Page 6 - kaleidoscope 2024 - 20.3.25

INTERVIEWS

Wong Kai Ning from JM1 Zhong
(Champion)

What was the most challenging aspect of preparing for and delivering your speech?
I had never prepared a speech before, and when I suddenly needed to write it, I felt terrified. I had
some difficulties gathering information and concluding points for my speech, but it was a new and
fun experience for me. As for delivering my speech, I did not have much of a problem with that
since I had been competing in English Public Speaking competitions in the past few years.

How do you deal with nervousness or stage fright when speaking in front of a large
audience?
Recently, I don't really need to deal with nervousness or stage fright when speaking in front of a
large audience. After all, I had been competing in public speaking competitions since I was 7, so
stage fright is not a big challenge for me.
Lee Jia Jie from SM3 S Zhong
Can you share a technique or exercise that has helped you become a better speaker? (Champion)
I would recommend practising in front of a mirror and your parents. Practising in front of a mirror
can help you enhance your gestures and facial expressions as you get to clearly see them in What was the most challenging aspect of preparing for and
your reflection. Practising in front of your parents, on the other hand, can enhance your overall delivering your speech?
performance. They can give you feedback as they are the audience and you can adjust your The most challenging aspect was remembering what I wanted
performance based on their feedback. to say, looking at the audience and judges, and controlling my
tone.

If you could deliver your speech in any unusual location, where would it be
Zara Wong Sze Mun from JM1 Ping and why?
(1st runner -up) An unusual location would be delivering my speech on an airplane. I choose this
location because I would be high above the ground.

Can you share with us the central message or theme of your winning speech? If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice
The central message of my speech is about politeness, and more specifically, how we can practise before starting your public speaking journey, what would it be?
it. I feel that politeness is something that has been lost in today’s society. We often think it is just I would tell my younger self, “Be confident in yourself.”
about saying “please” or “thank you”, but it is more about respecting others and considering their
feelings.

What advice would you give to other students who aspire to improve their public speaking
skills? Wong Zhen Kang from SM2 S Zhong
I believe that confidence is the key to improving your public speaking skills. If you do not have (1st runner-up)
confidence in yourself, it will be hard to have confidence in your material, and others will sense
this insecurity. For example, no matter how good your English language skills are, if you are not What was the most challenging aspect of preparing for and
confident, it will be difficult to deliver a strong and convincing speech. delivering your speech?
I had never previously involved myself in any form of public speaking,
How do you deal with nerves or stage fright when speaking in front of a large audience? especially a non scripted one like this. At first, I was quite reluctant
I still get nervous and experience stage fright, but I try to deal with it by not thinking about it too to participate in the competition as I had never given a speech
much. While waiting for my turn, I avoid focusing on my script or the competition itself and just try without memorising the script before, but I did eventually join the
to be a spectator. Repeating your script over and over only makes you more nervous, so I focus on competition due to my class teacher, Mr Leonard’s, persistent encouragement. The
the competition instead. To be honest, once I was on stage, I did not feel nervous or scared. I took a deep day before the competition, I was still quite nervous as a first time spontaneous
breath and simply began my speech. speaker. I practised by making up speeches based on random topics that I could

5
4 ......... English Public Speaking Competition English Public Speaking Competition .........