Best Speaker 2021 | Magazine

Malala Yousafzai such a magnetic presence that you
cannot help but savor everyword
Malala Yousafzai that she speaks. As she fidgets
often with her red hijab, she does
Malala Yousafzai requires not forget to take a stab at bringing
no introduction: she is a humor and lighthearted banter at
Pakistani advocate for girl’s herself by admitting that she is
education and the youngest exceptionally short (only five feet
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate tall) and exclaiming that she maybe
in history. Yousafzai has had the only Nobel Laureate in history
her fair share of opportunities who still quarrels with her brothers.
in which we moved the world: Even more admirable is the fact that
she has spoken at the United Yousafzai takes the platform that she receives to voice
Nations and so many other out her opinion with others like her: young advocates for
prestigious platforms at such women’s education, even managing to slip humor into
a young age. However, my such a powerful and influential moment.
personal favorite was when
she spoke at the ceremony in “Though I appear as one girl, one person, who is
which she was awarded the 5 feet 2 inches tall, if you include my high heels (it
Nobel Peace Prize. It is simply means I am 5 feet only), I am not a lone voice, I am
astounding how she is able to many.
hold her own in front of royalty, I am Malala. But I am also Shazia. I am Kainat.
statesmen and dignitaries I am Kainat Soomro.
from all over the world. She I am Mezon.
addresses the audience as I am Amina. I am those 66 million girls who are
“Dear sisters and brothers” deprived of education. And today I am not raising
in grabbing-the-bull-by-the- my voice, it is the voice of those 66 million girls.”
horns fashion and attaches
a sense of almost individual Malala is much more known for the words “One child,
camaraderie to everyone in one teacher, one pen and one book can change the
the audience. Her conviction world”. But in my humble opinion, it is the magnanimous
echoes in the massive halls act that Malala performed by giving a voice to the
as she points out the blatant voiceless 66 million girls, by claiming her massive
hypocrisy of the nations which platform not for herself, but for them, that makes her a
spend exorbitant amounts of spectacular human being.
waging war and claim that
education is too unrealistic Chimamanda
a goal to realize universally. Ngozi Adichie
Yousafzai occupies the
stage and theBEpSodTiuSmPEwAiKthER 2021 World renown and
critically acclaimed
Nigerian author
Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie is known for her
insightful writing on the
experience of Africans,
Africa, and feminism. Born
and raised in Nigeria and
after subsequently moving

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

51

to the United States for her education, Ngozi GAVEL CLUB DURING THE TIMES OFCOVID-19
Adichie experienced firsthand what racism
looked like; something that she never had to 52
experience in her home country of Nigeria.
She has conducted numerous TED talks
which focus on the power of storytelling,
women, feminism, and the African
experience. However, in all her speeches,
her love and pride for her home continent
where she grew her roots, her quick wit
and charm and unapologetically feminist
values shine brightly through. In her TED
talk titled “We should all be feminists”, Ngozi
Adichie taps into her skill of being a master
storyteller to point out the double standards
that exist for men and women even in the
smallest and most insignificant of contexts
and how men are themselves often
oblivious to such circumstances, sometimes
to an almost comic extent. She is cautious,
however, not to limit the discussion of
feminism to the blatant oppression that
women face; she makes audiences question
their perceptions about masculinity and
femininity and how they have limited people,
specifically young women, and girls to live in
negation all their lives:

“We teach girls shame - Close your legs!
Cover yourself! -We make them feel like
when they’re born female, they’re already
guilty of something, so girls grow up to be
women who cannot see they have desire.
They grow up to be women who silence
themselves; they grow up to be women who
cannot say what they truly think, and they
grow up-and this is the worst thing we do to
girls- they grow up to be women who have
turned pretense into an art form”

Exuding utter confidence, wit, intelligence
and even a bit of humor, Ngozi Adichie is
indisputably articulate and gripping in her
speeches and proves herself adept in
a medium of expression other than the
one for which she is known.

