CIE organises English Public Speaking Contest to sharpen the English presentation skills of secondary school students

The College of International Education (CIE), Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) successfully hosted the third English Public Speaking Contest, attracting an enrolment of 130 students from 33 secondary schools. With the yearly theme inspired by Malcolm Forbes’s quote: “Diversity: the art of thinking independently together,” the ten finalists delivered speeches of their own “diversity” in the Grand Final held on 25 May. Ameer Hamza Khalid from CCC Hoh Fuk Tong College, exuded remarkable eloquence and perforce composure on stage, finally won both the Champion and Audience Award for Best Speaker.

The Grand Final was held at HKBU Shek Mun Campus. Led by the Principal Judge, Mr. Desmond So, founder of East-West Institute of Applied Etiquette, also the host of TVB Pearl’s Dolce Vita, the judging panel this year was also joined by experienced lecturers, Dr. Vicky Lee, Associate Head of CIE, as well as Dr. Lucas Scripter, debate trainer of the CIE Debate Union.

Dr. Sam Lau, Director, College of International Education said: “The Contest aims to elevate the critical thinking and English speaking attributes of secondary school students through organising and delivering speeches. I am pleased that the contest has been positively received by secondary schools. And today we have an attendance of about 400 secondary school teachers and students to the Grand Final.”

Mr. Desmond So was very impressed by the performance of the contestants as they demonstrated great creativity and calmness. To share the tips in public speaking, he suggested contestants make good use of body language and take control of anxiety. He encouraged participants to continue to master English communication skills as it would help them excel in their career in different professions.

Ameer Hamza Khalid, Champion and winner of the Audience Award for Best Speaker, was also a participant of the contest last year. Khalid shared that enriching one’s knowledge to the world hot issues would improve the performance in the impromptu. While the First runner-up, Anabel Pang agreed with Dr. Vicky Lee that a good speaker should reflect his/her character on the speech and be able to create an impression on the audience. Pang also took the opportunity to thank her teachers and friends for their support and encouragement.

In addition, all contestants were grateful to CIE for offering participants multiple sessions of English public speaking training, including seminars and small group discussions to equip them with essential public speaking knowledge and strengthen their ability to tackle impromptu questions before the contest. These knowledge are also beneficial for their preparation of public examination and interviews in the foreseeable future.

Results of the HKBU CIE English Public Speaking Contest 2016