On the 14th of June, our English group participated in the Isle of Wight Debating Competition, which was located at Newport Minster Church.
Eight groups from schools arrived to participate in the event, as the event was ideal for developing debating skills, which include communication and confidence in public speaking.
The two speakers were Graham Pountney and Bob Seely, in which Graham spoke to us about thinking of the audience, as when we’re presenting ideas or opinions the opinions and entertainment must conform with the public’s ideal perspective. I perceived Graham’s speech as fascinating, as I learned it is not necessarily yourself to develop, but also the audience to think of too. Bob Seely took a more informal approach, in which he spoke about the difficulty of public speaking, but to also be informed of the subject, as a debate cannot be won, when oneself doesn’t have enough knowledge.
After the speakers had finished their speeches, we partook in a carousel, in which we spent fifteen minutes on every activity. The first activity was to talk about a subject for forty-five seconds, as the aim was to improve our confidence and public speaking skills. To develop confidence, it is necessary to go outside of your comfort zone, which I learned from participating in the various activities.
In the second activity, the objective was to show us how to communicate in various ways, such as slowing speech and changing tone, which can engage different people, as it’s more interesting to hear an individual speak differently. We watched videos, in which we learned how politicians speak, and how we can implement their own speaking abilities into our own.
Next, in the third activity, this involved us having to sell an object to someone, which uses your creativity and imagination. By learning how to sell an object, our communication skills significantly improve, as the aim was to prepare the students for the debating competition in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, the eight schools competed in the debating competition, however, we were not able to stay. Before we left, we watched two schools compete against one another, which was exciting, as all of the skills they had developed throughout the morning and before, became an opportunity for them to impress and enjoy.
Overall, I really enjoyed the event, as I liked hearing the speakers talk about improvement and their own experiences, in which they have endured throughout their careers.
Dylan Hatcher
