Oratorical contest raises decibels in the Drum

13 April 2006

For the last two Thursdays, the usually dead silent Drum was transformed by "Vocal Chords," an oratorical contest organized by the debate wing of Debate and Journalism Society, into a place where gifted JC1 speakers came to pit their rhetorical skills against one another.

The contestants were given a topic to prepare during both the preliminaries and finals, upon which they delivered a public speech lasting 3 minutes in duration. In the finals, the 5 finalists had to undergo an additional "impromptu speeches" segment in which they delivered a minute an a half speech for a topic given only 10 minutes of preparation time.

During all three rounds (the last two being held in the same session), the contestants and the finalists amazed the audience with their eloquence in English. Even Debate president, Wee Kiat, believed we struck gold with this contest. "The quality of the speeches was generally much better than we expected."

The contestants used various means and strategies to sway popular support. Some contestants opted for a serious, forthright presentation, and others peppered their speeches with humour to engage the audience. During the impromptu round, the quality of the speakers really shone through. Benjamin Chia of 0601, the winner of the contest, became so agitated he was well-nigh shouting into the microphone, riling the audience into a cheering mass.

"They should have more topics, and use a more public place, like, maybe the parade square," commented Yati, a JC2 student.

Said a JC2 student who wished to be unnamed, "I seriously think this whole contest is a good idea. I'd like to see another one soon."

By: Vincent Wong