Our public speaking teacher didn’t like debates. She said they taught people to think on their feet but they didn’t really express feelings. She said good public speakers felt passionately about their subject. I was doubtful about this at first but she was right. When people loved their subject their speeches were so much better. She then went on to say we couldn’t always speak about something we loved but we could take an angle about something, develop it and then begin to feel strongly about it. We spent hours between classes looking up subjects in the library, this was in the days before the internet, and asking people their opinion on topics.
She insisted that we listened to the radio too. So, as a city based group, we dutifully listened to agricultural reports in case she asked us to speak about the market for pigs. We listened to religious programmes and topical programmes. She made us criticise those speakers we heard, telling her how and why they made mistakes. In other words she opened up our minds and told us listen and learn.

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