The English Speaking Union is a charity dedicated to improving oracy and public speaking skills. We believe that all young people deserve to have the speaking and listening skills they need to thrive, and we deliver programmes, competitions, and opportunities that help students build confidence, express their ideas, and engage with the world around them.
We work with young people and their teachers to improve oracy skills and cross-cultural understanding, particularly in areas of disadvantage. We run fun, games-led debate and public speaking curricula and workshops which encourage students to discuss a wide range of topical issues with an open mind. We guide schools on using oracy in the classroom and on setting up and maintaining their own debate clubs; and we provide teachers with a range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities in the fields of speech and debate. Nationally and internationally, we also run public speaking and debating competitions to hone the skills we provide, and offer a variety of cultural exchanges for students, teachers and professionals alike to build relationships and share ideas across communities and countries.
Why we do it
The English-Speaking Union was formed in the belief that more effective communication between nations would lead to improved global understanding. This belief still stands strong today. As communities become ever-more multicultural, and society more polarised, there has never been a greater need to understand different perspectives and opinions. Children need to learn how to listen and evaluate other points of view; how to distinguish fake news from real. They need to learn to disagree without being disagreeable, and they need to learn that what they think and what they have to say matters.
Our speech and debate programmes and cultural exchanges help with all these things. They improve oracy ability and academic attainment as well as a whole range of social, emotional and interpersonal s…