Northamptonshire student named best questioner in prestigious public speaking competition

The grand final took place at the ESU’s headquarters at Dartmouth House, Mayfair, on June1 and was the culmination of a contest in which more than 1,500 young people have taken part.

Among the judges was Susan Acland-Hood, acting permanent secretary at the Department for Education, who praised the exceptional standard of the finalists.

She said: “I thought there was absolutely brilliant skill and knowledge on show.

"People were talking really intentionally and thoughtfully about things they knew about, in a way that made great use of learned and developed skills and had a real impact on the audience.”

Acland-Hood also highlighted the unique format of the competition, which allows students to take the role of speaker, chair or questioner.

She said: "The competition requires the chair and the questioner to listen, to invite contributions and to think about how they create an environment that makes for really effective collective communication and understanding.

"We need much more of that in the world, not less.”

Hamish impressed the judging panel to claim the hotly contested title with his questioning of the speech ‘The pressure to be authentic can turn into a performance’, delivered by best speaker winner Charlotte Hagelthorn.

His thoughtful and humorous analysis captivated both judges and audience members alike, helping him stand out in an exceptionally close contest.

The ESU Public Speaking Competition is the largest such contest in England and Wales, with around 360 teams each comprising of a speaker, questioner and a chairperson.

The different roles allow students to practise and excel in different skill sets, and the competition’s unique format, which pairs the speaker from one school with the chair and questioner of another, encourages quick thinking and relationship building.

Past winners include impressionist and comedian Rory Bremner and broadcaster and author Anita Anand, who chaired this year’s judging panel.

Competition results in full

Best team - Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe (speaker - Jamie Williams, chair - Don Herh, questioner – Emad Haroon)

Best speaker - Charlotte Hagelthorn from South Wilts Grammar School

Best chair - Ademide Adegoke from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys

Best questioner - Hamish Clarke from Oundle School