Ministry of Voice

On Sunday the 27th of August 2023 at Loreto Mandeville Hall, we hosted our annual SDTAV Performance Festival, and what a day it was. We had over two hundred entrants in 16 sections competing for trophies, medals and monetary prizes.

As the President of the SDTAV I would like to thank Trinity College London especially Alex Thorpe and Michelle Ford the Trinity National Administrator in Australia. Trinity College London is passionate about effective communication and performance skills and believe that it should be within reach of us all. Trinity College London is an excellent syllabus for teachers and students and is highly recognised throughout the world. Trinity College London have generously sponsored this event for many years and we are extremely grateful for their support.

Finally, I would like to thank the The English-Speaking Union Victoria for their extremely generous sponsorship of The SDTAV Performance Festival. The ESU has been our major sponsor over several years and this sponsorship has encouraged young people to express themselves more confidently and to participate in the performing arts. I would like to give a special thank you to President Robert Furlan for his unwavering support of the SDTAV. Robert is invited every year as our special guest and presents the Public Speaking awards, but due to illness was unable to attend this year. We wish him a speedy recovery.

We thank all the performers for their courage and commitment and their teachers for their hard work in preparing the students and encouraging them to enter our festival. These competitions are invaluable as they encourage and challenge all students to grow and develop in their communication and acting skills in a safe and supportive environment.

The Speech and Drama Teachers Association of Victoria 2022 Performance Festival was held last Sunday and I am very happy to announce that it was a smashing success with over 125 entries across various categories.
It was great to catch up with many Public Speaking and Speech & Drama Teachers from different schools and watch their students perform in front of a warm audience.
A big thank you to our major sponsors The English-Speaking Union Victoria and Trinity College London for their ongoing support so we can make this festival a reality every year.

As President of The Speech and Drama Teachers Association of Victoria I am thrilled to announce that the Annual SDTAV Performance Festival has returned. This year it will be held on Sunday the 28 of August 2022 at the Mandeville Centre Lecture Theatre, Loreto Mandeville Hall from 9am to 5pm.

The SDTAV Performance Festival is a wonderful opportunity for students to perform and compete in a range of categories.
The categories this year will be:

• Poetry
• Storytelling and Prose
• Public Speaking
• Speech and Drama Championship
• Duologues
• Group Scene
• Shakespeare

The Performance Festival is open to all students and is not limited to those of financial members of the SDTAV. The committee and I are delighted to offer students this opportunity to perform in front of an encouraging audience and we greatly look forward to seeing their hard work.

Leadership opportunities begin early in life.

Children who are shy, sensitive or simply reticent for whatever reason need to be taught how to push through their fears so they can make their voices heard when they have something to say. I believe this is a skill of paramount importance to equip them to leave school and face the world with confidence and belief in themselves.

The first challenge of course is to make the very idea of public speaking fun and to remove the pressure so many adults feel themselves at the very thought of speaking in public. With that in mind I’d suggest that when discussing the topic with your child not to mention the term public speaking. Often it’s helpful to reframe it to something that may be more friendly, helpful and even exciting to them.

How will you stand out at your next interview or opportunity for career advancement, will you be able to articulate your ideas and present yourself in a confident manner?

We live in an age when students and employees are also judged on how well they communicate and present themselves at work and in public. Despite that reality many students leave school or university today with impressive qualifications yet when it comes to the spoken word a great number find themselves struggling to express themselves clearly and confidently.

I a very proud of this new project with Little Lane Early Learning Centre. When we equip our young people with the confidence and skill to speak in public they can grow to do some incredible things. They can inspire change and unite people in a common cause or simply succeed in connecting with others more effectively.

We need to teach them to manage their nerves and to help them to speak with passion, clarity and impact. We need to show them how to command an audience, keep their attention and how to answer questions. Just imagine what the world would look like if our children were taught how to tell stories, to give and receive feedback and to listen.

Amazing weather and a great start to term 4.

Great news, I will now be delivering all my Public Speaking and Acting classes via live stream. Private coaching is also available for adults. Please get in touch.

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

Confidence is a key part of being successful in almost any situation, and it's especially important when it comes to your professional life. One of the areas where confidence really matters is public speaking.
With practice and preparation , you can conquer your fears and learn to deliver a powerful and engaging speech.

Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.
Ralph Waldo Emerson