More than 2,000 students strive to learn communication skills
Organised by The HKFYG Leadership Institute and co-organised by The English-Speaking Union Hong Kong, The HKFYG English Speaking Contest was successfully held on 29 April with its Grand Finals and Awards Ceremony. This year, there were 2,040 participants from 167 local schools, marking a record high in recent five years.
The Champion and final audience awards went to CHENG Wai Ho from Senior Division and Joshua SO Chun Him from Junior Division.
Joshua SO Chun Him, a middle school student from St. Paul’s College said this is the third time of him joining the contest and he has learnt a lot about how to deliver his ideas confidently throughout the English speech competition.
One crucial skill Joshua learnt about public speaking from other contestants is how to make a package of his content and provide a hook at the very beginning for audiences to get them interested in his speech.
CHENG Wai Ho, a high school student from Queen’s College said that the key for him to win the award was his self-belief and authenticity.
‘Throughout the entire tournament, I picked topics that really appealed to me and also truly represented who I am,’ CHENG said. He encouraged those who share the same passion for English and public speaking to step out of their comfort zone and grab any small opportunity to practise their speaking skills.
In celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Contest this year, Mr Andy HO Wing-cheong, the Executive Director of The HKFYG applauded the students’ continued enthusiasm for English public speaking. He thanked The English-Speaking Union Hong Kong for co-organising the Contest, as well as the nine supporting organisations, teachers, parents and volunteers for their ongoing support in nurturing future leaders. He hoped that through speech training, students would be able to express their views and opinions in a systematic, well thought-out and reflective manner.
Mr C M CHAN, President of The Law Society of Hong Kong and Chief Judge of the Grand Finals, said public speaking is an art of persuasion that can convince audiences through precise communication. That is a skill that everyone in society should master. He commended the quality of the students in this very keen competition. He hoped that the contestants would strive to take their public speaking skills to the next level.
Ten grand finalists, including five each from the Junior and Senior divisions competed for Champion, first Runners-up, second Runners-up and two Merit Awards in each division. The Champion of the Senior Division will represent Hong Kong at the International Public Speaking Competition, which will be held in London in mid-May 2023.
Each student was required to deliver a three-minute speech and enter a Q&A session on the assigned topic. The question put to the Junior division was to design content for the Government’s internship and exchange programme for youth development initiatives, while the Senior division was to respond to the United Nations’ core objectives on various Sustainable Development Goals.
Consul General of Canada to Hong Kong and Macao in Hong Kong, Ms Rachael BEDLINGTON was the Question Master in the Q&A session testing contestants’ skill of spontaneity.
Other judges and adjudicators included, Mrs Margaret LEUNG, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of The English-Speaking Union Hong Kong; Dr Jose LAI, the Director of the English Language Teaching Unit from The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Ms Susannah MORLEY, the Director of the British Council Hong Kong, and Professor Melinda WHONG, the Director of the Centre for Language Education, from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
About The HKFYG Leadership Institute
The HKFYG Leadership Institute is dedicated to creating a new generation of leaders for Hong Kong; 200,000 have been trained since 2000. The home of the HKFYG Leadership Institute is the historic former Fanling Magistracy, revitalised under the Batch III of Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme. It combines the heritage of a graceful colonial building, opened in 1961, with immersive and interactive technology. Young people will be engaged and involved in high-quality programmes, inter-cultural exchanges and hands-on experiences, especially in the areas of Sustainability Leadership, Service Leadership, Resilient Leadership and Communication and Collaboration to enhance their intellect, responsibility and service locally, nationally and globally. For more details, please visit leadershipinstitute.hk.
For media enquiries, please contact:
The HKFYG Corporate Communications Office
Ms Miranda Ho
Tel: 3755 7044
Ms Stella Chen
Tel: 3755 7011