Last week our students took part in the inaugural South Hampstead High School GDST Public Speaking Competition. Students from several schools gave speeches and performed the role of compère (chairing & asking questions) in this virtual competition.

It was a highly enjoyable and successful evening, with Nadia M-S (Y8) taking 7th place, Elizabeth O’B (Y10) 3rd, winning Best Compere and Best Audience Question,  and Hope G who won the overall competition as Best Speaker, Best Compere of her group and Best Questioner!

Miss Gordon, our Public Speaking Co-Ordinator, was delighted with the whole team whose performances were all “simply outstanding!” She also commented that “it was an entertaining evening listening to students ‘get their niche on’ – from why someone loves apples, to where will social media be in 10 years! All students spoke with real genuine enthusiasm and insight, using verbal and non-verbal body language to truly engage their online audiences. It was an incredibly inspiring evening and especially heart-warming in seeing how eloquently our students handled the Q&A sessions. They each gave a speech but also acted as comperes to others. They all performed this role with aplomb, speaking ‘off script’ in a supportive and sincere manner, putting others at ease and asking pertinent questions that demonstrated they had been actively listening.”

Here are her thoughts on the team’s performances:

Alex D (Y8) spoke on “What Disney princesses are controversial and why are they considered problematic.” Alex critically reflected on the depiction and storylines of a range of the films,  using tongue-in-cheek humour to explain why the six year old in us all should still watch (but with a discerning eye!) these films, and how the franchise should do more for wider representation. I especially enjoyed Alex’s link between her love of swimming and Ariel’s mermaid tail!”

Nadia M-S (Y8) took as her topic “The Art and Times of Chris Burden.” – can acts perceived as potentially illegal classify as art? She covered an interesting range of the extreme methods he used – certainly a figure to explore.

Hope G (Y10) hooked us all in with her original speech – how from being a Chelsea onesie-wearer walking through a graveyard with her dad led her to learning about Pankhurst; championing deeds not words in her links to Rachael Blackmore to Chelsea women’s football team. Her performance was outstanding, with thought-provoking questions asked of other students. There was a palpable ‘woop woop’ for female empowerment at the end of her speech!

Elizabeth O’B (Y10): “Beauty & The Brain: The Unrelenting Sexualisation Of Clever Women”. Elizabeth gave an incredibly passionate delivery – “too pretty to be clever, too clever to be pretty’ – linked to present day with an example of Sian Berry’s Google search to bring back ‘blonde blue eyed’ before her actual policies – and how this frustrated Elizabeth. She also included very pertinent quotes from Alcott.

Imogen D (Y11) spoke on “Excess All Areas: Why Excess is Essential Behind the Melodic Curtain.” Imogen demonstrated a mind-boggling array of musical knowledge and leaving us all wishing we too were in Rio…dancing on the sand. She made us reconsider the links between fame, intent and musical authenticity (and perhaps think again about career decisions!). 

Liliana B’s talk (Y9) was “An Analysis of the Costumes in Bridgerton.” Her speech articulately conveyed her passion for historical dress, and her knowledge of the Regency period shone through in her detailed research. Who knew 7,500 pieces were created for the show? Liliana thoughtfully critiqued how this detracted from the historical realism of the series, but explained how this did not detract from her enjoyment of the programme.

Agnes H (Y9)  spoke with great maturity and thoughtfulness on the important and powerful topic,  “’The Struggles of Being Part of the LGBTQ+ community”. The audience appreciated her frank and honest take on internalised homophobia, and how she linked this to striving to change global attitudes.

Very well deserved certificates and commendations are on their way to all participants and a big thank you to South Hampstead for organising a great event!