By Daisy Li
Whether you believe it or not, public speaking is a form of art.
I would like to introduce you to Tegan Cowan, a Grade 12 student at Collingwood School who has rightfully earned her acknowledgement as an outstanding public speaker.
Tegan was born in Calgary, Alberta, but she grew up in Vancouver with her older sister Bryn. Participating in Collingwood’s famous public speaking program, Tegan was introduced to giving speeches at a young age. However, her passion for public speaking did not come easy.
Just like most middle school students, Tegan had stage fright. It wasn’t until her Grade 7 year until she realized how much she enjoyed speaking in front of an audience. While preparing to perform at the annual Collingwood speech competition, a 13-year-old Tegan tried to convince herself that no one was going to remember her speech. And if it was going to be the worst speech ever heard by her audience, at least it would only be three horrible minutes. With this carefree mentality, Teagan stepped on the stage and stunned everyone, even herself. She didn’t just say her speech. She performed. As she blocked off her fears and discomforts, she was so immersed in her speech that she felt as if she was in her own little world. To her surprise, she advanced to the second round for the first time. After competing there, she was told she had won gold and that she was going to present in front of the entire school. Tegan says, “first I was happy because I won, second I was confused, then came fear because I realized I had to perform in front of everyone. However, when it comes to that day, I’ll never forget it.” Her performance was outstanding. She made everyone laugh, even herself! From that moment, Tegan realized her love for public speaking.
Tegan has written about a wide range of topics in her public speaking career. From geckos and puppy mills to karma and Julie-Croteau, Tegan has done it all. However, her favourite speeches have been her most recent ones: her Grade 10 speech about assumptions and her Grade 11 speech on the movie industry and not-so-glamorous Hollywood issues. When asked about the common struggle of finding a speech topic, Tegan says that there is somehow always something that she knows she wants to write about. She’s a strong believer in writing what you want, not what others want you to write. Her inspirations usually originate from personal experiences or things that everyone can relate to.
Tegan’s favourite author is an American novelist who wrote The Princess Bride, a novel that Tegan has reread countless times. She admires his unique writing style which allows him to seamlessly transition from a serious tone to light-hearted humour.
To Tegan, speeches are essential. Although they may seem like a menace, speeches are able to push children who were or are shy out of their comfort zone and allow them to understand that they can become the best version of themselves with a bit of perseverance and growth. She also stands by a quote from Ms. Richmond: “speeches help with becoming an adult.”
There are many components to writing a speech. Content and presentation are both extremely crucial. But, according to Tegan, the most important aspect of giving a great speech is to be yourself. Her biggest advice is to be authentic and to choose a topic that you are interested in. Be sure to have a carefree attitude and focus on having fun, not on advancing to the second or third round. Yet, the mechanical elements of speech giving cannot be neglected. Tegan believes that when giving a speech, one must be involved, invested, and connected with the audience. One must make sure that they have good body language and that their words are captivating.
Tegan states that feedback is an underrated way of improving a speech. To be a better public speaker, you should ask for feedback from anyone. Whether it's during the writing process or the practicing process, feedback is always vital for a successful speaker. Practicing does make perfect; Tegan also suggests practicing the speech constantly, to anyone that will listen. This will help with memorization and speaking in front of a big audience when the time comes.
If she could go back in time and talk to her Grade 1 self that was about to give her first speech, she would tell her to have fun. Tegan believes that we should all encourage young students to enjoy speeches and to let them know that everyone is capable of writing a good speech with some patience and fun.
Collingwood is so fortunate to have had the pleasure of having Tegan as a student for the past 11 years. Tegan Cowan is an amazing individual that will undoubtedly continue to shine bright in her college career.
Here is an excerpt from one of Tegan’s amazing pieces of work:
“As children, we all love to assume that our favorite holiday characters like Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny all exist. It’s a wonderful assumption that brings a magical feeling to these times of the year. Oh crap! I hope I didn’t spoil anything for anybody! Sorry grade eights.”
