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How to Give a Speech in China

China has a bad habit of turning introverts into extroverts. If you are going to China to teach English, prepare yourself for the real possibility that you will be making a speech in front of a few hundred people. If you are teaching for a year, you may make multiple speeches. But do not fear. Most likely, 75 percent of your audience will only understand about half of what you say. Really, you are making the speech to stroke the boss’ ego and show the world that your school has a foreign teacher.

Usually, a speech to the school body will only last 3-5 minutes. If you have a colleague interpreting for you, the actual length of your speech may even be less than that. The speech should be delivered slowly and confidently. Hand motions, movement on the stage, and face expressions are always appreciated. While most speeches are not ‘black tie’ events, you should be wearing a nice pair of slacks and a collared shirt with something other than tennis shoes on.

In case you have a speech looming in the not so distant future (like five minutes from now), here is the text of a speech that I gave on my opening day during my first year of teaching in China.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning!
My name is Robert Vance and I am from (such and such place). First, allow me to say that it is a great honor and privilege to be standing here in front of you today. I would like to thank Mr. Lin for giving me the opportunity to come to (your city) and teach English. 
In the past few days, I have walked around this city and I like what I see. The city is very nice and the people are friendly. I know that I will enjoy living in (your city). I look forward to seeing all of you both inside and outside of the school. 

Let me tell you that even though I am now serving as a teacher, I myself have also been a language student. For the past six years, I have been learning Frnech so I know what it is like to learn a new language. If you want to be able to speak English, you have to practice out loud a lot. You cannot be afraid to speak in English. While I am a teacher at this school, I will encourage all of my students to speak as much as possible. Please do not be afraid that I will laugh at you. I will not laugh. I will help you.  Learning a new language is not easy and you cannot be afraid to make mistakes. My goal is that you will be able to carry on a conversation in English in any situation. I want you to feel comfortable with speaking the English Language.

I am your teacher but I also want to be your friend. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to come and speak with me. I want you to succeed in your quest to learn the English language. Together, we will work hard to achieve this goal. I look forward to spending time with each and every one of you this year. Thank you for listening. I will see you in school.

If you’re feeling brave, you can add a finishing touch by saying a word in Chinese such as ‘goodbye’ or ‘thank you.’ This always pleases the crowd. You can usually expect about ten seconds of applause after you have uttered your last word. You can stay on stage during this time and wave or shake your intrepeter’s hand if you were fortunate to have had one.

Have fun with your speeches and do not worry about perfection. If you are not comfortable with public speaking, making a speech in front of the student body is a good way to practice. Do not be nervous. Get up there and be enthusiastic.  Remember that English is your native language not theirs. You have the advantage. The students and the faculty will be trying to figure out what you are saying as opposed to critiquing your public speaking skills

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