TIS Magazine 2020

competition and I was eager to try something new and to my surprise, I came out as the 1st runner up. It was at that moment that I realized that I had a talent for public speaking and decided to develop it. Last year I knew that I had devel- oped my skill to the extent of winning. Ethan: How did you prepare for the competition? Lydia: I spent a lot of time trying to understand the prompt. Once I got my facts and examples I just needed to put them into a speech. I wanted my speech to stand out but that was difficult in regards to prompts, so I practised my intona- tion a lot to make sure I was executing it well. I practised how to say my speech, my actions, my use of the stage all to enhance my execution of the speech. And, my win- I think- was more about the execution of the speech than the speech itself. For the content itself, I used articles, Ted talks, YouTube videos, and advice from my Dad to help write my speech. Ethan: Wow! Now after all that preparation, what did it feel like standing on the stage speaking? Lydia: Honestly, I was extremely calm. But that was mostly because of a com- bination of preparation and familiarity. I have never been afraid of standing in front of a large audience, I enjoy it, but on that day I was extra confident because I was prepared. I made sure to smile a lot, enjoy what I was doing, and try to send that joy to the audience as well. With the 2nd and 3rd rounds, I was nervous because I had less time to prepare and revise but I still had confidence because I knew the best thing I could do was be creative with my execution whilst still being persuasive. Ethan: What advice do you have for people who want to participate next year Lydia: Knowwhat you are best at. Many people can talk very firmly to carry their points across, others use countless examples. I did what I was best at. I used the stage space, my gestures, my expression, and my enthusiasm all to captivate the audience. So what are you good at? Do you like painting and expressing yourself through art? Then paint a piece and use it to help you deliver your speech. Do you like music? Sing a song in between and make a little dance. Use what sets you apart as an individual to set your speech apart Ethan: Thank you so much for the interview Lydia and for showing us all what it takes to be the next speaker of the year. Tata! 45 |