Page 6 - BPW-UK - E-news - Edition 120 - March-April 2024

Public
Speaking

Competition

Just back from the annual BPW UK Conference, this time in beautiful Bristol, and I feel so in-
spired and refreshed!
The modern hotel was an unusual venue, flanked as it was by construction work on the new
estate and bristling with sports-lovers and gym-goers who made quiet conversations rather tricky in
the bar and restaurant area.
But in BPW we are also less than quiet, so we were able to overcome the sound from the huge
TVs as we caught up with our friends and met new attendees from around the UK. The conference
area was well laid out, the hotel staff were attentive and the coffee was consistently excellent (which
is unusual at events in the UK, imho).
All those who addressed conference in the sessions on Friday and Saturday sparked interest
and dialogue among the audience.
My main task was to head the 3-strong team of judges at the final of the BPW Public Speaking
Competition for young people. Stephanie Rostron (Ulster Carpets), John Spurrier-Davies (long-time
supporter of the competition) and I were destined to spend a very intense hour locked in a side room
discussing all 18 participants after the heat. Judging at any stage of this national competition is no
mean feat, but at this stage all the participants are top calibre so there is little to separate the win-
ners from the rest of the field. A number of prizes are to be awarded, so among others, the judges
have to pick the Best Speaker, Best Expresser of Thanks, Best Chairman and Best Team.
These are the challenging topics chosen by the 6 Speakers for 2024:

The Curse of Ageing
The Power of Music
Objectivity in Journalism
Does the justice system only exist to protect the wealthy?
How Orwell accurately predicted modern politics
Does the witch hunting mentality still exist in the modern day?

As you know, in the BPW Public Speaking Competition each Speaker is placed with a competi-
tor team of Chairman and Expresser of Thanks, so it is always interesting to see the way the three
interact with each other and the audience. This year, the arguments were consistently cogent and
particularly well-addressed by all the Speakers, who then fielded some tricky questions from the floor
(including from competing teams). The Chairmen had to relay these questions to the Speakers while
projecting both authority and warmth, and the Expressers of Thanks had to convey the appreciation
of the audience to the Speaker and succinctly describe the content of the latter’s address without
making a speech themselves. The balance is difficult to strike!! Also to be avoided are reading notes
from the tabletop, over-running on time and not looking at the person to whom they are speaking.

After careful consideration, much calculation (particularly by John) and deep thought all round,
we were able to identify the winners and award all the prizes and certificates.

On a personal note, I was surprised to receive my own certificate later that evening at the din-
ner, to commemorate being a proud BPW member for 35 years (so far…). Back in 1989, I had just
joined BPW in Chorley but on losing my job shortly afterwards, found BPW members on my doorstep
inviting me to keep attending BPW meetings. All this restored my rather bruised self-confidence, and
shortly afterwards powered the birth of a company.

Lynn Everson – Past National President