The Ancient Greeks had a thing for public speaking. They used to teach it in school, as in fact so did the Romans after them, and then so too did European schools and Universities. ‘Rhetoric’ was a standard subject in English schools until the early 1900s, as the leaders of those schools believed it was important to teach young people how to put their views across in an engaging and persuasive manner. I don’t know why, but rhetoric (or ‘Public Speaking’ as it is now called) fell off the curriculum in the 20th century, with the result that it is now often named as people’s biggest fear. Being asked to speak in public fills most people with dread.
At MHS, we believe that learning to communicate through speech, as well as through British Sign Language, is very important. Unlike schools of the past we have many many more subjects to fit into the timetable, and so sadly there isn’t the space for actual rhetoric lessons. But that hasn’t stopped us, and once a year now we take students through the ‘Journey of Communication’. This is a two hour programme each year, supported by short refreshers each term, that help students to communicate with more confidence and skill. Whether it’s pitching 30 second adverts for made up products to their class, resolving conflict through the careful choice of words or learning to sign using BSL, students in Years 7-10 spent some time on Wednesday this week honing their skills. Not only that, but Year 10 will soon have the chance to practice their interview skills with real life business people and then get feedback on how well they did.
We don’t assume that all teachers are perfect either, and last year we did some fascinating work with a voice coach to help make our lessons as clear and interesting as possible. I do quite a bit of public speaking myself whether in lessons, assembly or speaking to staff and parents, and I can say that I found my time with the voice coach some of the best CPD I have ever had.
In a world where teenagers can pretty much share all their wants and needs via their mobile phones, never has it been more important for us to promote the art of communication.
Have a great weekend,
Joe Barker