Recently, eight students had the exciting opportunity to take part in Mark My Words, an inspiring public-speaking competition held at the States Chamber. It was a fantastic experience that gave us the chance to develop our communication skills, experience the Chamber from a unique perspective and, most importantly, support our speech reader, Sophia.
When we arrived at the States Chamber, we were thrilled to discover that we would be sitting in the actual seats normally used by members of parliament. The competition was divided into two halves. While some schools sat in the Chamber and delivered their speeches, the others watched from the viewing balcony before swapping roles.
We were lucky enough to take part in the first half, with Sophia representing our group as our speech reader. She did an incredible job and spoke with confidence in front of everyone in the Chamber. After each speech, we had the opportunity to think of questions for the speakers. One other student and I were also given the exciting responsibility of standing up in the Chamber and asking our questions.
Once all of the contestants had finished their speeches, the judges, Mr Willis and Victoria Li, had the difficult task of choosing the overall winner. When they announced that we had won, we were absolutely ecstatic! Sophia thoroughly deserved the victory, and we were incredibly proud of her achievement.
During the second half of the competition, we were given a worksheet designed to test our observation skills. This kept us busy while the other schools delivered their speeches and thought of questions. However, we also had another important role to play: helping to decide the public winner.
As well as the judges’ decision, the competition included a public vote. After each speech, we rated the speaker out of nine points, awarding up to three points for social and emotional skills, three for physical skills, and three for cognitive and linguistic skills. It was fascinating to pay close attention to each speaker and consider all of these different aspects of public speaking. We are now looking forward to finding out who was chosen as the public winner!
Overall, taking part in Mark My Words was an amazing experience. From sitting in the States Chamber to asking questions and supporting Sophia, it was a day that we will remember for a long time.
A huge thank you goes to all the teachers who helped Sophia, me and the other students prepare for and take part in the competition. We are incredibly grateful for all their support and encouragement.
Good luck to everyone taking part in Mark My Words next year — we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Florence: Kempt House
