Campus Digest

CIE hosts English public speaking contest for secondary school students

06 Jun 2016

CIE organises the English Public Speaking Contest to nurture good speakers. The College also provides training to enrich students’ life-long knowledge CIE organises the English Public Speaking Contest to nurture good speakers. The College also provides training to enrich students’ life-long knowledge
CIE organises the English Public Speaking Contest to nurture good speakers. The College also provides training to enrich students’ life-long knowledge

 

The College of International Education (CIE) of HKBU hosted the third English Public Speaking Contest which recorded an enrolment of 130 students from 33 secondary schools. Inspired by a famous quote “Diversity: the art of thinking independently together”, the 10 finalists delivered speeches of their own “diversity” in the Grand Final of the Contest. Ameer Hamza Khalid (CCC Hoh Fuk Tong College) was crowned Champion and won the Audience Award for Best Speaker. The First Runner-up award went to Anabel Pang (Delia Memorial School (Glee Path), and Komal Ashfaq (PAOC Ka Chi Secondary School) won the Second Runner-up award.

Led by Mr Desmond So, founder of East-West Institute of Applied Etiquette, the judging panel of the Final round also included Dr Vicky Lee, Associate Head of CIE; and Dr Lucas Scripter, trainer of the CIE Debate Union.

Mr Desmond So said he was impressed by the performance of the contestants who demonstrated creativity and calmness. In addition, he shared some tips in public speaking, such as making good use of body language to take control of anxiety. He encouraged the participants to continue mastering good English communication skills which would help them excel in their future career.

Before the Contest, CIE provided the participants with multiple training sessions in English public speaking, including seminars and small group discussions to equip them with essential knowledge of public speaking and to strengthen their impromptu speaking abilities.

Dr Sam Lau, Director of CIE, said that the Contest serves as a good platform to elevate the critical thinking and English speaking attributes of secondary school students and develop their skills in speech organisation and delivery.