BEST SPEAKER 2021

11th March 2020. This date is to use functions such as screen of meeting called a ‘Speechathon’,
now known to many of us as sharing in order to conduct attractive where a group of eight to ten people
the day COVID-19 started to change table topic and creative sessions. would attempt their CC speeches in a
our lives. Once-in-a-lifetime pandem- Then came the first-ever themed virtual setting. I was able to complete
ic uprooted our lives as we knew it. meeting I experienced at Gavel, which my CC1 speech through one of these
I was a new university student when was the Halloween themed meeting. meetings. I was even able to prepare
this happened, having started my We were able to utilize certain ele- myself really well with an assigned
university journey only three days ments such as our participant names, mentor, whom I met a few times a
earlier. Like every other fresher, I too virtual backgrounds to accentuate week prior to my speech delivery.
was excited to start this new chapter the particular costume we decided to
of my life. I had made plans to sign dress in. I myself used a virtual back- Furthermore, the club was able to
up for many activities, including join- ground from Star Wars: Episode IV to figure out how to execute anoth-
ing the Gavel Club. However, thanks give my character (which was Emper- er critical aspect within this virtual
to COVID-19, that plan had to wait. or Palpatine) a more dramatic feel. setting, which is events such as the
one you are experiencing as you re-
Finally, when I was able to join the The virtual meeting experience was ceive this magazine. While I long to
club, it was already September. The something new to all of us. As time live out the stories my seniors told
university had reopened a few weeks passed, we were able to perfect this of the days before COVID-19, where
earlier. I was finally able to start ex- process in a more efficient manner. we would have planned for this spec-
ecuting the plans I had for myself. I We were able to optimize tools such tacular event to be at our university
was able to experience what I thought as Google Docs when planning out premises. The experience of staying
would be the first of many meetings meetings. I too, was able to experi- over at the university the night before
in the club at university. Of course, ence this when I jointly planned out the the event, to finalize preparations is
like any other newbie, terms like Ah table topic session for the Christmas such an experience the virtual set-
Counter, Grammarian and Table Top- themed meeting with a fellow Gaveli- ting will never be able to offer. Nev-
ics Master made little sense to me. I er through Google Docs. Once again, ertheless, the virtual setting is still
had hoped to eventually learn these while not as effective as meeting up in something unique to experience.
terms as time passed. However, as person at the university canteen and
you obviously know, COVID-19 had planning side-by-side, this method still Finally, when we consider everything
other plans. With the second wave works as we were ultimately still able mentioned above, one thing is certain;
prompting the second and longer to pull off a great table topic session. despite the challenges COVID-19 has
closure of universities, that meeting By the first few months of 2021, the club and continues to pose to each and
would be my one and only physi- was able to execute most of its essen- every one of us, the Gavel Clubs not
cal Gavel Club meeting to this date. tial tasks through the virtual setting. just in our university, but everywhere
in Sri Lanka, have been able to pre-
Thankfully, I was still able to work to- However, they were yet to figure out vail and continue to inspire people to
wards these objectives I set upon my- how to encourage more people to begin their public speaking journeys.
self when I started university. Shortly do one of the primary certifications
after universities were closed, I was we can get in a Gavel Club, which Gav. Chehastha
able to participate in the first of many is the Toastmasters International Gurusinha
weekly educational meetings that were Competent Communicator (a.k.a.
held virtually. Although it was nothing CC) certifications. Nevertheless, our
like physical experience, this experi- Education Committee was able to
ence was still something to cherish. successfully accomplish this goal.
Being in a virtual environment, certain They implemented a different type
role-players took it upon themselves

BEST SPEAKER 2021 53

PLATINUM SPONSOR

BEST SPEAKER 2021 54

A trail
of victory

Chiranthi Senanayake

Gav. Madura Gnanaselvam.

The compassion kindled in her 14-year-old self has been selflessly offered to restore
humanity that is at the verge of fading away. Chiranthi Senanayake, the first youth empowerment
incubator of Sri Lanka, founder of ‘HYPE’ Sri Lanka, Founding, president of Young Legal Pro-
fessionals Association of Sri Lanka and winner of the prestigious ‘Diana’ award with a lot more
than what fits this paper has been passionately fulfilling her responsibility towards society by
brightening the lives of Sri Lankan youth since many years. She is a motivational speaker, whom
we take such pleasure in introducing as a past finalist of ‘Best Speaker’, has been healing the hearts
of countless people and spreading wisdom perpetually. Let us unravel her trail of victory to which
she keeps adding extra miles.

