What do songwriters and speechwriters have in common?

“Preparing for a public speaking competition is an interesting experience, a little like trying to write a hit song. Some classics were penned in 5 minutes in the back of a taxi, simply because the music resonated with people,” says NSW State Finalist in the Rostrum Voice of Youth, Christos Tatsis (11/MO).

After rounds of competition, Year 11 boy Christos Tatsis came Runner Up in the Rostrum Voice of Youth State Final. Competing against six others in the finals after succeeding through earlier rounds, this year’s competition drew in more than 400 of the State’s finest orators in one of the most highly competitive regions in the country.

At the Finals held at Sydney Grammar on Saturday 18 June, Christos delivered two speeches. The first was a prepared speech of eight minutes duration on the topic of “A Voice of Reason”. All entrants were then given 15 minutes to prepare a short notice speech of three minutes from a selection of three topics. Christos selected “A wake-up call” and gave an insightful criticism of the tendency in society to submit to authority, even against one’s conscience.

Christos said, “I try to prepare speeches that say something personal about me and hopefully are of interest and relatable to the audience.”

“Progressing in any competition is always flattering, and coming Runner Up at the State Final was a bitter sweet result. Great to have been there competing for a spot in the National Final, disappointing to have just missed out on winning,” he said.

While not many may know about the public speaking program at Newington, over the years many boys have been able to perfect their skills through various internal competitions and coaching. The evening before the State Final, Christos won the Senior Division of the Newington College Public Speaking Competition. Congratulations also to Jack Alscher (10/FL) on winning the Intermediate Division and Rohan Gandhi (7/KL) on winning the Junior Division.

Congratulations boys!

Mr Conrad del Villar
English Teacher