A fantastic evening of discussion and demonstration of skills took place on the 12th Febuary when Francis Holland hosted the final heat of the ESU Churchill Public Speaking Competition.
Eight teams in total from a variety of London schools including Godolphin &Latymer, Emanuel and Putney High, each made up of a speaker, questioner and chair. Two teams of Year 10 and 11 girls represented Francis Holland, indeed very successfully!
The topics addressed by the speakers varied greatly from Freedom is an illusion to Sport is equally as important as mathematics in a students education, which made the evening very interested to both watch and compete in. These speeches were followed by rigorous questioning from the questioner, which allowed for greater development into the topics, with each team being held together by the chairs role to introduce, summarise and control the discussion. 1A was filled with an engaged audience of students and parents alike, who also provided crucial contribution when the floor was opened for questioning. After having enjoyed some wonderful refreshments in extreme suspense, the return of the judges brought great tidings as they announced Francis Holland Team 2 as the team passing through to the regional final at Dartmouth House later this month, and congratulated the winners of the individual prizes for roles.
There is no doubt the evening was enjoyed thoroughly by all due to the breadth of knowledge and eloquence provided by all competitors, although I found the competition particularly fantastic to take part in as chair for Team 2 due to such superb opportunities as meeting new people and putting my own public speaking skills in front of wide audience.
Bella Charlton 11F
