Hello again colleagues,
This is the second in our series of blog posts about experiences of conference. You can find our first post here. This post is by our President, Nicola Scope. Here's Nicola (on the right) campaigning alongside the NASUWT in our joint campaign a couple of years ago. I think the Child Catcher Gove costume was her idea!
Whilst Philipa Harvey is the NUT's national President, each Association has one too. Also elected for a year, the President of Derby plays a similar role to the national President. Here is our President, Nicola Scope, who is also a teacher in a secondary school in the city, in one of the two speeches she made in favour of motions that conference was debating.
Any delegate can put their name forward to speak for or against any motion or amendment being put to conference. If your name is chosen from a randomised process, and there is time to discuss the motion or amendment during a conference session, you have 3 minutes to address the whole conference. I find this prospect pretty terrifying, but Nicola takes to it with gusto, and usually gets the whole conference on side!
Below is Nicola's contribution, which is about speaking at conference. I hope you enjoy it!
Kieran Picken (Assistant Division Secretary)
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This is the third year I have spoken at conference, and I have now made 6 speeches. It doesn't get any less nerve-wracking! The worst thing is that you are never sure if you will be called, and if you will get to the podium - and when you have spent time writing and re-drafting it, you kind of want it to be heard!
Still, it is a friendly audience, who want to be entertained / moved / shocked/ informed - any or all of these.
I actually think it would be good if we could put in some motions next year - then we would have lots of time to prepare, and the uncertainty would be removed.
I also spoke at the Derby / Derbyshire president's reception. This is a much less formal occasion, and there is less expectation that your speech will be about something very specific - so it is not so scary. I always try to get some laughter in - as well as getting my points across.
Nicola Scope - President, City of Derby NUT.
This is the second in our series of blog posts about experiences of conference. You can find our first post here. This post is by our President, Nicola Scope. Here's Nicola (on the right) campaigning alongside the NASUWT in our joint campaign a couple of years ago. I think the Child Catcher Gove costume was her idea!
Whilst Philipa Harvey is the NUT's national President, each Association has one too. Also elected for a year, the President of Derby plays a similar role to the national President. Here is our President, Nicola Scope, who is also a teacher in a secondary school in the city, in one of the two speeches she made in favour of motions that conference was debating.
Any delegate can put their name forward to speak for or against any motion or amendment being put to conference. If your name is chosen from a randomised process, and there is time to discuss the motion or amendment during a conference session, you have 3 minutes to address the whole conference. I find this prospect pretty terrifying, but Nicola takes to it with gusto, and usually gets the whole conference on side!
Below is Nicola's contribution, which is about speaking at conference. I hope you enjoy it!
Kieran Picken (Assistant Division Secretary)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the third year I have spoken at conference, and I have now made 6 speeches. It doesn't get any less nerve-wracking! The worst thing is that you are never sure if you will be called, and if you will get to the podium - and when you have spent time writing and re-drafting it, you kind of want it to be heard!
Still, it is a friendly audience, who want to be entertained / moved / shocked/ informed - any or all of these.
I actually think it would be good if we could put in some motions next year - then we would have lots of time to prepare, and the uncertainty would be removed.
I also spoke at the Derby / Derbyshire president's reception. This is a much less formal occasion, and there is less expectation that your speech will be about something very specific - so it is not so scary. I always try to get some laughter in - as well as getting my points across.
Nicola Scope - President, City of Derby NUT.
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