An impromptu speech contest held by the Department of English was held on 4/17 at the Ching-sheng International Conference Hall. The top five winners are Wang Yu-hui a junior from the Dept. of English, Wang Yu-ping, a senior from the same department, Lee Chang-jung, a senior from the Department of International Trade, Lee Chung-hang, a senior from the same department, and Lee Kuang-yi, another fellow classmate. The first three winners will represent TKU to attend a national wide English Speech Contest at a future date.
A total of 17 contestants attended the event, with each contestant having three minutes to prepare and another three minutes to deliver on a topic that was given on the spot. According to Prof. Kuo Tai-tsung of the Department of English who was one of the judges, the average English level from the contestants was good and delivered their speeches in vivid and interesting manner. In particular, that of Wang Yu-hui, the number one winner, was very humorous, thus created great rapport with the audience.
This was the second consecutive year for Wang Yu-hui to win this event. As a veteran contestant, she knew how to prepare before and during the contest. Based her experience, she gave tips to future contestants: “It is crucial to maintain a natural posture and tone of voice while delivering. Enhancing one’s vocabulary repertoire and extensive reading on a regular basis can help organizing thoughts quickly no matter what topic is thrown at you. And don’t forget to pick the brain of previous contestants.”
Wang Yu-ping, the second place winner, is another former champion and two times veteran. She was the top winner two years ago, but missed out last year’s event because of her third year abroad program. She wanted to reclaim her crown this year, but conceded that Wang Yu-hui was far more organized than she was. As for Lee Chang-jung, the third place winner, a non-English major, he was quite happy with his result. However, he hopes to improve on his tone and manner of delivery for next year.
Prof. Kuo concluded at the end of the contest that it is important to keep voice friendly and steady without showing nervous tremors. Speakers should vary speed, and stress, avoiding monotonous delivery. Eye contact needs to be evenly distributed with pleasant and relaxing gaze. Finally, as for the contents of the speech, it is necessary to avoid cliche and stereotypes. Elaborate use of vocabulary can also set oneself apart from other contestants when the competition is tight, she emphasized. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )
