Public Speaking Competition 2011

I’ve had mixed feelings about the public speaking competition this year (it’s a long and rather tedious story in connection with last year’s competition) but with such a talented and dedicated group of students it seemed a pity not to get involved this year, too. Besides which, my early-morning extra-curricular class at school is actually called the ‘Public Speaking group’ so it’s not really one of those competitions we can dismiss as being outside our area of special interest.

Here are a few of my thoughts in connection with today’s local round of the competition:

* It takes talent and intelligence to make a speech in front of an audience in a foreign language, but most of all it takes guts.

* Practice really does make perfect. Getting up to make a speech for the first time can be such a harrowing experience that many people vow never to do it again. Those that persevere find that although it never becomes easy to speak in front of an audience, it certainly becomes easier. Seeing the transformation in my own students has been truly gratifying. Once timid and terrified, they are now so assured and impressive. It really has been a fantastic transformation to see.

* A speech might be good on paper, but if it’s not delivered well it can still fall flat. Good speakers understand that making a speech is not merely about building an argument and organising a sequence of ideas, but about connecting with an audience. Substance is paramount, but without style the whole thing will go unnoticed.

* It is impossible for a group of judges to listen to ten appealing, engaging and original speeches and then decide which one was best. It simply can’t be done, no matter how professional and experienced they might be. The most they can accomplish is to select a winner on the basis of which speech they thought was the strongest. As we have seen time and time again, it doesn’t matter how detailed the judging criteria are, different judges will interpret the speeches in drastically contrasting ways. The results always seem to be surprising.

* Audiences are benevolent. They don’t want to see speakers fail and falter, they want to see them triumph. The buzz of a really impressive speech energises everyone in the room, not just the speaker. And even if a speech does not go as well as hoped, the audience members maintain their respect for the speaker – they know how much courage it takes to get up and take the stage. They might not have that much courage themselves yet, but then there is always next year…

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