Best speaker Magazine Issue 2 - December 2017 | Page 19

GAVEL CALENDAR INTER SCHOOL BEST SPEAKER 2017 & ‘UNLEASH YOURSELF’ PHASE VI T he University of Kelaniya Gavel Club has always believed in giving back to the public speaking community, which is the objective behind ‘Unleash Yourself ’ workshop series along with the Inter School Best Speaker Contest that caters exclusively for the school students of Sri Lanka. The goal of the ‘Unleash Yourself ’ project is to provide the much needed guidance and background for developing communication and leadership skills of school students around the country. This year the ‘Unleash Yourself ’ entered its 6th phase while the University of Kelaniya Gavel Club hosted the Inter School Best Speaker Contest for the 3rd consecutive time, setting the stage for the students to both enhance and display their talent in public speaking. The Inter School Best Speaker Contest 2017 included 120 student applicants from the educational zones of Colombo, Kelaniya, and Gampaha. The competitors were classified into Junior and Senior Categories and were challenged to present their skills in both Prepared and Impromptu speech sessions. The preliminary round was concluded on the 25 th of April 2017 where judges picked the best contestants to advance into the semi- finals. The Semi-Final round was held on the 30 th of April 2017 through which 10 finalists were selected to represent both Junior and Senior categories at the Grand Finale. At the end of the semi- finals, the contestants also participated in a workshop conducted by Distinguished Toastmaster Chathura Sooriyaarachchi. The Grand Finale of Inter School Best Speaker Contest 2017 was held on 3 rd May 2017 at the Commerce and Management Auditorium of the University of Kelaniya. The Guest-of-Honour for the day was Distinguished Toastmaster Bernadine Jayasinghe, a well-known entrepreneur, international award winning public speaker, and corporate trainer. The stage was animated with 10 lively and entertaining speakers who equally impressed the panel of judges, guests, and the audience with their remarkable skill and delivery. Rosara Dayarathne from Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya bagged the titles BEST SPEAKER MAGAZINE 2017 19