On Monday 22nd November, Year 11 pupil Gabriella took part in the first round of the ESU Churchill Public Speaking Competition as the team’s speaker, alongside Jayda and Clotilde who respectively took the positions of questioner and chair.
The prestigious ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition, sponsored by the International Churchill Society, is the largest such contest in England and Wales, with around 400 teams (each comprising a speaker, questioner and a chairperson). The different roles allow students to practice and excel in different skill sets, and the competition’s unique format, which pairs the speaker from one school with the chair and questioner of another, encourages quick thinking and relationship building.
Gabriella’s speech was a reply to the statement ‘art is a distraction from mankind’s real purpose’ and she had the opportunity to answer questions from other teams and the audience via Zoom.
Jayda and Clotilde handled the event amazingly and were able to keep everyone engaged and entertained with many insightful questions.
“We all look forward to competing in the next round in person and can’t wait to use the feedback we gained from the judges to improve our public speaking skills in the future.”Gabriella, Year 11 pupil