The Speak Up Challenge: Building Public Speaking Skills
2engage partnered with the Aspire2Uni team at the University of Wolverhampton to support a group of care-experienced young people in developing confidence, resilience and communication skills.
The Challenge
Communication is one of the most valuable skills young people can develop, shaping their confidence, educational experiences, relationships, and future career opportunities. However, for many young people, public speaking can feel challenging.
The National Literacy Trust (2025) found that less than half of young people surveyed felt confident speaking up in class (48.2%), giving a presentation (47.4%) or speaking in front of an audience (40.2%).
For care-experienced young people, building these skills can be particularly valuable. Research from Action for Children found that 40–46% of care-experienced young people lacked confidence in key workplace soft skills, including communicating effectively with colleagues, highlighting the importance of providing opportunities to develop confidence, self-expression and employability skills from an early age.
Our Solution
2engage created The Speak Up Challenge – a day-long programme designed to help young people overcome barriers to public speaking and develop the confidence to express themselves effectively.
Throughout the day, we focused on building trust and rapport with the young people through a series of fun, interactive activities.
Using drama-based techniques such as improvisation, voice projection, body language, and public speaking exercises, we created a supportive environment where every student felt encouraged to step outside their comfort zone.
As their confidence grew, students learned how to structure their ideas into a clear and engaging presentation. They were then given the opportunity to develop a two-minute speech on a topic they were genuinely passionate about, allowing them to share their interests, experiences, and opinions with their peers.
The day ended with every student delivering their presentation to the group – a significant achievement for many who had started the day feeling nervous about speaking in front of others!
Find out more about our workshops here: https://2engage.co.uk/online-and-digital-sessions-for-schools-colleges-and-universities/
