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VIAT Speaks - 2022
On Wednesday, 20 April, we had the pleasure of hosting the inaugural evening of the VIAT Speaks competition. Designed to showcase the public speaking abilities of many of our students, the evening saw pupils from across our Trust come together in some friendly competition.
The competition consisted of two rounds: the first made up of pre-prepared speeches of two minutes in length and the second round featuring one minute, "on the spot" speeches. We would like to congratulate all of the pupils from both our primary and secondary schools who participated, the standard was incredibly high and the judges had a particularly challenging task!
Louisa in 7A, who took part throughout the competition, had this to say about the evening:
‘The VIAT Speaks competition was so amazing. The number of people from different schools was really great. All of the speeches in round 1 and 2 were impeccable. It was hard to tell who was going to win, we were all glad we weren’t in the judges' position!
I am so happy this competition happened due to the fact that we all learned new skills from quick preparation of the second round speeches, adding quotes to our speeches and using hand gestures. I am enjoyed this competition very much due to how supportive we were of each other. Thank you to Mrs Lloyd and VIAT for a wonderful evening.'
Dr Brian White, one of the judges of the competition, had this to say about the impressive performances of all who took part:
Primary School Competition
The standard of all of the speeches was both high and impressive. I was amazed by the ability and confidence of the primary school pupils, and I'm certain that I could not have attempted anything similar when I was their age! All of the four given topics were covered, and good use of personal experiences demonstrated the individual abilities of the students. There was interesting content, humour was used, and the audience was engaged by the speakers.
It was pleasing that there were competitors from three individual schools, and that the winners were from two of them. The judges had a difficult task in choosing a winner and runner-up, but Ria and Terence deserved their prizes.
Secondary School Competition
Four different schools were represented, and it was pleasing that there were winners from each of them. The judges were relieved that they were able to choose winners from each separate school phase: the standards were so high that it would have been almost impossible to have selected two people from the overall total of 24 students.
It is important to note that some people performed differently in their two-minute and one-minute speeches. Although the topics for the latter were 'unseen', it was interesting that some students seemed to be more at ease with those. The judges had to consider a student's performance in both speeches, but they were confident that they came to the right decisions
Lower School
There were some lively and engaging speeches, with good use of quotations and personal experiences. Some students were very good at speaking directly to the audience and making eye contact. Rohan and Louisa were a worthy winner and runner-up.
Middle School
Elani and Adrienne were the winner and runner-up, amongst a strong field of competitors. The judges appreciated the varied personal references which students used to good effect, and many speeches were lively and entertaining, with good content, and the use of interesting concepts and quotations.
Upper School
The speeches were of a high standard, with the use of strong content and interesting perspectives on a range of issues. The students used a range of approaches, and there were thought-provoking and well-presented arguments. Ella and Leona were the winner and runner-up.