1.As the Founder and the holistic youth empowerment in These three shortcomings col-
President of ‘Hype Sri Sri Lanka highlighted that Sri
Lanka’ as well as the Found- Lanka's youth development lectively prove the presence of
er of ‘Young Legal Profes- system is first, over-reliant on
sionals Association of Sri the obsolete ‘Bottom to Top an unsustainable, tokenistic,
Lanka’. What inspired you Approach’ which has restricted
to begin these organizations youth leadership to grass-root and discriminatory youth em-
and what do you intend to service. Secondly, the state
achieve through them? monopoly over youth develop- powerment system, which is
ment in the country has result-
Hype Sri Lanka is a by-prod- ed in tokenistic youth inclusion hindering youth contribution
uct of eleven years of formal and political victimization of
and volunteer service in the youth by populist movements. for individual and community
youth development ecosys- Thirdly, the norm is to work
tems of South Asia. Working in isolation on youth projects development. There was an
with both state and non-state which in turn results in frag-
stakeholders responsible for mented, duplicated efforts. obvious need to rethink main-

stream youth development.

Hence, the founding director

board and I ventured to es-

tablish Hype Sri Lanka as the

Country’s first and only Youth

Empowerment Incubator,

which pilots the mainstream-

ing of Youth Empowerment

BEST SPEAKER 2021 55

cupation, by serving as guard-
ians of societal fairness and
justice. Because of this YLPA
of Sri Lanka attempts to bring
together budding, young le-
gal professionals to serve as
sectoral change agents who
can reform the unsustainable
practices and systems within
the national legal profession
by promoting justice-sensitive
legal practices.

Incubation (YEI) in the youth In terms of The Young Le- 2.The Diana Award was
development system of Sri gal Professionals Association established in contin-
Lanka as an alternative devel- (YLPA) of Sri Lanka, I must uation of Princess Diana’s
opment approach. begin by admitting that I have legacy. This is the most
been unsuccessful in carrying prestigious honor a young
The Incubator collaborates forward the work of YLPA of person can receive for their
with state and non-state Sri Lanka. Therefore, I can- social work.
stakeholders of Sri Lanka’s not take credit for being the
national youth development Founding President of the Or- Being the only Sri Lankan to
ecosystem, to sustainably ganization until I am able to have won the Diana Award in
shift the Country’s approach resuscitate the initiative and 2020. What are your thoughts
to youth growth to Youth Em- work towards achieving its on this achievement?
powerment Incubation (YEI). vision. However, I will briefly The Diana Award is one of the
Hype Sri Lanka’s capacity for mention as to why the YLPA of most prestigious accolades
systemic change is attributa- Sri Lanka was founded. YLPA presented to a young change-
ble to the innovativeness of of Sri Lanka is an association maker
YEI, as an alternative devel- of law students, LLB hold- between the age of 9 and 25
opment approach that advo- ers and Attorneys-at-Law be- years. It is awarded in mem-
cates for parallel streamlined low the age of 40 years who ory of Princess Diana, Prin-
development engagement in seek to protect the rule of law cess of Waleswho vehement-
Top Level Youth Development in the Country and promote ly believed that young people
Processes (TLYDPs) and ethical legal practice. The le- could change the world. To be
community level development. gal profession of the country the only recipient of the award
This is achieved through two is often criticized for being from Sri Lanka in 2020 was a
main avenues. Firstly, YEI fa- motivated by individual profit very humbling experience and
cilitates active youth participa- and self-gain as opposed to I am truly thankful to The Di-
tion in TLYDPs such as policy values and virtues of justice ana Award for bestowing this
formulation and system crea- and fairness. The public is honor on me. Apart from the
tion. The second avenue is to slowly losing faith in the legal sheer happiness of receiving
mediate sustainable partner- profession to a point that they the award, being recognized
ships amongst the stakehold- believe the legal system of Sri as a Diana Award winner has
ers of the local youth develop- Lanka lacks professionalism. been a launch platform for me
ment ecosystem and thereby There is a need to sensitize personally and for the volun-
to challenge the norm of work- the legal professionals of the teering sphere of Sri Lanka
ing in isolation on youth-cen- country to the noble service as a whole. This is because
tric projects. they render beyond their oc- of two main reasons. The vis-
ibility I have been receiving
from the Diana Award has

