Speakers get their own 'American Idol?'

Young speakers in Britain are amidst an American Idol-style competition called "The Speaker," which poses weekly challenges (be a newscaster, speak to the nation, be a tour guide, speak extemporaneously and more) and offers speaker-mentors in the form of vocal, body language and other coaches. The competition, for 14-to-18-year olds, has a great website with a special page devoted to helping you improve your speaking. Unfortunately, the ample video examples on the site won't work if you're not in the United Kingdom, so try the audio instead.