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The All Island Best Speakers’ Contest 2006 brought together a talented group of speakers, who made the audience both laugh and think

Eloquent and articulate Ravi Gamage stole the show, winning the coveted Bartleet Challenge Trophy at the annual All Island Best Speakers’ Contest 2006 presented by the Colombo Toastmasters Club and held at The Oak Room of the Cinnamon Grand last Sunday.

The evening commenced with the contest chairman, Competent Toastmaster (CTM) Yukthi Gunasekera highlighting that this year’s event marks an additional feature in the programme, which is the launching of a logo to symbolise and abbreviate the title ‘All Island Best Speakers’ Contest’ to AIBS followed by the year it is held in. The logo was unveiled in grand style with sound and light accompaniments that gave it added glamour.

The Toastmasters Club helps to develop excellent leadership and communication skills among the participants, said President CTM, Chrishanthi Emmanuel in her address. She emphasised the fact that the skills and techniques are only a means to an end and not an end in itself.

The skills acquired should be used to only ‘enhance’ the message being spoken, she remarked. “Words can weave spells and are vital in everyday life, be it in relationships, to change the course of history, to encourage, to motivate or to reform, but this is so only if packaged in an effective way, the latter being one of the main objectives of the contest.”

The Prepared Speeches round of the contest saw the second runner-up at the event, Praveeni Jayasekara, currently the Deputy Head Prefect of Musaeus College, keeping the audience enthralled with her speech on ‘Do you savour your chocolate cake?’ a title which was neatly analogised with her philosophy on how to live life to the fullest – to serve, save and savour. She reflects that to serve is to give of yourself and be selfless, save is to be aware and cherish your limited resources, and savour is to enjoy whatever we have to the utmost, even if little. The presentation, although prepared, did not lack spontaneity, the simple example bringing to life a profound message.

Shanaka Chandrasekera, a banker at Sampath Bank, was the next to take the stage with his emotional presentation of a ‘Conspiracy against childhood’, speaking of how children face so much of pressure from school, society and sadly even from their parents. The juxtaposition between a pensive and agitated tone of voice helped to enhance his message.

Thirunika Warakawa, an executive at Hemas, spoke on the battles between our inner selves and surrounding environment in her presentation ‘Guilty. Not Guilty’. Her message was how a person may get off scot-free in the eyes of the world, but a pricking conscience may kill that very same person, and that a guilty person can never be at peace. Her very emphatic and assured delivery convinced the listeners that even if we have slipped into wrong, we must make amends immediately thereafter.

The first runner-up of the contest, Panthea Elangovan, a teacher at Lyceum International, was the only contestant to utilise a prop in her presentation. A banana, the skin of which has to be peeled off to enjoy the lovely fruit inside, was used to deliver an important message. Even though we may face hardships which result in a thick crust of bitterness and frustration, we must not let it prevent us from enjoying the nicer things in life, she said. The title of her speech, ‘Peel it off’ referred to getting rid of negative emotions and forces, and of believing that life has better things in store. She drew examples from her personal experiences to illustrate this message.

The winner, Ravi Gamage, news producer and anchor for MTV Channel 1 and currently reading for an Ll.B degree, spoke on ‘Egoism’. His vibrant and humorous presentation kept the audience in fits of laughter. His message was that egoism is not always a bad thing. He gave it a positive interpretation; one that he feels is often ignored.

The impromptu speech round presented individuality and personal twists to the shared topic ‘The best thing you can give’, from lending love and a caring ear, to peace, a smile, health tips and a pencil, the latter which enables one to leave their mark and thereby make a difference.

The Chief Guest at the event, Eran Wickramaratne, Deputy CEO of NDB Bank and Eisenhower Fellow highlighted the importance of each one of us taking responsibility and doing our bit to bring peace and justice in Sri Lanka.

Guest of Honour at the event was Eraj Wijesinghe, Chairman of Bartleet Group and ardent supporter of AIBS.