BEST SPEAKER 2021 56

been helping me to draw the elevating the image of the na- the mercy of external forces.

greater focus of national and tion in the global community This experience ignited my

international stakeholders to service stage. interest in community service

the alternative development focused on systemic youth

3.approach of Youth Empow- What sparked your pas- development. I have volun-
sion in community work teered since that fateful day
erment Incubation (YEI). As
mentioned before, since YEI is from a very young age? Was and I have never looked back.

inherently an ideological inno- there someone who inspired I intend to carry on my Youth

vation that attempts to serve you? Empowerment Incubation until

as an alternative to present we are able to change unsus-

conventional approaches to My community service jour- tainable approaches to youth

youth development, access- ney began in 2009, when at development in global ecosys-

ing global platforms where we the age of fourteen years I tems.

can speak about it is very im- received the opportunity to

portant. Receiving The Diana volunteer as a member of a As the finalist of the
Best Speaker 2017,
4.Award has opened doors to student group working with
various individual and organ- the Sri Lankan Army to carry What is something you

izational stakeholders who out peer- assisted, self-devel- learned during this journey

may assist in promulgating opment workshops for former and what advice can you

YEI internationally. The sec- LTTE female child soldiers give to the contestants of

ond reason why receiving who were being rehabilitated Best Speaker 2021?

the Diana Award has been a in a center in Mullaitivu. The

launch platform is because stories of war and violence Best Speaker 2017 was quite

after my humble win, several which I heard from young girls a bitter- sweet experience for

young leaders from Sri Lanka my age, whose experiences me because I got disquali-

applied for the award in 2021 were tragic purely because of fied in the final round for go-

and three of them received the their lottery of birth, opened ing overtime on my prepared

accolade. So, I believe that re- my eyes to the fact that the speech. My speech was titled

ceiving the award paved the youth are often victims of cir- “98.43 kilograms’ and I spoke

way for more young people cumstances and systems. about the challenges I face

from Sri Lanka to be named as They are recipients of their as an overweight girl: the per-

Diana Award winners, thereby own development who are at sonal and societal challenges

BEST SPEAKER 2021 57

of being fat. That speech was have on people and the en- Another challenge I face as a
one close to my heart so I was vironment, as opposed to the speaker is my fear of generic
truly happy and excited on final destination or achieve- content. Again, this is a dou-
stage. Truth be told, personal- ment. This is because people ble-edged knife because it has
ly, I believe that it was my best often forget your successes its advantages as well. How-
performance to date on an or- but they will always remember ever, I am often very focused
atory stage: I wholeheartedly how you made them feel. I still on capturing the less obvi-
believed in the key message have audience members who ous dimensions of a topic of
of my speech, I had prepared were present at the finals and discussion, which really isn’t
extensively to give it my best those who watch the recording needed all the time. Some-
shot and I felt the audience of my speech on YouTube per- times the most effective mes-
connected with my story. I sonally message me to share sage is the simple, well-known
was also on a winning streak how they were impacted by thought, belief, or argument
which made me confident that my story: those reactions are we have heard many times
I would emerge victorious. truly priceless. Definitely, Best before. It reminds us of what
However, I was so immersed Speaker 2017 was a reality is important and refocuses our
in sharing my message that check on my own imperfec- priorities. Of course, being in-
I completely forgot that I was tion of being so goal -driven novative in terms of thought
participating in a time sensitive that I forget to embrace and and content as a speaker is
competition. To be disqualified immerse myself in the journey. important but I have learnt
is far more painful than losing the hard way that this should
a race because you know that 5.What challenges do you not be at the cost of effective-
a procedural shortcoming or face as a speaker? ness in communication. I deal
simple inadequacy costs you a with this challenge by placing
chance at winning. So, need- My previous answer probably myself in the shoes of the au-
less to say, I was heartbroken already highlights my biggest dience who will listen to my
and I cried whilst I was sitting challenge as a speaker: im- speech or presentation. This
in the audience, watching the mersing myself in my speech assists me to understand what
announcement of the results. to a point I lose track of time. the circumstances and the ex-
But once the ceremony came I guess if you are speaking pectations of the listener are.
to an end, I was approached without a time restriction, com- I think that everyone faces
by so many members of the plete immersion is an advan- challenges in terms of public
audience and my peers from tage because then you are speaking and communication.
the Gavel Club of University not delivering a speech but The first step to overcoming
of Colombo who told me that rather, communicating from such challenges is admitting
my speech had a lasting im- your heart. However, speaking that they exist and then di-
pression on them. The speech platforms and opportunities al- rectly confronting them. Excel-
made some rethink societal ways require you to stick to a lence in public speaking and
biases on body perfection, particular time. This has been communication is a product
inspired others to be com- quite difficult for me since I of habit and progressive im-
fortable in their own skin and started oratory and debating provement.
encouraged many to actively during my school days. There
counter body shaming. I am is so much to say but such lit- 6.What kind of impact do
naturally an ambitious person tle time, isn’t it? To overcome you want to make on
and sometimes I am blind- this challenge, I now tend to your audience through your
ed by success. So, the Best focus on my structure and speeches?
Speaker 2017 finals was a the specificity of my content. I
point of great learning for me. commit to preparation before I aim to impact the audience
I learnt that, ignoring the risk a speech or a discussion, so on two main levels through my
of sounding cheesy …. I learnt that I am both conscious and speeches and presentations.
that perhaps what is most im- respectful of the time given to The first level of impact is stim-
portant is the impact that you me. ulating critical and independ-

