Public Speaking Competition Hits Record High of 210 Participants

Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 Posted: 12:58:36AM HKT

The YMCA Plain English Speaking Awards has broken previous records with 210 participants from 167 schools this year. Since its inception in 1987 with 29 participants, the competition has grown steadily over the years.

Held from July 13 to August 25, the event saw two former participants, now media celebrities, returning one as a judge and the other as a committee member during an award-giving ceremony conducted last week.

Both Stanley Leong, Senior Producer-Presenter at 938LIVE co-managing a segment called The Living Room, and Pearl Forss, former ChannelNewsAsia broadcast journalist, shared how the national competition helped them develop their self-confidence and public speaking skills.

“YMCA PESA gave me the confidence to stand on stage in a high-tension setting and give a speech, and to know that all the time, I was going to be scrutinised. It was a definite confidence-booster for an introverted young man back then,” he said, adding that the contestants he saw were ‘commendable’.

Leong participated in the 1992 competition but did not make it then.

“YMCA gave me the public speaking skills I needed,” said Forss. “I have learnt how to make my messages short and succinct and how to work under immense pressure, such as facing a crowd of over 1,000 people at the age of 18.”

The annual YMCA PESA provides a platform for pre-school to inter-varsity students to sharpen public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn by observing proficient speakers. It also promotes the use of plain, simple English, spoken clearly and properly enunciated, so that it is commonly understood internationally.

In so doing, the competition aims to promote youth development through providing a platform for young people to research, practice and deliver meaningful views on wide-ranging contemporary societal issues before audiences.

Past participants are called to volunteer as emcees for YMCA events.

A YMCA PESA Alumni is formed to serve as a common platform for gathering all past participants and build a strong fellowship among them.

YMCA organises activities to facilitate these past participants in guiding future participants.

By nurturing a close relationship with the participants, YMCA also seeks to gain a better understanding of their various talents to engage them to serve in the various YMCA community service platforms.

YMCA PESA also aims to sharpen the language skills of young people. Finally, the event aims to increase public awareness and illustrate the importance of cultivating good spoken English, not just among the participants but the entire community.

Forss feels that the YMCA PESA is a good fit with the government’s latest initiative in improving English standards.

“Being able to deliver well is just as important as being able to write well. I think YMCA PESA promotes good articulation and is an excellent platform for students to develop these skills,” she expressed.

The competition has reached the regional level, with the YMCA of Sri Lanka having conducted their version in 2008, and the local event having started the Inter-City category with participants from Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Hong Kong, since last year.

YMCA of Singapore has been partnering the Ministry of Education in organising the YMCA PESA for many years. The National Library Board and Speak Good English Movement have also come on board as co-organisers.

This year, the competition is supported by Lee Foundation, Trinity Guildhall, Pansing Distribution Pte Ltd, EASB Asia Institute of Management, Reader's Digest Asia Pte Ltd, Charlie Lim International Photography, A* Consultants and Asiapac Books Pte Ltd.

Nathanael Ng
nathanael@christianpost.com