“Be sincere; be

brief; be
seated.”
-Franklin D.
Roosevelt
“Speech is power:
speech is to
persuade, to
convert, to
compel.”
-Ralph Waldo
Emerson
“It usually
takes me
more than
three weeks
to prepare a
Public Speaking Competition – 2022/23
good
impromptu
speech.”
-Mark Twain

Time to Talk
Luana HASELL, Craig ROBERTSON
22 September
NET Section, CSD, EDB
NET SECTION COMPETITIONS 2022/23

Public Speaking Improvised Drama Film Making

April/May On Air! Briefing : TBA
1-day/1-week March
What the famous say
about public speaking
“If I went back to college again, I’d
concentrate on two areas: learning to write
and to speak before an audience. Nothing in
life is more important than the ability to
communicate effectively.”

- Gerald R.
Ford 38th president of the USA
“Public speaking is for ‘brighter’ kids”

“My students are not

smart enough. They will
be embarrassed.
They can’t think of
anything to talk about…”
Everyone can be a better public speaker
“Public speaking is for formal occasions”

Public speaking can be both formal and

informal.
Why teach public speaking?
• We have a golden opportunity to increase students’:

• overall English language fluency

• critical thinking
• general knowledge
• ability to persuade
• creativity
• research skills
• teamwork skills
• confidence
• sense of achievement
• ???
 • This is a public speaking competition
organised by the NET Section of the Education
Bureau.
• It is a territory-wide public speaking
competition this year.
• It is for all EDB Hong Kong primary and
secondary schools.
What is Time to • A team speech
Talk? • Primary – Face to Face (1 team)
• Secondary – Face to Face (up to 2 teams)
• Both teams must be composed of different
students.
 • Time to Talk will engage students of all
abilities to:

• learn public speaking techniques to hone

their presentation skills;

Aims of Time to • experiment with the use of English to

develop confidence in front of an
Talk audience; and

• develop research, collaboration and IT

skills to improve students’
communication skills.
 • Anyone can enter. Teams of 2-4 students
• Schools who entered last year are welcome to
enter again
• Any form or mixture of forms
Who can enter?
 • Attend workshop on November 10 or 24 (highly
encouraged)
• Submit entry form and Google Form by due date
November 30
• Train students of diverse abilities in researching
• Train students in other public speaking skills
• Conduct Round 1 at school (in any form)

Teacher roles • Accompany students to Round 2 finals April – May

• Take responsibility for the provision of all forms

• Provide the speech title for the programme
• Submit a copy of slides 1 week prior to competition
 • Distribute workload fairly among the team
members
• Write and prepare speeches
• Wear school uniform
Student roles
• Arrive on time
• Be respectful audience members
• Practise, practise, practise!
Round 1
• Mini public speaking competition held at schools
• October – March
• Flexible format ( classroom, lunchtime activity, online,
group or individual, part of week of positivity)
• School support is offered during Round 1 (not Round 2)
• Schools should organise own judges – 2 minimum
• Choose best for Round 2 – up to the school
Round 2
• Finals
• Date and time: April/May - 1 date TBC
• Face to Face – Location (TBC)
• EDB organises 2 – 3 judges
• 1 team from Primary
• Up to 2 teams for Secondary
• 1 teacher/TA must accompany students
Prizes
Primary and Secondary

• 3-5 minute speech

• 2-4 participants
• Speech to be devised based upon given topics – Song Titles
• There must be interaction between members not just individual
speeches
• IT should be used to support the speech (5-6 slides)
Topics
Primary
Try Everything – Shakira
Better when I'm Dancing – Meghan Trainor
Happy – Pharrell Williams
Tomorrow – Quincy Jones
Own choice song ( to be submitted to the NET Section for acceptance)

Secondary
Memories – Maroon 5
This is Me – Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman
Firework – Katy Perry
You make my Life a Better Place – Mamas Gun
Own choice song (to be submitted to the NET Section for acceptance)
 • Offer advice on:
• teaching public speaking skills
• catering for learner diversity

• Conduct workshops for teachers on:

• teaching public speaking skills
School support – • catering for learner diversity
what we can do
› Observe practical sessions and offer feedback

› Suggest activities to train students

 • 2 – 4 in a team
• Team members should share their work fairly
and evenly
• Time is 3 – 5 minutes – bells F2F
• 10-second leeway after 5 minutes
• Penalty for under 3 minutes or over 5
Rules • Research is expected and should be cited in
the PPT
 • Must be used to back up the presentation
• Does not carry as much weight as the speech
• Can be done by 1 student or shared
• We envisage PPT but other forms acceptable
• Basic slides
• Sound effects are ok, e.g. a loud bang
Rules - Use of IT • Non-copyright music is ok (but not
throughout)
What are the judges looking for?
A. Use of spoken English intelligibility, fluency, stress, intonation, range of vocabulary,
grammar, signposting
B. Use of voice expression of emotions, voice projection/audibility, pace, pitch,
pause
C. Content ideas, structure, examples, entertainment value, evidence of
research skills
D. Presentation style stage presence, gesture, eye contact, rapport with audience,
ingenuity of delivery
E. Use of IT integration into presentation, written English, selection of images
(if applicable)
F. Teamwork All students interacting meaningfully with one another,
contributing significantly to the presentation; fair distribution of
content, smooth turn taking
Reminder of important dates
• 10 or 24 November 2022
• Workshop
• New schools entering the competition are encouraged to attend
• Sign up on TCS

• 30 November 2022
• Deadline for entry form and Google Form

• Before 31 March 2023

• Train students and hold Round 1

• April/May 2023
• Round 2 finals (exact date & time TBC)
Any questions?
Contact details
Luana HASELL: 3549 8337 luanahasell@edb.gov.hk