BEST SPEAKER 2021 58

ent thinking. Living in an age of bias. I like to remind people of the world. Hence, on an in-
instantaneous knowledge and that they are what they permit dividual, national, and interna-
information, has challenged hu- themselves to be. tional scale, humanity is facing
manity’s capacity to think ob- a crisis of sustainable develop-
jectively. What we know as the
truth is often what is taught or 7.Everyone has moments ment because the achievable
told to us as the truth by the en- in their life when they standards are comparative as
vironments we grow up in and feel demotivated? What opposed to internally reflec-
the mainstream systems we keeps you going in these tive and relevant. For example,
are a part of. Because of this situations? for individuals’ development is
it is becoming more and more about being better than oth-
essential to develop objective
thought. That is why through my In situations of demotivation ers and for countries, it is a
speeches and presentations, I and desperation, what really competition of chasing foreign
like to make my audience think: drives me are the opportuni- standards of growth. This in my
to critically challenge what often ties presented by life for suc- opinion has created a truly tox-
goes unnoticed because it is a cess and failure: the chance ic system where development
norm locally or internationally. to give it your all and attempt is not reflective of the individual
Why this is a priority for me is at your visions and goals. The or local needs. I believe such a
because we are often victims of difficult fact of life which even reality has made us victims of
our own misinformation, igno- I find hard to accept unques- our own development crises.
rance, and distractions. tionably, is that we must fail, So, I envision a future society
The second level of impact I be vulnerable and experience that is self-reliant both on the
try to achieve in my audience rejection multiple times more micro and macro scales and is
is to encourage self-growth in than we are able to succeed. driven by endogenous sustain-
all its dimensions. The present Another reality which puts us able development which fits
and upcoming generations face in this predicament known localized development require-
an increasing sense of loss of as living, is that unless we ments. Furthermore, I support
control. We often feel that life is try none of those outcomes such a pursuit for self-reliance
passing us by, and events are are likely. So, we must take and endogenous sustainable
taking place around us with- chances to attempt anything development to be one led by
out our contribution or involve- in life and it is these moments the glocal youth populations of
ment. This has created a feeling which provide us such chanc- the world.
of helplessness and a conse-
quential existential crisis. The es which keep me motivated.
world of comparisons, political
victimization and tragedy really Perhaps even excited to know
doesn’t encourage self-growth 9 .where life would take me next. Finally, is there an-
and self-empowerment. More ything you wish to
and more of us would rather
just allow life to go by because 8.What is your vision of a share among your global
that is the easier option. But I future society? audience and the readers of
sincerely believe that we are as
strong and capable as we allow this magazine?
ourselves to be. That is why I try
to incorporate self-growth and My vision for a future socie- Thank you so much for the
assumption of control as the call ty is one of self-reliance and opportunity to share my hum-
to action in most of my speech- endogenous sustainable de- ble thoughts through this in-
es and presentations; may it be velopment. The present de- terview for The Best Speaker
achieving one’s targets, fulfilling velopment challenges which Magazine 2021! It is such a
one’s individual social responsi- the world is desperately try- pleasure! The final message
bility, or conquering one’s pho- ing to solve, are attributable I would like to share with the
to the crisis of comparative global readers of the Magazine
development. What we know is that humanity and the planet
as people and planetary de- are in desperate need of active
velopment are grounded on citizens. I am a big believer in
neo-liberal capitalism and the Micro activism and the capaci-
interpretation of development ty of the individual to positively
originating from power centers

