Public Speaking and Debating

Public Speaking/Debating

Katie Moon

Model United Nations Assembly

Both our senior and junior teams spoke with confidence and demonstrated their extensive knowledge on each of the resolutions. The junior team in particular, who were representing the United States of America, were attacked from all sides and did a great job defending their difficult position. It was a fantastic day where the boys could develop their understanding of the vital role of the United Nations and build on their speaking skills. Congratulations to our senior team Jett and Jai Heaney who were delegates for France, and to our junior team Blake Downs, Daniel Herd, and Jayden Redfern who demonstrated admirable commitment and teamwork throughout the day.

France MUNA Team USA MUNA Team

Rostrum Voice of Youth

Daniel Herd of Year 10 and Lachlan Herd of Year 8 represented St Edward’s College in the Rostrum Voice of Youth public speaking competition. This is a national competition that sees speakers from schools around Australia present their ideas on a topic of their choosing. As a senior representative, Daniel delivered an eight-minute speech (no easy feat) and was in a pool with Year 11 and 12 students. Congratulations to Daniel for presenting a considered response to the treatment of women with which he won his round!

Lachlan also presented an outstanding speech on success despite adversity, and while he did not place in his round, he received high praise from the adjudicators. Congratulations to both of these young men for their hard work and commitment, their intelligence and insight is inspiring.

Daniel Herd represented St Edward’s in the regional finals of the Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition at Abbotsleigh. This final saw students from Sydney and the Central Coast deliver an eight-minute speech and a three-minute impromptu speech with the winner progressing to the state final. Again, Daniel proved to be a strong competitor and while he did not place, he is to be commended for competing in such a rigorous competition against students who were, for the most part, in Years 11 and 12. Congratulations, Daniel on your ability to capture an audience. The prepared speech was outstanding, but equally impressive is the ability to produce an engaging and considered impromptu speech – it is not easy to create a speech on the spot and deliver it to an audience without rehearsing!

Plain English Speaking

Jayden Redfern and Daniel Herd represented St Edward’s in the Plain English Speaking Competition. Jayden and Daniel demonstrated their outstanding public speaking ability commanding the attention of their audience and demonstrating thorough knowledge of their topics nuclear disarmament, and the ill treatment of women, respectively. Although Jayden and Daniel did not place in this round they received positive feedback from the adjudicator, and teachers from other schools commented on how well they spoke on the day. Congratulations to both Jayden and Daniel for their commitment to public speaking and, in particular, on their impromptu speeches that were engaging, relevant, and topical – it was fantastic to watch!

Debating

This year, like a lot of other events, debating was not possible for most of the year – even in a virtual setting. Fortunately, our Year 10 debating team were able to participate in one debate before we went into lockdown. Congratulations to Jayden Redfern, Daniel Herd, Blake Downs and Ben Stansfield on an outstanding debate. These young men demonstrated their ability to be critical thinkers and work as a team, and their oratory skills are second to none.

Daniel & Lachlan Herd Debating Team