Speech competition and awards show at Team Englewood High School with the Boys and girls Club was also very memorable.

    Our club had a lot of fun learning, growing and embracing our diversity in Chicago. I met so many intelligent and interesting teenagers with what looks like promising and bright futures. It has been a pleasure helping you discover yourselves, building confidence, listening skills, leadership skills and teamwork. We look forward to returnees this year as well as the newbies to our club.

    Reply

    • Thanks, it was nice meeting you. I am in 5th grade at NCA. I am looking forward to next week and learning more about speaking. I am kind of shy so I might be nervous speaking to the class.

      Reply

  • Hi, this is KK an NCA student. I would love to put in a word of the week which I think should be Milquetoast, it means shy and timid. Thank you for listing hope this word can be a word of the week. Thanks!

    Reply

  • A good word would be excruciating, which means intensely painful. Another good word might be arbitrary, which means without reason.

    Reply

  • Another Great Speakers Club Day with NCA students.
    Our first selected word of the day Milquetoast was supplied by a 5th grader, K.K. Thank you K.K. 🙂

    Milquetoast
    Origin- 1935-40, Americanism; after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885-1952), American cartoonist
    It was s a term or insult popularised by H.T. Webster’s character, Caspar Milquetoast, which was a deliberate misspelling of the dish, Milk toast.

    Meaning- a very timid, shy, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated:
    Used in a Sentence- He is a milquetoast who’s afraid to ask for a raise.

    I look forward to other new words

    Reply

  • my word is Vitriolic
    meaning:
    adjective
    1.
    of, relating to, or resembling vitriol.
    2.
    obtained from vitriol.
    3.
    very caustic; scathing:
    vitriolic criticism.

    Reply

  • Hi! I have a word of the day. How about “fervent” meaning won’t stop at anything to do some thing example sentence she was fervent to be a actress and she will not stop at anything

    Reply

  • A word for the day could be Confidence. Confidence means the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something. I think the word would be good because you need to be confident in public speaking. Hi
    -Emmet

    Reply

  • Another word is Furious I think it is an important word because in public speaking you can express your actions. Furious means extremely angry. Hi.
    -Emmet

    Reply

  • Hi! I have a word of the day. How about “fervent” meaning won’t stop at anything to do some thing example sentence she was fervent to be a actress and she will not stop at anything sorry if i posted this already

    Reply

  • Hi it’s Sofia here and my word is eviscerate.
    Eviscerate means to cut open or tear apart
    I hope you can use it as a word for the day

    Reply

  • the word I thought would be good for this week is egregious because listing to a speech you can be shocked

    Egregious means outstandingly bad; shocking

    Reply

  • I think a word could be enunciation
    enunciation is act of pronouncing words
    I thought it would be good because we have speeches tommarow

    Reply

    • Thats a great word Emmet. We will use it in class. You gave a great speech this Wednesday. I look forward to hearing you speak again per the feedback given. Thanks so much for your contribution

      Reply

  • Its been a great first week of very interesting individual speeches from the NCA Speakers Club Members in 5th and 6th grade. I look forward to hearing more from everyone. Remember to do your best to qualify for our final speech competitions on the last day of class during our awards ceremony.
    Please remember our speech options as follows:
    5th grade has options 1 & 2 and 6th grade has all 4 options below:
    Option 1:
    All about Me- Tell us about yourself and describe what you would like to be when you grow up, why and how you think this will contribute to society.
    Option 2:
    Fairytale Life Lesson- Select a fairytale, tell us about it, the life lessons you learned from it and how you can apply it in your life.
    Option 3:
    My role model and why.
    Option 4:
    A day I will never forget. Tell us what happened and why you can’t forget it

    Some of your speeches are memorable already. Feel free to ask questions or share your career ideas, favorite fairytales, role model and spectacular day stories and lessons via this forum. There is no wrong answer. Remember our focus is on how you present.

    I look forward to the next set of speeches next week

    Reply

  • It has been a great few months since March 7th of learning Public Speaking with the students from NCA. Your Speeches during our Speech weeks were great and showed a lot of growth. Some made us really laugh and some made us cry…. That is the power of speech.
    We also got an overflow of suggested words for “WORD OF THE DAY” . I hope you will all continue to expand your vocabulary usage with these words listed below.

    I look forward to our Awards ceremony later today to wrap up this years Speakers Club at NCA. I hope you all had as much fun as I did teaching it. I look forward to teaching you again next year. Till then, HAVE A FUN & SAFE SUMMER 🙂

    SPEAKERS CLUB 2018- “WORDS OF THE DAY” LIST

    Ensorcell it means to fascinate or enchant someone – Penelope Seitzer

    Furious I think it is an important word because in public speaking you can express your actions. Furious means extremely angry – Emmet Ewing

    Confidence means the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something. I think the word would be good because you need to be confident in public speaking – Emmet Ewing

    Marvel means to be amazed at something – Emmett Hixenbaugh

    Vitriolic- very caustic; scathing: vitriolic criticism. – Julia Deemant

    Writhing which means someone is laying on the ground shaking in uncontrollable pain. – Katherine Tentler

    Samnambulist – This word means to preform tasks or walk while sleeping – Kate Sipchen

    Milquetoast, it means shy and timid. – KK

    Audacious which means to take surprisingly bold risks – Adam Bartilad

    Superfluous which means unnecessary, especially through being more than enough. – Izzy Assenzo

    Fervent” meaning won’t stop at anything to do some thing example sentence she was fervent to be a actress and she will not stop at anything – Jean rosenmayer

    Mellifluous (agdetive) meaning a sound that is sweet,smooth,and pleasing to hear – Olivia sweeney

    Scrumdidlyumptious. Or magnanimous. – Sydney Coomer

    Excruciating, which means intensely painful. – Charlotte Muller.

    Arbitrary, which means without reason. – Charlotte Muller.

    Absquatlate would be a good word – it means to leave somewhere abruptly. – Charlotte Muller.

    impertinent. This means improperly forward or bold.- Stella

    Logomachy – lo·gom·a·chy /ləˈɡɒməki/ definition: an argument about words. – Luca Sillitti

    Influential – Rowan

    Eviscerate means to cut open or tear apart – Sofia Welch

    Ethereal so light and delicate that it means something magical eg The ocean was so ethereal – Olivia sweeney

    Introvert means a shy, reticent person. – Emmet Ewing

    Egregious means outstandingly bad; shocking – Emmet Ewing

    Enunciation is act of pronouncing words – Emmet Ewing

    Onomatopoeia – the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named – Emmet Ewing

    Dulcet – which means sweet, sugary. – Nate Fulkerson

    Reply

  • A word could be entrepreneur which is a person who organizes and apperates a business or businesses taking on greater then normal financial risks in order to do so.

    Reply

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