BEST SPEAKER 2021 59

contribute to the envi- ommunication via so- LinkedIn, and Instagram are
ronments and systems cial media platforms some of the most popular so-
in which they exist. It cial media platforms in the nov-
is becoming readily Cplays a vital role in this
apparent that macro digital age. There are many el social domain.
systems such as inter-
national organizations, pros and cons of using social
transnational compa-
nies, and governments media daily. It is therefore a What is the current
are failing in their man- matter of urgency to maintain state of social media
dates to empower the proper use of these social me-
people, protect the dia platforms especially during communication?
planet and bring about
prosperity. There are a pandemic like this. Most of the social media plat-
simply too many agen-
das operating at such What is social media forms of today’s society have
levels to achieve time- communication? evolved into something be-
ly solutions for glocal yond, from their fundamental
problems. Present and
incoming generations objective of facilitating and en-
will be the most educat-
ed and conventionally Generally, social media can hancing interpersonal relation-
successful generations be re-
in the history of human- ferred
ity but also those who
can’t afford mortgages Effective utto as
to buy homes, put food virtual
on their tables and live plat-
fulfilling lives. We are
heading towards hu- social mediaforms
manity’s greatest crisis: which
loss in translation. That
is why it is important to help in
be committed towards
being active citizens interacting and building up net- ships among people. Unfortu-
as opposed to passive
members of socio-po- works among people. With the nately, most of the individuals
litical societies. I would
like to humbly request inception of social media, the in Sri Lanka make use of social
from the readers to as-
sume control over their world that once appeared de- media as a platform to criticize
own lives and to posi-
tively contribute to the tached has now been renovated politics and current affairs and
ecosystems around
them by developing into a global village where peo- to portray them in a bizarre
independent thinking,
challenging existing bi- ple can interact with each other manner by jeopardizing recog-
ases, and serving oth-
ers to the best of their with a mere “click”, regardless nized personalities and their
capacities.
of the territorial boundaries or reputation. Proper integration

distances. Apart from existing of social media into day-to-day

as an infrequent mode of com- life should be identified as a

munication among individuals convenient topic for discussion.

in their day-to-day life, social Hence, it would assist in de-

media carries an extensive im- terring the misusage of social

pact on businesses in terms of media from it evolving a threat

creating and promoting aware- to the users who utilize them in

ness of products and services. an effective manner.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter,

BEST SPEAKER 2021 60

How

could we

cease the

inappropriate usage

of l y

social media and focus manag-
more on using these plat- ing your time
for the other activ-
forms effectively?

Although shifting from con- ities in your day-to-day
ventional modes of commu- life.
nication to social media can Finding alternative pas- dis-
sem-

tilization of inating
facts regard-

a during COVID-19 ing unscrupulous
practices. In the Sri
Lankan social setting,
seeing school-aged

be considered a tremendous times - Possessing a creative utterly children acting in an
achievement in a developing inappropriate manner

