ATHABASCA — Athabasca local, long-time 4-H member, and Edwin Parr Composite High School (EPC) student Carl Olson made a successful showing of his speaking skills on the provincial stage this month when he won third place at the Skills Alberta Public Speaking Provincials May 8 and 9 in Edmonton.
“I did not believe I was third place there, but I’m definitely not complaining,” said Olson in a May 17 interview. “I would have seen myself in fifth to seventh place. The other competitors were very strong speakers, it was a very competitive environment.”
Olson went head-to-head with 17 other speakers from across the province. Because public speaking was smaller than other trades categories like carpentry, welding, or culinary arts, Olson and the other speakers did not compete in regionals, but instead went directly to provincials.
Despite the lack of a regionals warm-up run, Olson said he’s logged quite a bit of orating practice by way of other hobbies.
“I’m a fifth-year member in 4-H and have done well in the public speaking side of that,” said Olson. “Five years ago would have been my first public speaking competition where I won club and made it to the district competition.”
Student speakers submitted their five- to seven-minute spiels in written format based on a shared prompt prior to the competition — the question posed to the 2024 participants related to how skilled trades might navigate ever-evolving technological advances.
Competitors gave their prepared speeches on day two of the event. Although he does have prior experience with public speaking, Olson said he wasn’t immune to the nerves that hit when participants were given an impromptu topic to riff on after observing the other trades competitions during day one.
“In 4-H, I’m used to a very formal introduction when you get up to speak. But with Skills, because you’re not supposed to be affiliated with any school or name, you get called up by a number,” said Olson. “It just threw me off the train tracks a little bit.”
But nerves didn’t stop Olson from coming out ahead of fifteen other speakers, many of whom were older than him.
“Of the 18 competitors, there were three 15-year-olds, with me being one of them,” said Olsen. “That was a little bit, not intimidating, but it was very much, “I might be out of my league here.’”
Being among the youngest also poses advantages: Olson said both first- and second-place winners are 18 and will be unable to compete in the 2025 public speaking finals.
“I would like to go back next year and see if I can step up the podium a little bit,” he said.
For Olson, mastering the art of public speaking is a crucial ingredient in the recipe for success.
“More people are scared of public speaking than death itself,” he said. “By conquering that fear, I’ve placed myself above a large percent of the population when it comes to being accepted to university interviews or getting a job.
“It’s an actual life skill that everyone uses every day, so being better at it is a lot better than not,” he added.
