How to Give an Amazing Assembly Talk!

School assemblies are an important part of pupils’ lives.

They are a shared community experience where the whole school comes together, to start the day or mark a special occasion, like 60 years of Singapore’s independence (SG60) or a school’s anniversary.

Author Shawn Seah speaking at Ngee Ann Primary School during an assembly talk. Photograph by Shawn’s team.

Speaking at a school assembly is an honour and a privilege.

You are responsible for engaging the entire school as well as teachers who are standing or sitting by the side of the school hall.

The heads of department, teachers, or librarians who invited you have entrusted you with this (sacred) duty.

All eyes are on you, and for that 20, 25, or even 30 minutes, you hold court.

A school assembly talk should be energetic, engaging, and exciting for the children. Or, as I like to put it, “edu-taining”.

When done well, a talk can stay with children long after the bell rings.

Here are some of my personal reflections and best practices, drawn from my experiences and mistakes of speaking to children aged seven to twelve at school assemblies across Singapore. They remind me of what worked well, and hopefully you might find some of these pointers useful too.

Author and speaker Shawn Seah introducing his children’s book series, Our Amazing Heroes. Photograph by Shawn’s team.

Have a lot of positive energy!

You have to begin with a lot of energy and a positive attitude to engage the students!

Come in with good posture, a bright presence, and a can-do spirit.

Let your enthusiasm show from the moment you step onto the stage.

Smile widely and think happy thoughts!

A big wide smile shows that you are friendly, confident, and approachable. It sets the tone.

Best of all, smiles are contagious. If you smile, they smile back.

I am often reminded of what Dale Carnegie once wrote about magician Howard Thurston in How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Each time Thurston went up on stage to perform, he said to himself: “I am grateful because these people come to see me. They make it possible for me to make my living in a very agreeable way. I’m going to give them the very best I possibly can.”

Thurston was grateful for his audience’s support.

And I am sure they loved and respected him back.

These are words of enduring wisdom that I try to live by.

Whether it is for a magic performance, a keynote address for adults, or an assembly talk for primary school pupils, these are truly words of wisdom.

Show of hands!

One of the best ways to start your assembly talk is with a quick poll.

“Hands up if you’ve heard of Tan Tock Seng!”

“Who wants to be a time traveller? Raise your hands!”

“Who’s excited to hear stories today? Quick show of hands!”

These questions invite children to respond, think, and compare their answers with their friends. You create immediate interaction. The hall comes alive.

Polling students is fun!

Are… youuuuu… ready?!!!

I also like to dramatically point the microphone at my audience and rally them, “Are you ready to hear some stories?”

Then I pause. “I can’t hear you!” or “That’s not loud enough!”

And again, I shout, louder: “You can do better than that!”

This call-and-response builds excitement and children love the playful energy.

Use strong images, not just words, on your slides

Children respond well to colourful, large, and vivid pictures.

A slide with a striking photo or bold illustration draws attention.

Images can evoke wonder. They spark questions.

Involve them early and often

I typically ask questions throughout my storytelling session.

“What do you think happened next?”

“If you were there, what would you have done?”

“Do you think they lived happily ever after?”

These questions invite children into the narrative.

Let them wonder, guess, and imagine.

Use familiar words and concrete examples

Speak plainly.

Use clear, everyday language.

Avoid jargon or complicated expressions.

Children understand best when you paint a scene they can imagine.

Describe the sights, sounds, and smells.

Tell them about the muddy ground, the noisy ship, the bright lanterns.

The more concrete your examples, the more they remember.

And they can remember details.

Author and speaker Shawn Seah giving an assembly talk. Photograph by Shawn’s team.

Remember, this is performance art

An assembly talk is not just an ordinary talk. It is a performance.

In fact, it is closer to a one-person play.

Your voice needs to carry across the hall.

Project your voice. Vary your tone. Use dramatic pauses.

Let your face and hands do some of the talking too.

Move around the stage.

Make eye contact with different parts of the audience.

Sometimes, I dramatically walk among the children to make a point. It surprises them and draws them in.

Repeat, repeat, repeat

Children learn through repetition, repetition, repetition.

If there is one key word, phrase, or idea you want them to take away, repeat it many, many, many times throughout your talk. Naturally, you can use rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration to make repeated lines memorable.

Repetition works.

Repetition reinforces.

Repetition sticks.

Frame things from the children’s perspective

An assembly talk is for the children, so it makes perfect sense to frame things from their perspective, so that they can better enjoy the talk.

Try to put the pupils into the shoes of the people you are speaking about.

“Imagine you were hiding in a rubber plantation during the Second World War. What would that feel like?”

“Imagine you were on the ship with Pillai. What would it be like?”

“What would you have done if you were there?”

Let them feel the story.

When children relate personally, they remember more.

Give them room to imagine what they would do or how they would feel.

Always connect what you are saying to the present

I try my best to help them see how the stories matter today.

I try to connect the values and lessons from the past to their own lives.

Maybe you are sharing a story about kindness, resilience, or courage. Remind them that these are good values they can show today, in school, at home, or with their friends.

But forgive yourself when things don’t go as planned

I have spoken to many, many groups of people, and children are an especially tough crowd.

Not everything will go perfectly.

Sometimes the tech does not work well. The microphone shrieks. The children are sleepy and not in the mood to cooperate with you.

Don’t worry. My advice: forgive yourself.

Bear in mind that this is the biggest mixed-ability and mixed-preference class that you will face. Some are sleepy, some hungry, some bursting with energy. Some are listeners, others readers, and yet others are read-write types.

Just do your best. Speak from the heart. And if things do not go perfectly, that is life. Forgive yourself and do not be too hard on yourself.

Students catching up with their favourite author! Photographs by Shawn’s team.

Just remember that assembly talks are not just moments to deliver a message (only).

They are moments to inspire.

When that connection happens, when children look up at you and have a sense of wonderment on their faces, or ask you many strange and weird questions after that, you know it was all worth it.

Thank you for reading.

Cheers,
Shawn Seah

Note: This is a longer and more detailed piece based on a story I previously posted on Medium.