country like Sri Lanka, it is cru- standpoint that will distract you on Facebook and Twitter has
cial to possess an understand- from getting addicted is much become a typical occurrence.
ing of these effective modes of more important in the process Constructing a thorough un-
of eliminating unethical behav- derstanding of the cause and
communication.
ior. Arts and crafts and reading effect of your actions will help
Identifying your need – books are some of the effective you to avoid undesirable con-
Identifying your genuine need instances in which you can make sequences that you may have
to make use of social media use to spend your time more ef- to otherwise face and to avoid
is more crucial for its effective fectively. being misled.
utilization since it will assist Being conscious in what On the final note, it can be stat-
you to avoid using social me-
you do (Having the ability to ed that by following the guide-
dia for no reason.
think logically about ongo- lines which are mentioned
Having a specified time ing situations) – Most of to- above, we will be able to use
day’s youth use social media in social media properly during
slot – After determining your an unacceptable manner, turn- these tough times and act as
credible needs, a specific time ing it over into a platform of dat- responsible citizens in society.
limit should be fixed to prevent
yourself from getting addicted.
This will assist you in effective- ing, scamming, or stalking and Gav. W.A.I Madhushinie

BEST SPEAKER 2021 61

Reading: many times, I’m sure.
The One Past However, why
Time That Is Not
should we read? Why are
frowned upon we encouraged to read?
The simplest answer is
Gav. Sivalingam Harshini that reading is valuable
in helping us improve
Imagine that the time is sid- our understanding of the
now 5 o’clock in the eve- er language that we speak,
ning. You have finished all this: How which in this case is En-
your assignments, attend- many times have you glish. When we read, we
ed all your lectures, and opened a book not be- are exposed to various
are now completely and cause you were forced to, sentence structures, a wid-
utterly free for the rest of not because you had to er vocabulary, and multiple
the day. What will you do complete an assignment, similes, metaphors, and
now? I am sure that many not just for the sake of idioms. To be honest, if we
of your answers will be studying for an exam? Not were to take the initiative
along the lines of watching to start reading, our En-
television, playing comput-
er games, surfing the Inter- glish would improve
net, eating, sleeping, and in leaps and bounds.
playing sports like reading is also a
football and basket- goldmine of facts and
ball with your friends. knowledge. Just by
However, how many reading one page of
of you would actual- a newspaper, we can
ly take a book and learn so much about
started reading? the occurrences hap-
Nowadays, many pening all around the
people are putting aside world. Likewise, by
reading, the only pastime reading books about
that everyone encourages certain topics. For in-
us to take up, in favour stance, music, sports
of more “modern” leisure and history we can
activities. For instance, did learn a considerable
you know that most people amount about those
let an entire year go by topics.
without even reading five However, if I were to
books? That may come as tell you that I enjoy
a surprise to you but con- reading just because
reading provides me
BEST SPEAKER 2021 with valuable infor-
mation and improves
my English, I would
be lying. To me, reading is
a fun activity and not just
an activity to further my
academic pursuits. Read-
ing is the equivalent of
watching a movie, a movie
that you have directed and
produced. When you read
a story, you are brought

62

closer Love:
to the
char- A promise to never let go
acters.
It almost Head over heals in
seems as love with thee
if you are Flew her zealously to
no longer a the bed of sea
person but a
part of the story, The promise that you
developing with made to never let me
the characters as go
the story unfolds. To love me even if
In most cases, the you would breathe no
plot of a storybook is far more
better than that of a movie.
Why? Because there is so Ensnared, entangled
much more that can be put in in thy web of lies
a book as compared to what Feeling detest with
can be placed on a television never broken ties
screen. Also, in a book, we
know what the characters are A sheer cry of anguish
thinking and feeling but, in a wallowed out to the
movie, these two aspects are a empty sky
lot less developed. This is one To the vacuum once
of the reasons why many peo- woven with dreams
ple find reading to be a lot more abate cry
intriguing than watching a movie.
Now that I have established the A broken promise did
fact that reading is far better teach a wonder
than watching a movie or playing Not to let my heart
computer games, what is left for sink in any corner
you to do is nothing but to pick
up a book and start reading. Gav. Tharuvi Nanayakkarawasam
So hopefully when you return
home from school, you will 63
not return to your computer
monitors, your television
screens or even the soft
pillows of your bed,
but instead seek
out all those dusty
books locked
away in your cup-
boards and cab-
inets. For there
is no better place
to be lost than to
be lost in a good
book.

