SENIOR SCHOOL
Lions Public Speaking
The Lions Youth of the Year Speech and Leadership Competition began for me in Ms Bannister ’ s room one lunch time early in Term One . I had heard about this speech competition open to Senior School students and given my enjoyment of previous competitions , I seized the opportunity of another great experience .
My first step on the journey was being allocated to the Lions Club of Ballajura as my local club to represent . I didn ’ t know what to expect of the people in the club , but I was pleasantly surprised by their kindness and hospitality and their unwavering community commitment . I got to know several of the members quite well , as they attended every round of the competition I progressed through .
The competition involves a 30-40-minute private interview with the judging panel , discussing your personal and academic achievements , community involvement , leadership positions and personal interests .
After this there are four general knowledge questions relating to current affairs . A recurring question that I was asked in every round was about the US election race , something that I had followed very closely , so it was always a question I loved to answer ! The next part of the competition involved delivering two impromptu speeches . As the name suggests , these are speeches literally off the top of your head ! Possibly the most daunting aspect of the competition , it involves the Lions Club member reading out the impromptu question once , giving you a hard copy , repeating the question , then stepping away for you to take the reins and deliver a 2-minute speech .
These impromptu questions can really go either way for competitors . If it ’ s a topic that you have a good level of knowledge on then it ’ s just a matter of fitting all the information into the two-minute time period , however this is also the point where mind blanks are common and it can come down to who can “ wing ” the speech the best . The rounds are finished off with delivery of your 5-minute prepared speech on a topic of your choice .
My speech this year was on the National Broadband Network , a topic close to my heart , just not the loving part . Where I live in Stoneville , we are forced to use NBN ’ s satellite internet , giving us just 20GB of internet per month . This , coupled with the fact that NBN cuts our internet altogether after we reach 50GB per month , makes for
an incredibly dangerous reality for Stoneville residents in the fire season .
The first round of the competition was the Club level . I took part in this alongside my friend Nathaniel Harris ( 12Ha ). I was lucky enough to progress through to the next level , winning both the Best Public Speaker and Overall Winner of the Club round .
Then we had the Zones level . I had the flu for this round and only recovered my voice the day before the competition . Despite this , I was amazed to be one of three to make it through to the next round , the District Final .
The District Final was a day when everything fell into place for me . The interview questions , as well as the impromptu topics , all played to my strengths and I was lucky enough to come away as the Overall Winner of the District Final . This was a huge surprise for me , as I was just hoping to scrape into the top three to progress to the State Final .
The State Final was an incredible event . I was lucky enough to have a handful of my closest friends and family attending to support me , as well as Mr Webber , our Headmaster . The competition comprised the six strongest candidates from across the state : myself from Guildford Grammar School , a Hale student , two girls from Santa Maria as well as the Head Boys of Duncraig Senior High School and CBC . The interview was my best yet , with the general knowledge questions yet again on issues that I am interested in ; the ethics of performance enhancing drugs in sport , and the pros and cons of fracking .
However , it was the impromptu questions that I really relished . The first being “ What would be the impact on the world if Donald
Trump was elected President of the USA ”. This question was followed by “ Should the media create the news or simply report it , consider the recent custody battle in Lebanon ”. Two questions both relating to my keen interest in media meant that I was lucky enough to avoid any embarrassing mind blanks or lengthy pauses .
After the prepared speeches were delivered , we waited anxiously for the judges to deliver the results .
I was honoured to receive the “ Winner – Best Public Speaker ” at the State Final .
The highlight of the competition was definitely meeting the other competitors . Youth of the Year not only expands your horizons in terms of meeting like-minded people , it provides an opportunity to mix with students from a variety of schools from all over the state . I have made some great friends from this competition and the experience is one that I would love to have again .
I would encourage anyone who has even the most minuscule interest in public speaking to give this competition a try . It gave me a new found confidence in myself and taught me how to handle pressure . One tip for any future competitors would be to pay attention to the news and current affairs . My interest in politics and what ’ s going on around me , locally and worldwide , certainly helped me in this competition .
It was a privilege to do well and great to represent the School in a State Final competition .
Zac Williams ( 12Ha )
Zac Williams ( 12Ha ).
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