World Speech Day!

March 14, 2021

• Topical

World Speech Day is being celebrated on Monday 15th March this year. But what is this little-known
celebration all about? What is it trying to achieve?

Founded in 2014 by the organisation of the same name, World Speech Day seeks to
empower people from all backgrounds through speech, and celebrate speeches and speech
making of all kinds across the globe through a number of live events. There is no doubt that
speeches are a key part of our society, whether they be speeches in the school assembly,
speeches from a boss, or speeches by political and social activists trying to change the
world. The organisation behind World Speech Day believes that ‘The ideas which will shape
tomorrow will come from unexpected voices.’ It is because of this that they work with people
at all levels and from a wide range of backgrounds, from schools to universities to
companies to speaking-clubs, to provide resources and materials necessary for people to
improve their skills in public speaking.

At the heart of World Speech Day is one simple concept: speech changes the world. This is
true in a variety of contexts: arts, politics, business, religion, and society as a whole. It is
therefore essential that everyone is able to use their voice to share ideas. In just five years,
World Speech Day has gone from zero countries to over 100 nations, working in schools,
universities, community groups and companies, exploring the unique power of speeches to
share new ideas with one another.

Due to the national restrictions, it may seem harder than ever this year to promote speech-
making to your children at home. After all, speeches are by their very nature performative,
and rely on an audience to hear them. On the other hand, however, this year could be the
perfect opportunity for children to work on their speech-making ability. If they are perhaps a
little shy, and would normally avoid such an activity at school, encourage them to write a
short speech and deliver it to the family. Then, if they feel comfortable, you can share this
speech with friends and family online. Even if your child is a confident speaker, you can work
with them on their speech-making ability and share their work with an even wider audience
of friends and family virtually. This could be a fun and highly beneficial way of spending the
long-lockdown evenings with your family.

Is your child struggling for inspiration with speeches for practice? Here are a few ideas to get
you started:
● My favourite toy
● A funny story about a family holiday
● The importance of kindness
● My favourite teacher
● Why I am excited to return to school!