The University of Colombo is famed for producing talented professionals and academics in almost every field of study – and we are all privileged to be a part of a community like this, that thrives on excellence. Thanks to its Gavel Club, Colombo University also produces ace public speakers and great communicators – any member of the Gavel Club will tell you how Gavel Club changed their lives and boosted their confidence.
An extension of the Gavel Club is the biannual intra-university speech competition, “Oration”. This is a celebration of the public speaking talents of the students of all faculties of the University of Colombo, and every time that we have had the competition, we have discovered hidden oratory talents in people from every faculty. This competition is a platform for any student that is willing to venture into the waters of public speaking, and it will surely increase the confidence of participants and even spectators.
Those taking part in Oration will not be walking in blindly – the Gavel Club always makes sure that participants have everything that they need in terms of knowledge and practice, when walking into the Preliminary round. We always organize workshops in advance, and bring in experienced Toastmasters to conduct them, in the hopes that participants of the competition know how to organize and deliver their speeches. This kind of attention is not easy to come by – having recognized Toastmasters teaching you how to go about giving a stellar speech is something many people wish they could have. Besides, even if you end up not getting far in the competition, you will not be losing out at all – the skills that these Toastmasters teach you will help you in your University presentations and work outside of University as well!
Being a part of Oration gives you access to the plethora of Gaveliers who have tons of experience being in front of a crowd and giving compelling speeches to various types of audiences. Anyone already at Gavel UoC will tell you that they have seniors who helped them personally to improve their skills, and Oration is the gateway for you to finding your Gavel seniors, mentors and friends – before you know it, you’ll be a mentor and friend to many nervous first years just waiting for their talents to be discovered. As the legendary ‘Founding Aiya’ of Oration, Fadil Iqbal says,
“If the times you live in didn’t have role models to look up to, then you have to become them”.
Fadil Iqbal, Project Chair, Oration 2016
There is really no downside to ‘Oration’. You will not only be a part of a competition that has been deemed legendary in Gavel circles, but you will also be gaining experience related to public speaking in the process, that not many people are lucky enough to get.
“There’s nothing quite like Oration – it’s where we get to have fun, learn and make friends at the same time! I can’t wait for Oration 2020 because I know it’s going to be amazing.”
Uditha Weerasinghe, President 2019/2020, Gavel Club of University of Colombo
If you are just entering University, consider yourself lucky because you just made it in time to be a part of Oration. If you’ve been at UoC for a while and are looking for a change of pace, then Oration is the thing you need! Registrations open soon, keep an eye out!
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