Smart public-speaking programmes to bring out the orator in your child

Several such Indian and global programmes, aimed at school and college students, have actually helped them prepare for higher education and chart their career path

Born with the gift of the gab? If not, don’t lose heart, because public speaking is a trait you can acquire and cultivate in your formative years. There is an interesting line up of “very inclusive” events that have no entry barrier except age and registration fees, and which are quite a hit in Indian schools and colleges. 

World Scholar's Cup: Founded by Ivy League alumnus Daniel Berdichevsky, this global programme comes with the objective of nurturing not just public speaking skills, but also critical thinking and research in students. The programme is designed for students in the 12-18 age group, with two sub- divisions -- 12-14 years being the junior round and 15-18 years, the senior group. There are topics as thought provoking as “Friendship comes with benefits; does it also come with costs? Does literature bring us together, or is reading a fundamentally solo act? What makes certain memories “stick” more than others?” 

One cycle of WSC is completed in one calendar year. It starts with the regional round (in your local city), followed by a global round (can be anywhere in the world; this year it was in Beijing) and the final round is called the Tournament of Champions, which is held at Yale University, US every year in November.  

According to Moksh Nair, of Tournament of Champions-Rank 3, “The World Scholar's Cup is an amazing competition in the sense that it departs from the traditional and monotonous tones of school syllabi. While others in our school campus kept cramming up the usual syllabus, we would devote one hour daily for two months prior to the event in order to prepare for it, reading up and researching. After every WSC event, I can even say that you are a changed person, enriched with experiences and brimming with confidence.”

Model United Nations: Another reputed contest is Model United Nations or MUNs, a UN simulation debate series. It is a representation of the United Nations, and allows you to play the role of your country's representative and to put your nation's views and ideas before other participants called delegates. The conferences attempt to emulate the UN proceedings, dividing the delegates into committees of the UN that deal with different aspects of global issues such as global warming and nuclear disarmament. 

Says Shirish Sunder, a former MUN Secy General, “One strategy that really helped me in my MUNs was feeling passionate about the country I was representing. In the short time you have leading up to your competition, try to pretend you are actually representing that country and that your diplomacy skills are a matter of life or death for the nation. Listen to the music of the country, understand its cultural nuances and once you’ve fallen for the country, researching for the MUN will be a breeze.”

At the heart of these programmes is the very strong content that prods you to think. According to Vishal Verma, Director-Global Round Planning, World Scholar's Cup, “We have a dedicated team just for devising curriculum and deciding topics. Every year we have a new theme. For instance this year, the theme is 'A world on the margins'. We have six subjects including history, science and literature, which remain constant but the topics in each change every year. We believe knowledge does not come in compartments – it’s all inter-connected learning.” Verma recalls how it all started with just one event in 2012 and grew last year to 13-14 events with 10,000 participants, of which 700 students went for the global round.

Behes: This programme has been named after the Urdu word for debate. The series follows a free-flowing format in which three speakers make up a team, in which each gets a maximum of four minutes to speak. The preparation time allowed before every debate is 15 minutes, during which, debaters can access the internet or refer to other sources. Every 'Behes' round is held in a knock-out format, with a certain number of top teams at every tournament qualifying for the season finals (Maha Behes).There are two age divisions: Cubs (9-13 years) and Lions (14 years and above). 

The best part in each of these debating series is that apart from schools, kids in their age group can register as individuals. Non-school teams are fairly common and they also allow mixed or cross-school teams to participate. Besides speaker sessions, these programmes often have cultural nights and sight seeing activities, an opportunity for greater exposure, to learn with students coming from around the world.

Benefits of these programmes 

Global contests such as WSC and MUNs expose one to communities worldwide. Says the spokesperson of HMUN Harvard Model United Nations India 2019, “Our conference is designed to foster negotiation and public speaking skills, introduce students to a range of global challenges, and provide culturally diverse perspectives on a variety of issues. Our strong emphasis on representation at our conference from schools across the globe ensures the HMUN India experience is a truly international one.”

The fee is borne not by the school, but the parents willing to go the extra mile and invest time and money in honing the public speaking skills of their wards. Says Meghna Kapoor, the mother of a teenager from a Debi-based school: “Today anybody and everybody who wants to progress in life, influence decisions, form connections, motivate change must be a good speaker. Without communication skills, the ability to progress in the working world and in life, itself, would be nearly impossible.” The investment can run from a few thousands to a few lakhs if the student goes overseas for a global round. 

There are a few other forums such as The English-Speaking Union, a global debate competition. Says Dilip N Borawake, President, The English-Speaking Union, India, “ESU India picks up applications made on email by the prospective participants (Age group 16-21). There are different competitions held in India by various organisations. The winners of these competitions are invited to common competitions and a few are selected to representing India in the International Public Speaking Competition organised in London in May each year, by the The English Speaking Union International in London.” 

Then there are TEDx events where the youngest performer can be an eight-year-old. There are three types of events related to schools -- University (colleges/universities), Youth (typically high school) and Kids (typically for elementary and middle schools). TEDx is the most difficult as it selects very few speakers from any school. 

Do these programmes add value to students' CVs when they go for higher education? Experts say feedback from students who have applied to the US, UK and Canada is that these achievements have helped their applications stand out, though it’s hard to quantify the exact impact.

How much a public-speaking course would cost you
Competition	Registration Fee
HMUNs (Harvard Model United Nations)	School registration: Rs 7,000 (Inclusive of one faculty advisor)

Delegate fee: Rs 14,700;  

Additional faculty advisor: Rs  7,000

WSC (World Scholar's Cup)

Regional round : Rs 2,500 per student 

Global round: Rs 1.3-2 lakh per student 

Tournament of Champions Yale: Rs 2-2.5 lakh per student

Behes Rs 2,000-2,500 Verbattle Rs 1,000

The English-Speaking Union, India Branch; The English-Speaking Union,  International Public Speaking Competition

Rs 2,500