Studying oral traditions teaches a lesson that applies to every kind of speaking: how something is said, who says it and why they have the right to say it all change what the words mean. A strong speaker chooses a purpose, respects the audience, uses voice and silence deliberately, and is clear about whose knowledge they are sharing. In this course, that last part matters most. You can tell your own stories, share what you have researched from properly credited sources, and pass on what you were given permission to share — but you do not speak for First Nations, Métis or Inuit people.
Storytelling performance
- Choose a story you have the right to tell. Your own experience, your family's history with their agreement, or an original story you wrote. Not a traditional story from another nation.
- Frame the opening. Say whose story it is and where it comes from, the way oral tellers name their source.
- Use pace deliberately. Slow down for the important moments; speed up for action. Rushing is the most common problem in student storytelling.
- Use pauses. A pause before a key line creates anticipation; a pause after it lets the line land.
- Vary volume and pitch. Dropping your voice can draw listeners in as effectively as raising it.
- Use repetition on purpose. A repeated line gives listeners a landmark and signals what matters.
- Speak to the people in front of you. Look up, respond to their reactions, and let the telling adjust to the room. Be aware that norms about eye contact differ between cultures, so do not read a listener looking down as a lack of interest.
Presentations and podcasts
| Form | Planning focus | Speaking skills that matter | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | One clear purpose and three or four main points, with credited sources | Eye contact, pace, clear signposting ('my second point…'), confident opening and closing | Reading slides aloud word for word; speaking about communities without naming them |
| Storytelling performance | A story you have the right to tell, with a framed opening and closing | Pause, pace, voice variation, repetition, responding to the audience | Retelling a traditional story that is not yours to share |
| Podcast or audio piece | Audience, episode purpose, a rough script or outline, and consent from anyone recorded | Vocal expression without visual support, clear enunciation, natural conversational rhythm | Recording or editing someone's words without their informed consent, or cutting them so their meaning changes |
| Interview | Questions prepared in advance, shared with the guest if they want them | Open questions, listening closely, follow-up questions, not interrupting | Leading questions and asking for knowledge the guest has not offered |
| Land acknowledgement | Research the specific nations and treaties, and your reason for speaking it | Correct pronunciation, sincere tone, unhurried delivery | A rushed, copied script that nobody has thought about |
Land acknowledgements: meaningful or performative
A land acknowledgement is a statement, usually at the start of an event, that recognizes the Indigenous peoples whose territory the event takes place on. Its value depends entirely on whether it is thoughtful. Read quickly from a script by someone who could not say what it means, it becomes a performance of respect with nothing behind it — which is why an acknowledgement is often criticized as performative. Written with care, it can show real understanding of the land's history and the speaker's own relationship to it.
APerformative
- Generic: 'Indigenous peoples' with no nation named
- Past tense, as if the nations no longer exist
- Copied word for word and read by rote
- Names mispronounced because nobody practised
- Treated as a formality to get through before the real event
- Presented as if it settles the matter
BMeaningful
- Names the specific nations and, where relevant, the treaty
- Present tense — the nations are here now
- Written in the speaker's own words
- Names pronounced correctly after practising
- Explains why the speaker is making it
- Points to learning or action the speaker is committed to
- Research the specific land. Find out which nations' territory you are on, and whether the area is covered by a treaty. Use the nations' own websites and published sources where possible.
- Learn the pronunciation. Find recordings from the nations themselves if available, and practise out loud.
- Use present tense. Write about nations who are here, not people who 'used to live here'.
- Say why you are acknowledging. Connect it to the purpose of your event or presentation.
- Name your relationship or commitment. What are you learning, and what will you do? Keep it honest and specific; do not promise what you will not do.
- Do not speak for the nations. Describe your understanding and your responsibilities, not what Indigenous people think or feel.
Sample structure (written for this lesson — replace the brackets with researched details)
'Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that this presentation is taking place on the territory of [nation or nations], and that this land is covered by [treaty, if applicable]. I am speaking about oral traditions today, so it matters to me to name whose land and knowledge I am learning on. I am still learning about this history, and my commitment is to [a specific, honest action — for example, reading work by writers from these nations and using the nations' own names for places].'
An acknowledgement is not permission, and it is not action
Acknowledging a territory does not give anyone permission to use that nation's stories, symbols or ceremonies. It also does not replace action. Reciting an acknowledgement and then presenting stereotypes, or using a nation's knowledge without consent, is exactly what makes an acknowledgement performative.
Reflecting on your speaking
| Area | Question to ask yourself | Evidence to look at |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Did the audience understand what I wanted them to know or feel? | Audience questions afterwards, or a peer's one-sentence summary of your main point |
| Voice | Did I use pace, pauses and volume on purpose? | A recording of your practice run, listened to once without watching |
| Respect and accuracy | Did I name nations correctly, credit sources, and share only what I had the right to share? | Your notes and your list of sources, checked line by line |
| Audience connection | Did I respond to the room, or just recite? | Moments you adjusted, and moments you noticed people losing focus |
| Listening | When others spoke, did I listen fully and ask useful questions? | Your questions and whether they built on what was said |
Make the next step specific
'Be a better speaker' is not a next step. 'In my next presentation, pause for two full seconds after each main point, and practise the nations' names out loud five times before I present' is. A good next step names one skill, one concrete action, and when you will do it.