Whether you believe it or not, public speaking is a form of art.
I would like to introduce you to Tegan Cowan, a Grade 12 student at Collingwood School who has rightfully earned her acknowledgement as an outstanding public speaker.
Tegan was born in Calgary, Alberta, but she grew up in Vancouver with her older sister Bryn. Participating in Collingwood’s famous public speaking program, Tegan was introduced to giving speeches at a young age. However, her passion for public speaking did not come easy.
Just like most middle school students, Tegan had stage fright. It wasn’t until her Grade 7 year until she realized how much she enjoyed speaking in front of an audience. While preparing to perform at the annual Collingwood speech competition, a 13-year-old Tegan tried to convince herself that no one was going to remember her speech. And if it was going to be the worst speech ever heard by her audience, at least it would only be three horrible minutes. With this carefree mentality, Teagan stepped on the stage and stunned everyone, even herself. She didn’t just say her speech. She performed. As she blocked off her fears and discomforts, she was so immersed in her speech that she felt as if she was in her own little world. To her surprise, she advanced to the second round for the first time. After competing there, she was told she had won gold and that she was going to present in front of the entire school. Tegan says, “first I was happy because I won, second I was confused, then came fear because I realized I had to perform in front of everyone. However, when it comes to that day, I’ll never forget it.” Her performance was outstanding. She made everyone laugh, even herself! From that moment, Tegan realized her love for public speaking.
Tegan has written about a wide range of topics in her public speaking career. From geckos and puppy mills to karma and Julie-Croteau, Tegan has done it all. However, her favourite speeches have been her most recent ones: her Grade 10 speech about assumptions and her Grade 11 speech on the movie industry and not-so-glamorous Hollywood issues. When asked about the common struggle of finding a speech topic, Tegan says that there is somehow always something that she knows she wants to write about. She’s a strong believer in writing what you want, not what others want you to write. Her inspirations usually originate from personal experiences or things that everyone can relate to.
Tegan’s favourite author is an American novelist who wrote The Princess Bride, a novel that Tegan has reread countless times. She admires his unique writing style which allows him to seamlessly transition from a serious tone to light-hearted humour.
To Tegan, speeches are essential. Although they may seem like a menace, speeches are able to push children who were or are shy out of their comfort zone and allow them to understand that they can become the best version of themselves with a bit of perseverance and growth. She also stands by a quote from Ms. Richmond: “speeches help with becoming an adult.”
There are many components to writing a speech. Content and presentation are both extremely crucial. But, according to Tegan, the most important aspect of giving a great speech is to be yourself. Her biggest advice is to be authentic and to choose a topic that you are interested in. Be sure to have a carefree attitude and focus on having fun, not on advancing to the second or third round. Yet, the mechanical elements of speech giving cannot be neglected. Tegan believes that when giving a speech, one must be involved, invested, and connected with the audience. One must make sure that they have good body language and that their words are captivating.
Tegan states that feedback is an underrated way of improving a speech. To be a better public speaker, you should ask for feedback from anyone. Whether it's during the writing process or the practicing process, feedback is always vital for a successful speaker. Practicing does make perfect; Tegan also suggests practicing the speech constantly, to anyone that will listen. This will help with memorization and speaking in front of a big audience when the time comes.
If she could go back in time and talk to her Grade 1 self that was about to give her first speech, she would tell her to have fun. Tegan believes that we should all encourage young students to enjoy speeches and to let them know that everyone is capable of writing a good speech with some patience and fun.
Collingwood is so fortunate to have had the pleasure of having Tegan as a student for the past 11 years. Tegan Cowan is an amazing individual that will undoubtedly continue to shine bright in her college career.
Here is an excerpt from one of Tegan’s amazing pieces of work:
“As children, we all love to assume that our favorite holiday characters like Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny all exist. It’s a wonderful assumption that brings a magical feeling to these times of the year. Oh crap! I hope I didn’t spoil anything for anybody! Sorry grade eights.”