Last week, three Year 5 pupils (Corinna, India and Jemima) took part in the annual public speaking competition at Epsom College, with speeches on topics as varied as ‘Is AI the future of teaching? To ‘What if dinosaurs roamed the Earth?’. One of nine teams who wrote and delivered their own speeches, the girls spoke very engagingly about a topic they chose and researched themselves, proposing to the audience that the private sale of fireworks should be banned, calling their speech ‘Fizz, Pop, Banned!’. Praised for their measured pacing and commanding delivery, the judges also noted their excellent use of statistics to support their many powerful arguments. Receiving excellent feedback as a team, they also scooped the Best Main Speaker award (Corinna) despite the stiff competition of many witty or moving speeches from the other teams.
Jemima described her involvement in this valuable public speaking competition as an “amazing experience that taught me to project my voice and be more confident in everything I do. Talking to the other competitors also gave me real courage, as they were feeling the same as me”. Corinna agreed, enjoying the benefit of the “beautiful hall at Epsom, which really had a positive impact on my speaking. From the start, I have learnt to project my voice and keep it steady, while letting my passion for the topic shine through”. India agreed, that the chance to stand up and speak has “helped my ability to communicate, even thinking about my posture, too”. All three were thrilled to be given the opportunity to take part, to boost their confidence and hear some amazing speeches: a memorable and valuable experience!
Categories: Girls' Prep School