The participants were high school students from all over Indonesia and there were three sections of the competition; debate, storytelling and speech. I was one of the adjudicators for the speech competition.
The day began at 7 Saturday morning. I would hear 42 young people giving speeches meant to inspire, entertain, or inform, but all in some way or another reflected the theme of the event, to "conquer the fears and strive with love". Each contestant would be given a score for Manner (fluency and pronunciation, grammar, and expression and intonation), Matter (the content of the speech), and Method (how well they adhered to the minimum 7 minutes/maximum 10 minute rule). The scoring scale is a bit different from the scales with which I'm most familiar and that caused a bit of delay in my scoring method, but I believe that I scored as fairly as possible. The participants were selected and sent from their respective high schools, so I was dealing with people who had already passed the "average" mark!
1 - 30 = poor
31 - 50 = below average
51 - 75 = average
76 - 90 = above average
91 - 100 = excellent
The competition was handled by a competent student committee that kept everything rolling along smoothly. They had everything under control in a very professional, kind, and respectful way, as well as provided snacks and lunch for us, too!
At the beginning of the session, the rules were explained and students were asked not to talk and distract the speakers. Shortly after the competition began, we added a couple of extra rules. We added a bit of additional time between speakers (for a total time of less than 2 minutes) for the judges to thoroughly complete the scoring for each participant and we also asked participants who wished to leave the room to go between speakers. Those small changes were actually huge because we were able to respect each participant with thoughtful scores and each participant was given the opportunity to speak in an attentive room free of comings and going, as well as noise and chatter. Small things make a big difference and I believe that we created a kinder, more appreciative environment for everybody. The committee's willingness to employ those changes, straight out of a classroom management textbook, is to be commended!
It's always refreshing to hear the voices of young people and students (of all ages). There's so much hope, optimism, and idealism. The judges were given the opportunity to share some words of encouragement and after telling them how impressed I was with their speeches, I told them not to lose their great ideas, their hope and visions for a better world. I said that people will try to tell them that those are "childish ideas", but that they can actually still be idealists - even when they're as old as I am! They laughed a bit at that one!
After listening to 42 speeches, no matter the topic, some common sentiments emerged...equality, ending racism, being true to yourself, having courage, and following your dreams.
Some speakers had apparently been "trained" in speech delivery - they had the gestures down, they could raise and lower their voices to mimic passion, their diction and grammar was acceptable, but after the first round of finalists was announced, to my surprise, none of those "trained" speakers made the first cut. The people who were selected as the 16 who would move onto the next section were natural speakers...maybe they didn't produce everything perfectly, but that's what made them engaging. They were human beings sharing their perspectives, their opinions, and their strengths. Because of that, I think, we could follow along, understand and pay attention to them. They were real. And they were powerful speakers.
Some time was given, 30 minutes, I believe, for the 16 first round finalists to prepare for the next session. They were given a choice from 5 basic themes for their next speech. I didn't see the list of theme names, but based on what they presented, the themes must have been destiny & dreams, independence, family, racism, and how to stop worrying. Racism and family were chosen the most; 5 and 6 speakers, respectively, for each of those topics. Destiny & dreams and independence were chosen by 2 speakers each and only 1 for how to stop worrying.
This was an interesting turn in the competition because at this stage, we could see who could really "think on their feet" and talk about things with minimal preparation.
From there, 5 speakers were chosen. I was so pleased to see that the speakers selected were fully engaging, talented and deserved the opportunity to shine.
These finalists were given the choice of two topics. Four of the participants chose the same one with only one person choosing the other. Consistent with the overall theme of the competition, the two final themes from which to choose were roughly action, passion, and creating a better world and dreams and inspirations.
In honor of those 42 participants, I'd like to list a few quotes and reflections I noted during the event. It's really easy to get a little deflated when living in a culture other than one's own; every day is a challenge and an opportunity. News in the US at this time seems no better than the news of corruption, collusion, and violence I often read or see on TV here.
Listening to the dreams and aspirations of young people can help us all remember that it is possible to look on the bright side...and the only way is to conquer our fears and strive forward with love.
Self confidence = trust
Don't just dream at night, dream all day!
We create our own enemies
Face the problem with courage and fix it with love
Success loves preparation
A dream is a natural inspiration from God
Equal rights...treating people the same empowers everybody
Racism breaks someone's dignity - why don't we just stop it?
Fight fire with water, not fire
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