Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Taylorians grab top three prizes in inter-college public speaking

PETALING JAYA: Taylor’s University students grabbed all top three prizes at the recent TUC Inter-College Public Speaking Competition, outshining seven other finalists.




Seen as outstanding performances, the speakers, Sharmen Sekaran, Tan Yuen Yuen, both 18, and Leonard Leao Xi Leong, 21, attracted the attention of all with their eloquent speeches.


Sharmen from the American Degree Programme (ADP), Yuen Yuen from pre-U (Canadian A-levels) and Leonard from the School of Communication (Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Management) won the first, second and third prizes respectively.





Each of the winners obtained certificates along with prize money; Sharmen received RM1,200 and a trophy, Yuen Yuen, RM800 and Leonard, RM500.


An excited Sharmen said that he was looking forward to spending his prize money on textbooks while Yuen Yuen wanted to buy a new phone and would like to take her mother out for a treat.


Leonard, on the other hand plans to go on a back-pack trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.


The 10 finalists were shortlisted from among 30 participants in the preliminary rounds, coming down to the grand finals which was on Sept 25 at Lecture Theatre 2, Lakeside Campus.


The participants were from Methodist College, Kolej Poly-Tech Mara (KPTM), Kolej Bandar Utama (KBU), Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI).


They all spoke on the topic: ‘The erosion of social and face-to-face communication skills as a result of new media’. Among others, they touched on the detrimental effects of online social media and how it affected the communication skills of today’s youth.


In her opening speech, School of Communication dean, Josephine Tan, said that each participant had demonstrated exceptional commitment to excel in the skill of public speaking.


One of the judges, Datin Vasunthara Nadarajah, from International Islamic University said that the event was a good way to encourage students in public speaking. “It gives them confidence and brings out their courage and helps them overcome stage fright. It was an especially good idea to host an inter-college competition,” she said.


“This inaugural event organized by the School of Communication proved to be a success, and we have plans to attract participants from other states for the competition next year,” Taylor’s Bachelors of Arts (Communication and Media Management) Programme Director and event chairperson Catherine Lee said.

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