Taylors’ Success in the Worshipful Company of Educators’ Public Speaking Competition
On Wednesday 26th March, the Worshipful Company of Educators held their annual public speaking competition at the Guildhall in the City of London. This sees student representatives from schools across both the state and independent sectors delivering speeches on a topic of their choice, before facing questions from the audience and judging panel. It is at once a highly competitive and stimulating environment.
Representing MTS was Abhishek S. and Monty H. in Divisions, respectively runner-up and winner in our own public speaking competition, so they had achieved much simply to get to this point. Competing against some of the best young speakers in London, however, was a considerable step up. In the end, they did themselves and the school proud, delivering thoughtful and compelling speeches, before having to think on their feet as they faced probing questions from the audience. Abhishek convinced us of the importance of self-discipline, while Monty made us look with fresh eyes on society’s problematic relationship with alcohol. Monty went on to be awarded the prize for overall runner-up, a considerable accolade, but both boys should be congratulated on their achievements.
Writes Monty H. (Divisions)
I attended with fellow MTS competitor, Abhishek S. (Divs). It was a strange feeling when I began my speech. After all the time I spent researching my chosen topic of alcohol and rehearsing, I still was worried I would stumble or forget my next point (if my last-minute practice was anything to go by!) Fortunately, these nerves waned once it was my turn to speak. My talk detailed why alcohol is worse than we think; talking about myths of its health benefits as well as what steps need to be taken regulating it. Being a controversial topic, the audience asked many questions which was a challenge. The surreal experience of speaking at Guildhall was only half of the night's value as I was able to listen to speeches of varying topics; from the indentured labourers in South Africa to why we should be proud of British cuisine. I will concede that it was easier to sit back and enjoy talks after I had spoken!
I think it's great that the competition allowed competitors to choose any topic instead of from a set list - it made for some speeches which clearly came from the heart. I'm glad that the public speaking competition at MTS has adopted a similar approach since last year. I was delighted to be awarded runner-up, and I would like to give a special thanks to Mr. Hilton-Dennis for sacrificing his breaks to help us improve our speeches and for coming along with us on the night.