Charlie Burt: From Speak Out Participant to Trained Oracy Expert

We sat down with Charlie Burt, currently on her 3rd year as trainer at Speakers Trust, to talk about what made her want to get involved with training young people.

Q: Could you describe to us what you do?

A: I’m a Speakers Trust trainer, and I run workshops in schools across London and Essex, training young people on developing their confidence for public speaking,  and articulation/presentational skills.

Q: How many years have you been a trainer for Speakers Trust?

A: I passed my training assessment in December 2021.

Q: As a young person, you took part in the competition. What made you want to get into training and teaching skills to young people?

A: I took part in the Speak Out challenge when I was 14, and had the opportunity to work on my confidence, on my ideas and what I wanted to say. It felt serendipitous to encounter Speakers Trust again as an adult. I wanted to get into training and teaching skills to young people as the program had been a huge benefit to me, encouraging my confidence and my self assurance that what I had to say was important. To be able to work with young people in this way, to see them gain confidence over a day or find the courage to stand up and talk about something that matters to them, is inspiring and I feel lucky to play a part in that.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?

A: I enjoy most when young people subvert the expectations of their teachers. We are often told at the end of a day ‘I’ve never heard that student speak’ or ‘I can’t believe they participated in this’. As trainers, we can create a space outside of the expectations or assumptions that teachers may have of students, a space where young people can feel safe and are encouraged to be themselves.

Q: Finally, do you have any special piece of advice for young people going on stage?

A: My advice would be always speak slower! Even if it feels weird, chances are with nerves and adrenaline kicking in, you’ll be racing through your speech. Take a breath, enjoy it, and let the audience really listen to what you have to say.

Thank you for talking to us Charlie, keep inspiring young people’s lives!