SIBU: District 87 Division S Toastmasters Sibu will be organising a Trilingual Public Speaking Competition at the Methodist Pilley Institute here on November 22 (Saturday), from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm.
At a press conference here recently, organising committee chairman, Chiam Yong Biau, said that the competition aimed at improving public speaking skills and self-confidence among children, teenagers and adults, as well as encourage language exchange and cultural understanding between Chinese, Malay and English speakers
“This annual programme is also a platform to hone the communication talents of the younger generation and adults to be more courageous, clear and authoritative in presenting ideas in front of an audience,” he said.
For the Chinese competition, three categories are contested, namely Primary School (7-12 years old), Secondary School (Junior 1-Senior 3/Form 1-6) and Open Category (18 years old and above).
Meanwhile, for the Malay and English public speaking, the competition is only in the Open Category for participants aged 18 and above.
Each primary school can nominate a maximum of two representatives, while secondary schools are only allowed one representative.
For the Open Category, participation is limited to 15 persons per language, based on the principle of “first come, first served”.
School category participants must register through their respective schools, while the Open Category participants can obtain forms from the Sibu Foochow Association Office or via WhatsApp to the following coordinating officers: Chinese – Bryan Tan (011-10732265), Malay – Patricia Chek Rima (019-9852717), and for English – David Ngu (010-9704970).
All participants must deliver a prepared speech with a free topic, but are prohibited from touching on sensitive issues.
According to Chiam, the competition is expected to attract wide participation and help produce more individuals who are confident, eloquent and able to communicate in various languages in line with efforts to strengthen the unity and harmony of the multi-racial community in Malaysia.
