The Ringing Ten

清旬 447

Congratulations to Cheng Tsz Ping (5A) on winning the First Place in Public Speaking Solo in 72nd Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival 2020 (held by Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association)

Script in competition

Where Conversations Begin, the Art Leaps In

 Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today, I want to talk about the art of conversation. Speaking of ‘conversation’, how would you picture it? Just two people talking about the sweet and sour of their daily lives? Partly correct. In conversations, we exchange news, feelings and ideas, we establish and maintain our social ties. Now, how do we combine ‘conversation’ with ‘art’? Think ‘conversation’ as a wall. The wall supports the building, then we utilize it to the fullest by coloring it with wall paints to make it more appealing, just like how we decorate our words in conversations to make our messages effectively, beautifully, considerately delivered.

  But, what exactly is conversation with art? The answer is simple - speak. When you are hanging out with your fellow friends, would there not be a moment when you don’t know what to talk about? Speak, break the ice. Suppose you are in a bar with your fellow friends not knowing what to talk about, bring up a topic like “You look tired today, what happened?” Then, the conversation will naturally flow because you spoke. But, be careful that you might get hyped up at some point and say something you should not have said.

  That comes to the second part of art - listening. The conversation has begun, one of your friends is already sobbing while sharing his feelings to you, but are you listening? He said, “That reminds me of my mother, she died a few months ago”. For anyone who has listened, hardly would they respond, “I celebrated my mother’s birthday just two days ago”. Know what you should say in that scenario, show that you understand, show that you are being attentive. That is already a brilliant piece of art.

  Then to the third part - pretending. The conversation has been lasting for an hour, you are starting to feel bored, but do not show it. You are not familiar with the topic, you are starting to lose grip, do not. Do not say, “As if I would care” or “I’m nearly sleeping, anything else”. Draw out anything you know about that topic and engage. Say, “Oh I’ve heard of Uncle Roger. He's a comedian, right?”

  But, surprisingly enough, some say that the art of conversation is dying. They say that people use their phones even in face to face interactions. How would there be the art of conversation if there are no face to face conversations to begin with? But think about it - social media is exactly a platform for conversations, not to mention that the art of conversation does not have to be used in face to face interactions. We always post something we find interesting on Whatsapp, on Discord, on Instagram, encouraging people to leave a comment. It already is a kind of icebreaker. Online or offline, they do not matter. We would still use the art and start typing.

   Some say that the art of conversation is dying because people deny what they don’t like. But I must say that this scenario is very common. A loving son would not want to recall his mother’s death or a spoiled girl would not consider carrying her own bag, but there is a good saying that goes - “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. We need the art of conversation to avoid hitting people where it hurts. We would seek clues of what one hates by listening, then we would catch that clue and put ourselves in their shoes. Even if one’s friend said, “I am a Republican”, that person listened and he hated that opinion, instead of straightforwardly denying it, he would just say, “Oh I didn’t know you were into politics!” then laugh it off. He knows that if he said he was a democrat, the other person would feel the same discontent as he felt. We use the art to hide the feeling of denial in our hearts.

  Some say that the art of conversation is dying because people are not being themselves in front of their friends. They would say, “Don’t settle for a relationship that prevents you from being yourself”. I do not believe that relationships can be built by just being yourself. Let’s say your friends have always thought you would be someone easygoing, then you have to be that person they pictured. You have to speak nicely and you have to passionately engage in conversations. Pretending is not something odious or repulsive. We use the art to keep relationships as simple as they are.

  Is the art of conversation dying? Of course not. In conversations, we show our respect by listening, we establish social ties by speaking and we simplify how we get along with people by pretending. You may not have noticed, but where conversations begin, the art has already leapt in. Thank you.