Peking University, Apr. 17, 2011: The 10th Peking University (PKU) Top Ten Speaking Contest, organized by the PKU Youth League Committee and the Student Extracurricular Activities Guidance Center, was held at the Laoshengwu Lou from April 9 to 10. The contestants delivered their speeches on the topic of "Dream, Belief, Sensibility".
The full contents and witty styles of the contestants got down to the real meat of this topic, and their persuasive examples covered personal experiences as well as historical events. The audiences could easily get each contestant’s unique style.
"The average quality of our first-run contestants, I believe, is pretty well. So far, their performances revealed their strong analytical abilities and speaking skills," said Pang Tong, a leader of the competition as well as the vice director of the Office of Culture and Sports at the PKU Youth League Committee.
Students who took part in the contest also have their opinions. Pan Zihao, an undergraduate student from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, who received the opportunity to advance in the next run, believed that the experience of sharing opinion with the audiences was what appealed most to him, rather than the advancement in the contest. "Sharing what I've been thinking about and raising resonance among the audiences are what I really care about."
Another advanced contestant, Gui Chunlei, considered that through the speech, he could develop a sense of self-awareness and self-satisfaction. "You believe that you are excellent because you could successfully motivate your audiences." That's the reason why he had put so much into this speaking contest.
The speaking contest seems closely according with the traditional spirit of PKU: to think and express without restraint. Bai Chenyang, a judge and the prior winner of the previous speaking contest, pointed out that this contest would provide a stage for those passionate and talented speakers.
However, as a leader who initiated this contest, Pang Tong viewed things from a different perspective. "It's a stage for communication and presentation. What's more,it's an opportunity to share fresh and inspiring ideas, to raise serious and in-depth reflection among audiences as well," he said, "It's more than how we express, but about what we express."
Pang Tong also told us the thing impressed him most, "Most of the applicants finished their application forms by filling their name and phone number only, but we noticed a different one. A boy who fulfilled the form carefully with his photo attached. He described himself as a shy and conservative boy, who lacked communicating skill, and wanted to seize this chance to make a change." Pang Tong was deeply moved. "This stage is not only for those shining stars, but also provides opportunities to the normal people to help them get through the bottleneck, to overcome their weakness, or to embrace a positive change. It could be a stage for everyone. "
"Language is the shell of our thoughts and ideas." A good speaker knows how to combine his knowledge and experience in a speech, and show his ability and personality in a proper way. The chance of success in such a competitive society largely depends on the ability of selling yourself – how to quickly express your ideas in an effective, persuasive, and attractive way. Financial success, Dale Carnegie believes, is due to 15 percent of the professional knowledge and 85 percent of the ability to express one's ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people. Maybe, this is the power and culture of speaking.
Written by: Wang Yimian
Edited by: Su Juan
Source: PKU Youth
