King's has a long history of success in public speaking, with our students regularly entering various local and regional competitions. Boys are offered and encouraged to take opportunities to enter in competitions such as the Rotary Four Way Speech Competition and the Race Unity Speech Competition, as well as other opportunities that arise each year. Every year King’s hosts the Otago Junior Speech Competition which attracts Year 10 students from all over the Otago region. All Year 9 students perform a poem in the James K Baxter Poetry Performance Competition, and the final in the Performing Arts Centre in front of all Year 9 students is always keenly contested.
Debating is another popular outlet for those boys who enjoy public speaking and working in teams. King’s teams are entered in the Dunedin Schools’ Debating Competition, which runs on alternate weeks through Terms 1, 2 and 3. As well, the school competes against other boys' schools during inter-school competitions. We also participate in the annual Russell McVeagh Debating Championships. Debating has also become a much anticipated fixture in the inter-house competition in the Third Term each year.
Public speaking requires careful reasoning, critical thinking and precise argumentation, which are all skills that hold boys in great stead for their future lives. And, it’s a lot of fun.