Public Speaking Creates Leaders

Sometimes the creative spirit is not rewarded.
We see to choose the athlete or honor roll student
as the only school heroes. Yes, it is the ideal to
have high grades and sports does promote team
work and goal setting.
I was very pleased to see movies in recent years
show the possibilities of attaining a sense of reward
through debate teams and spelling bees.
I have witnessed great things happen while spending
many years working with high school public speakers.
One of those speakers was my son. Because I traveled
to competitive conventions each summer with high
school delegates who had competed in various academic
contests and interviews I needed a niche for my son to
compete. There were no competitions for drummers or
students who liked to do pen & ink drawings in their
notebooks. We discovered that Public Speaking might
serve him well. And so it did.
My son competed in our local Public Speaking contest
and was able to travel to national competition with me.
He also was able to meet students from across the USA
and several foreign countries. Students attended daily
business workshops, competed in their individual contests
and had free time activites also.
When you do not think your child excels in other areas in
school then public speaking or debate is an area where
they can challenge themselves and grow as individuals.
My son also participated in Toastmasters and completed
the Dale Carnegie Course. These are tools still available
to high school students.
The greatest fears in life are public speaking & death.
How great to have your child overcome the terror of
public speaking because we can not control death!