The University of Hong Kong Public Speaking Competition: Stepping out of my Debater Uniform
A 6am buzz on my phone on Friday. C'mon, who emails at this time?
I unlocked the phone and read the email. I made it to the University of Hong Kong Public Speaking Contest 2017 Grand Finals! (You can probably guess the excitement made me skip my usual coffee routine.)
Not a social issue, not a debate topic were the two guidelines I gave myself when I signed up for the contest. It was one challenge I took on as a debater, to get away from my usual social-issue-speech-focus. 1st runner-up as a freshman was a reward with no doubt, but the experience was worth much more.
Before the prelims, I began my journey looking through the list of topics
1. Freedom is an illusion? 2. Animal ethics: The morality of the circus 3. The best advice I have ever given 4. Ghosts you would like to talk to... 5. A one-way trip to Venus 6. If you could become a celebrity for an hour, what would it be like? 7. Rules are meant to be broken 8. Crazy people are merely very creative
Any vegetarian would go for the second topic. I mean, at least I would, I've got loads of experience debating with friends on the subject.
But, that wasn't the point, I wanted to get out of my debater uniform and take on public speaking. And I went with topic four, "Ghosts I'd like to speak to". Originally stuck with celebrities of the past being my ghost friends, I challenged myself to be creative. To think outside the box, until an idea struck.
I had my playlist on shuffle while taking the MTR back home, and the song "All I want for Christmas is You." I used to love the book "A Christmas Carol", that told the story of an old miser and his encounters with the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. I wondered, what'd it be like to speak to the idea of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come?
Drafting a speech the next day, I played around with the idea of possible replies from these ghosts. But a conversation sounded ordinary. Imagine going through the conversation for perks worth the wait.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to share the tale of the three ghosts I’ve always wanted to talk to as a kid; The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Three reasons, to re-visit the wonderful past times in my life, experience Christmas around the world in the present and learn from my mistakes to become a better person in the future."
It was the idea of stepping out of the box that caught the judges, whereas a normal speech on the topic would be a transcript of the ghost conversations and a simple why. In other words, offering a unique angle to the same topic,
It's a technique you want to think about using when you're planning out a speech. What are my competitors going to talk about? Why would my content stand out from the rest?
But the story isn't complete there. Content comes with delivery, as you take on the role of an actor under this topic, as you paint a picture of the ghostly encounters in your audience's mind. Through playing with the use of pausing, verbal mixes, gestures and body movement.
A subject of debate generally involves a protestor tone, establishing a need for the audience to be persuaded by the speaker's words. The end goal of one's speech is clear, yet a storytelling speech takes a different approach where the audience should enjoy the speech and see value in listening to the story.
Besides tone, to add personal touch, some like to use real noises. I once heard a gentleman whistle to imitate gusting. I'm more of a fan of pausing and letting the audience reflect. Looking back, it would've been fun experimenting with a British accent as the story was based in the town of London in the 1840s.
In terms of non-verbal delivery, I started out with stage movements to signify shifts in time as I spoke about the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Words in the script that could've been expressed with the use of gestures were taken into account. But more than that, the importance of facial expressions can never be overlooked in a storytelling speech.
Co-hosted by the Centre for English Studies and Campus Toastmasters, the event held preliminary rounds, bringing eight contestants to the Grand Finals on 20 February, and I was one of them.
I was nervous walking into the Finals room as a freshman. I do a lot of public speaking as an ambassador, but even the champions get nervous. Powerposing and deep breathing both helped me overcome my fear that night. Some of us don't always get a chance to PowerPose before the big event arrives. Taking deep breaths really helps, especially if you focus on which body parts are being affected by your emotions and tell yourself that you'll be fine in the process.
It was a wonderful learning experience watching the finalists and learning from public speaking legends at the University that night. 1st runner up was a wow for someone simply taking on a challenge of stepping out of my debating style. But it was an experience worth speaking up for.
