This however is not the case for Year 9 student Genevieve Groves from Stuartholme School in Toowong.
The confident young lady recently put her skills and passion to the test, by self-nominating to compete in the 2013 Rostrum Voice of Youth public speaking competition.
“I love public speaking,” she said
“I searched for hours online to find local competitions to give me more practice and experience.”
The recent Brisbane Junior Heat involved presenting a 6-minute speech to a live audience.
“The adrenaline in the room was crazy.”
“Everyone was really focused and wanted to do their best,” she said.
The competition has been held annually since 1975 and aims to further develop the communication and presentation skills of Australian youth.
Genevieve is also a member of Stuartholme’s leading debating team.
“We have just competed in Round 4 for this season and have won every debate so far,” she said.
“It’s a great team this year and I’m hoping we can do just as well in the upcoming final rounds.”
Debating coach at Stuartholme Kylie Butler said she was very proud of Genevieve’s dedication and ambition to public speaking.
“Genevieve’s success is a shining example of what can be achieved with raw talent, drive and initiative,” she said.
“The debating team and I are very proud of her accomplishments so far and have great hopes for her future in public speaking.”
While still only young, Genevieve hopes to pursue a career as an ambassador or spokesperson when she finishes school.
“I love communicating and I love language, it would be a dream come true to combine the two,” she said.
