Sydney Life

How can you make $1000 in 9 minutes? By winning the University of Sydney Union Plain English Speaking Competition, to be judged by High Court star, the Hon Justice Michael Kirby.

Heats will soon take place for the inaugral USU public speaking competition. Speakers will be speaking on a prepared topic for 6 minutes and impromptu for 3 minutes.

The prepared speeches have to be on one of these topics:

1. All you need is love.
2. A great entertainer.
3. It’s not my responsibility.

Best of all, the final will be judged by Justice Michael Kirby, a member of the High Court and soon to be Australia's longest serving judge. Kirby J was a Sydney law graduate and President of the SRC during his time on campus.

Always up for rekindling my high school days and happy to give anything a go (up to three times to satisfy the scientific law of averages), I've registered to enter the competition.

It's been a while since I've prepared a speech for a public speaking competition. I always used to do them in high school. It never ceased to amaze me how uber-trained some kids would be in public speaking competitions. There were always the hyper-rehearsed contestants, with perfectly neat school uniforms, memorised speeches and perfect dic-tion. I always found them distastefully (is that a word?) over rehearsed and fake.

Me? I was always the one for the personal anecdotes, performative gestures, dramatic beginnings and conversational language. I think public speaking competitions are incredibly empowering for boosting one's confidence.

Now I'm getting excited!