Elocution competitions are held basically to challenge young speakers to be confident, compelling and charismatic in their speech delivery. The English Language Centre has successfully organised the Elocution Competition for Junior to Senior levels as we believe in fostering a community and providing a platform for young public speakers to challenge themselves and bring their public speaking skills to the next level.
The preliminary round of the Elocution Competition required the participants to submit a video recording of a speech of not more than 3 minutes for Junior levels and 4 minutes for Senior levels. After a round of conscientious judging, 8 finalists from each level were shortlisted. For the finals which was held on 2nd May 2023, each finalist had to present their prepared speech and give a 2-minute impromptu speech to the judges. The choice of topics that were presented by the participants for their prepared speech were rather intriguing as they came up with topics like Greek Mythology, MBTI, Optimistic Nihilism and even Shakespeare. Meanwhile, the impromptu speech topics were more of factual topics and were based on current situations that are relevant to teenagers and students in general. Students were to express their opinions on the topic given in the form of a speech within the time frame given. Some participants had good content in their impromptu speeches, which caught the judges' attention.
Based on the judges’ comments, most of the participants did an excellent job of remaining on the topic and presenting pertinent information. The speech presented was well-structured and it allowed the judges to readily follow their content points. Besides, the participants supplied persuasive points to support their main idea, making their speech more convincing and compelling. Every participant had a unique style of presenting; some even had descriptive gestures which attracted the judge’s attention. There were some good speakers who displayed variation in volumes, using the correct tone to emphasise certain points and having dramatic pauses when delivering their speeches. However, there is still room for improvement when presenting an impromptu speech. Participants are encouraged not to speed through their speeches as this will exacerbate any feelings of anxiousness. Most importantly is to create a speech structure where you are able to organise your main ideas accordingly. Besides, breathe deeply, deliver your speech at a moderate pace and use pauses as this will give you the opportunity to effectively deliver your speech within the time frame given.
ELC wishes to congratulate all of the winners on their outstanding presentations and thank all participants for their active involvement in this competition.
Junior Elocution Winner & Best Impromptu Speaker
Chan Xiang En ( J3 Washington )
I am extremely grateful to my teacher Ms Chua for encouraging and mentoring me throughout this competition; I couldn’t have done it without her help. I was initially frightened of competing in the finals, but after enough practice, I finally felt confident in myself. Competitions like these are opportunities you don’t want to miss, so I encourage everyone to actively participate in competitions or activities hosted by the ELC!
Senior Elocution Winner & Best Impromptu Speaker
Amos Wong Shi Yi ( S1 Canberra)
It's truly a blessing to be able to compete amongst elites in such a competition, and to polish my skills. I can't say that any of this was accomplished by my efforts alone. Sometimes, people come up to me and compliment me for my skills and accomplishments. But really, I am just like everyone else, trying to be better, and really having a hard time doing it. I just thank God for giving me the strength to do this and for always being there for me even when I make the same mistakes. My parents, as well, are always supporting and coaching me, and telling me the things I needed to hear even when I didn't want to. It's cliche, but true. There isn't an ounce of exaggeration when I say this couldn't have been possible without them. Also, huge thanks to Ms Regina who has been nothing but supportive and understanding. I’m grateful for the experience, and I hope to learn to better myself and be more humble in the future, because I know this would not have been possible without God’s blessings.
《兴华月报》2023年8月号
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