English Speaking Union grooms students on communication skills
Monday, 14 October 2013 00:00
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The English Speaking Union (ESU) of Sri Lanka together with ACCA Sri Lanka recently conducted a highly interactive seminar on ‘Public Speaking’ for over 80 students between the ages of 16 and 20 years, representing 18 different schools from Colombo, Galle, Ratnapura, Kandy, Gampaha, and Batticaloa.
The main aim of the seminar was to equip the students with powerful and influential communication skills; to facilitate communication mastery which will impact their future as aspiring leaders. The session was specifically designed to provide all participants the knowledge, skill and practical understanding on how to ‘effectively communicate to make an impact’.
“From primal days, communication has always been a basic as well as essential necessity for existence. Whilst the advancement of technology helped man communicate his ideas more effectively, the key to successful and powerful communication is determined by an individual’s ‘personal’ ability to present himself or herself in a manner that is most succinct and clear with utmost confidence. In other words, in today’s society a person’s communication skills are scrutinised and perceived as the reflection of his/her personality, potential and capability,” commented Upali Ratnayake, President of the English Speaking Union of Sri Lanka.
“As such, this training was initiated by the ESU as a proactive method to not just to help individuals on how to communicate, but moreover to train them on ‘how to communicate to make an impact’. After all, the students of today are the future leaders of tomorrow,” he continued.
The ESU was founded by Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1918. Today it is a dynamic education charity, with its headquarters at Dartmouth House, London with almost 40 branches within the UK and presence in more than 50 Countries worldwide. Its Patron is the Queen and the President the Princess of Wales. The Sri Lanka Branch was started in 1981 by late Dr. T. P. Amerasinghe and Michael Wynne Parker.
Its aim is to promote the value of effective communication around the globe and to help people realise their potential. The ESU of Sri Lanka is a representative member of the Headquarters in Dartmouth House in London and has been very instrumental in grooming Sri Lankan school children and young adults for the professional market, providing several trainings and learning opportunities.
The National Public Speaking Competition is one of the key learning opportunities for local students offered by the ESU, where local speakers are groomed and trained to participate at the International Public Speaking Competition held annually in the UK.
ESU endeavours to see that the value of good communication as an essential attribute for individual, community and global development. For over 90 years, the ESU has provided scholarships, bursaries and exchange opportunities for English-speakers around the globe, as well as promoting the skills of public oratory and debating to school and university students worldwide. With a large program of activities including competitions, scholarships and seminars, the ESU aims to provide individuals from all countries and all walks of life, the chance to express themselves.
The ESU’s focus is on providing true public benefit by facilitating access in schools and elsewhere on language and communication skills critical to redressing imbalances and disadvantages, whether rooted in ethnic, socio-economic or other causes.
