During a recent visit to Malta, James Probert, head of the English Speaking Union (ESU)'s centre for speech and debate, talks to Joseph Grech about promoting public speaking and debate among Maltese students.
"Debating has absolutely soared in popularity recently around the world and this is evidenced by the growth in the student championships for university students and school students, and the growth in the number of English Speaking Unions across the world that are running debating programmes," according to James Probert.
He says Malta is part of this incredible global upsurge in speaking and in engaging young people on democracy and global citizenship, adding that "the spoken word is undergoing a renaissance and people like Barack Obama are helping with that".
During a short visit to Malta, which was organised by the ESU Malta steering committee, Mr Probert visited St Aloysius' College Sixth Form in Birkirkara, and Gian Frangisk Abela Junior College in Msida, to observe lessons in the context of Maltese schools. He also went to the University where he met staff from various departments, the Degreeplus programme adminis-trator, and students, to encourage the setting up of a debating society at University.
Asked how Maltese students compared to their foreign counterparts with regard to public speaking, Mr Probert noted that the students were all totally fluent in both Maltese and English, and keen to contribute in class. However, he observed that at the moment there are few opportunities for them to practise public speaking and debate, and that is what the ESU is involved in creating.
"As part of its overall mission of giving people a sense of inclusion in a global society, we provide scholarships and exchanges for people to work and learn in another country, to attend conferences and events that discuss current affairs, and promote debating and public speaking to equip people with the ability to communicate their ideas in a civilised way and listen to other people's views too," he explained.
At St Martin's College Sixth Form in Swatar, Mr Probert spoke to teachers from Church, state and independent schools to stimulate interest, and provide materials and resources to help them use debating as a tool in their classrooms. "We had a range of subject teachers, not only English, and we discussed how debates could be used to deliver part of the curriculum. So an English teacher could discuss an issue from Shakespeare and a history teacher could debate the causes of a war, whereby students take things taught in the classroom and learn how to debate them.
"Debating is a lot about structure," he explains. "In a debate, speakers have to structure their thoughts clearly, and know how to back them up by finding evidence, because their debate 'opponent' is going to challenge everything they say, and they need to point to the text or evidence that proves their point. It's different from a discussion, because a formal debate has rules about who can speak, when and for how long, and what they're expected to say.
"But more than anything else, public speaking teaches you clarity of thought and expression," says Mr Probert. "You have a very short time to deliver a public speech and you've only got one chance to get your point across to the audience," he says.
This is exactly what teachers want students to do in written essays, he pointed out - to present only the most relevant points in a well-structured, easy-to-follow manner and then back them up. "Students find it easier to do this in speech; after all, we learn to speak before we learn to write. Making students think more clearly also helps them develop their writing skills, whether in English, Maltese or any other subject," he says.
Mr Probert adds that these skills are applicable to communication in the widest sense. "It helps to build students' confidence and this is very important for job interviews, making business presentations, or presenting ideas clearly at a meeting," he says. It encourages young people to be more aware about current affairs by reading newspapers or browsing websites.
Local educators are also discussing the possibility of including an element of public speaking in the local educational curriculum, which would be tested as part of students' oral skills.
With the teachers, Mr Probert also discussed how to set up debating clubs at their schools, friendly matches or competitions between schools, and taking part in the ESU's and other international public-speaking competitions. The aim is to get local competitions started by October or November, and eventually send a national competition finalist to the UK for the world finals once a year.
Together with these same teachers Mr Probert also watched and gave advice to a group of students from various schools who took part in their first-ever debates, while the teachers assessed them, and learnt how to give feedback, support and develop the students' skills.
Mr Probert's visit will hopefully be the first in a series whereby interested teachers and students are provided with support and role models from Britain and perhaps other countries, and Maltese debaters are sent abroad.
A debate is different from an argument in that the aim is to persuade a neutral audience, whether it is voters in an election or decision-makers in a meeting. "When there is an audience present, your methods of persuasion have to be more acceptable, more civilised, more productive," he says. In fact, he adds, "the more beligerent you get, the less likely you are to persuade a neutral audience".
Clearly, some people are better at public speaking than others, and it seems to boil down to how much they enjoy it. But Mr Probert says even if a person is introverted they can still become a good public speaker, for example by developing a quieter style that is just as, if not even more effective. "Sometimes, if a speaker is more bombastic and loud, and you are very calm, sensible, and take a very measured approach, you can be more persuasive. There is no one right way, or right character type.
"Everyone has their own kind of charisma and that comes from being honest with yourself and with your audience about the type of person who you are," Mr Probert says.
What are the ingredients of a good public speaker?
Apart from speakers being clear and structured, presenting interesting ideas, doing research, reading up on an issue, and presenting it clearly, it also helps when they use memorable words, and use their body and voice in an interesting way. Another magic ingredient is credibility, something Mr Probert says that Obama has. "It's the sense that the person has got something important to say, has a right to say it, and they're the right person to say it. He's new and fresh. People are prepared to listen to him," he says.
However, Mr Probert stresses that students gain credibility partly from being the voice of young people, and partly from showing that they are able to think just as clearly as adults, and express their views and listen. "To be honest, if they were delivering speeches like Obama in a classroom it would sound weird and undermine their credibility".
There are certainly things people can do to become more confident public speakers. One technique Mr Probert recommends is for public speakers to speak from very sparse notes, such as a few palm cards or a few bullet points on a piece of paper. "Anyone who reads a written script will almost always feel less confident," he explains. "If you speak naturally from a few notes you allow your natural character to come out and that adds to your confidence."
For more information about the ESU and its local branch, view www.esu.org/branches/international/branch.asp?b=557.