What makes the EPS Debate Great? (Junior Division 2016)

Every year, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) is organizes "The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Standard Chartered Hong Kong English Public Speaking Contest. Since its start in 2004, the contest has reached out to over 409 secondary schools in Hong Kong, with the accumulated number of participants reaching 19,614.

Brilliant leaders in the art of public speaking have emerged. Today, we look at the 2016 Junior Division Winners of the contest, and what public speaking speaking skills we can learn from them.

Junior Division

Picking the perfect start

Champion Alexander and 2nd Runner Adam started off with a “relate to the audience approach”, getting the audience to ponder upon few questions. A relatable approach often works well in public speaking, given it's with these first few sentences that the audience judges whether you’re worth their attention or not. And it’s best if you justify why your content is relatable at the start.

Telling a story is another excellent way to entice attention, as shown by 1st Runner Up Cherry and Merit Awardee Jordan, from which Cherry’s story especially stood out because of the vocabulary used. “You’re eating dynamite!”, Cherry’s mom screamed as she snatched the sausage away from Cherry.

Content

If you watch the videos briefly, you’ll notice most juniors competitors believed in freedom of choice, citing education as the solution to carcinogens in meat.

Sometimes, such topics require you to cite a stance, and many at times, you’ll be stuck with the same stance as other competitors, making it even harder to stand out. Explaining your stance then comes into play, with organization, the use of examples and hard-line data, which was done well by Alexander, in defining the scope of the topic through the use of questions.

“Do warning labels actually work?” and “Should we have additional tax on a food item if the government says it is harmful to public health?” clearly defined the scope of the debate at hand, before he went on to discuss solutions.

Of course, if you’re going against mainstream public opinion, it can be a challenge, which many audience members admired Merit Awardee Keith for taking on.

Vocal and physical skills

Fluency was seen from all finalists. Many of the junior finalists practiced excellent pausing, in giving the audience time to process shocking information. A notable example was Champion Alexander’s question “Do warning labels actually work?” that got the audience pondering upon the question.

The use of volume came into play as emotions were expressed, for example, when 1st Runner Up Cherry Lai, started off her speech re-enacting a scene with her mother. The distinct difference in volume caught attention of the audience. Jordan displaying his liking for a double cheeseburger was another excellent example of the use of emotions, as he successfully got people dreaming about having the burger themselves.

The use of facial expressions also came into play. Even if you’re not intentionally speaking sign language, your face delivers messages through positioning of its muscles. Cheeks, eyebrows and the mouth all play a role.

You’ll notice some of the contestants made smart use of eyebrows to create an impression on the audience. “Raise eyebrows” is an idiom in English language, as an expression of shock. A raised eyebrow in public speaking, on the other hand, can have many different interpretations.

Not to mention, use of hands. Most public speakers believe they’ve got to behave like world leaders, copying hand gestures at a typical Presidential debate. But you’re actually free to experiment here and there.

Not-cards?

Throughout the course of the contest, you’ll might have seen few contestants bringing notecards on stage, while others don’t. Many people translate a lack of notecards on stage into being a better contestant, which isn’t always the case. Grand Final Champion Alexander held a notecard in the video, and still got his place.

Your eye contact and facial interactions with the audience matter more than the presence of a notecard in your hand. As per my experience in public speaking, often times, people tend to hold notecards because it given them a sense of security, despite the fact that they have their speech memorized. And there’s no reason to be ashamed of taking a look every now and then.

The Guiding Question for the Junior Division of the Grand Final was as follows:

The World Health Organization (WHO) says processed meat (such as bacon, sausages and hot dogs) can cause cancer. This puts processed meats in the same category of other cancer risks, like tobacco and asbestos. Even though the International Agency for Research on Cancer says that this does not mean that processed meats are equally dangerous, the risk of cancer is still believed to increase with the amount of meat consumed.

Should it be the government’s responsibility to have warning labels on meat products like those on cigarettes? Should public health transcend the freedom of choice, especially in food products?

For more information about the contest, visit www.leadership21.hkfyg.org.hk/eps/

Champion, Alexander Tsang