We had the privilege of hosting the GDST Chrystall Carter public speaking semi-finals at the Squire Performing Arts Centre this afternoon. We were so impressed by the content and delivery of all of the girls’ speeches. Congratulations to all of them for their well-deserved success. They chose fascinating subjects, researched them thoroughly and presented their arguments concisely and persuasively.
Runner up, Phoebe from Nottingham Girls’ High School, and winner, Cordelia, from Sheffield Girls’ High School were praised for their balanced arguments and confident delivery. Cordelia goes onto represent her school in the final, and we can’t wait to hear how she gets on at this exciting event.
Judges, Jean Pardoe OBE DL, Anita Barker and Sir John Peace, Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire shared their views on what constitutes an excellent public speech.
- Confidence
Public speaking is outside of most people’s comfort zones. It can bring sweaty palms, trembling knees and sleepless nights for many. Events such as the GDST Chrystall Carter prize help inspire girls to embrace these opportunities from an early age. This means GDST girls become familiar with being outside of their comfort zones. They learn to embrace those nervous feelings to help them deliver excellence and they grow in resilience and fearlessness throughout their school life and beyond.
- Personal style
Being brave enough to share your own individual voice is an incredible strength. Sharing your personal views, putting yourself out there, being proud of who you are and what you have to say is a key part of a GDST education. At NGHS we are so proud of our diverse and exiting community of girls, who all have their own individual voices and are not afraid to speak up and use them.
- Depth of knowledge
When you have a genuine passion for your subject, it shines through. The love of learning the girls demonstrated today really did engage the audience. The research they had so obviously put into their subjects meant their speeches were educational, impressive and fascinating. Doing what you love and sharing that enthusiasm is a wonderful element of any public speech.
- The human touch
Humor and empathy were evident in all of today’s speeches. This human touch goes a long way in helping audiences relate to a subject and a speaker. It keeps things real, engages people on an emotional level and helps people to remember you and your messages. Well done to all of our girls for demonstrating these important qualities so well today.
We couldn’t be prouder of our NGHS girls and our GDST family. Today’s semi-final was totally captivating and we’re so excited to see what happens in the final.
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