BEST SPEAKER 2021

THE BIG 5

UNDERSTAND YOURSELF

“Who am I?” Is one of the ques- They tend to hold consider- rigid and possibly a bit boring,
tions we try to solve during our ation towards the goals and they also excel at pursuing and
lifetime. We often spend our life emotions of others as para- achieving goals through proper
not being able to find a defini- mount, oftentimes even above planning and self-motivation.
tive answer. Provided our mas- their interests. Friendly, help- They’ll stay away from erratic
sive interest to find an answer ful, and relentlessly optimistic, decisions and will avoid trouble.
to that question, and for obvi- ‘Agreeable’ people will appear The issue with highly conscien-
ous psychoanalysis reasons, trustworthy and firmly honest. tious individuals takes place
psychologists have tried to when plans go wrong, or when
answer for many years. Even- On the opposite end of the spec- they fail to meet high (usual-
tually, they ended up dividing trum, ‘Disagreeable’ people are ly self-imposed) standards.
us into five basic dimensions those who elevate their inter-
of personality, often referred ests above all else. ‘Disagree- Individuals with low conscien-
to as the “Big 5” personality able’ individuals won’t usually tiousness are less able to delay
traits. The Big Five person- concern themselves with the gratification, and hence will be
ality traits were developed wellbeing of others, instead, more prone to following their
over three or four decades by focus on how to advance their impulses. While this makes
several independent scientif- own goals and agendas. They for a lot of fun at parties. It is
ic researchers and it is by far are perceived as unfriendly and also proven that people with
the most scientifically validat- uncooperative. It’s not all bad, low conscientiousness have
ed and reliable psychological however. ‘Disagreeable’ peo- difficulty managing themselves
model to measure personality. ple focusing on their ideas and and they often find themselves
goals, make them ideal in cer- in trouble with authority figures.
The five broad personality tain fields, such as science, criti-
traits are described as ma- cism, business, and military life. Openness to Experience in-
jor traits with two aspects: cludes traits like being insightful
Conscientiousness de- and imaginative and having a
Agreeableness: Compas- wide variety of interests. One’s
sion and Politeness fines that People who have a ‘Openness to Experience’ de-
Conscientiousness: In- higher degree of conscientious- termines how interested one
dustriousness and Orderliness ness are reliable and prompt. is in new ideas and experienc-
Neuroticism: Withdrawal Traits include being organized, es. Those who are considered
and Volatility methodical, and thorough. “Open to experience,” can be
Openness to Experience: Conscientiousness measures described as intellectually and
Openness and Intellect how and to what extent we can artistically curious with a keen
Extraversion: Enthusiasm control our impulses. Essen- sense of beauty. Those who
and Assertiveness tially, one’s conscientiousness are ‘Open to Experience’ ex-
determines how much success cel in creative roles. It’s a trait
Agreeableness usually de- one is likely to experience, and often very difficult to monetize
fines individuals who are how best to obtain obtain it but whose utility can kick in in
friendly, cooperative, and com- the later stages of their career
passionate. ‘Agreeable’ indi- People with high conscientious- in the high end of hierarchies.
viduals understand the value ness are more likely to have They tend to avoid positions
of getting along with others. better control over their impuls- that mandate a set of rules
es. While they may come off as

BEST SPEAKER 2021 64

and guidelines.

While it’s unlikely that one

can be entirely closed-minded, those

who do not score highly on the ‘Openness to

Experience’ spectrum be described as such. ‘Closed’

individuals trend towards having a few common interests

and do not cope well with change. While they may not be

the ones lighting the world on fire with new inventions, ‘Closed’

individuals have superior job performance in areas where the pro-

cedure takes precedent over everything else.

Neuroticism relates to one’s emotional stability and degree of nega-
tive emotions. Those who score high on Neuroticism are not strangers

to anxiety, anger, or depression, and are likely to experience several of

these emotions regularly. Simply, those who score highly for Neuroticism

tend to be more emotionally reactive, while those who score lower tend

to be less emotionally reactive. Individuals with high levels of Neuroticism

tend to come off as negative and have constant “bad moods.”

Conversely, those who have low levels of Neuroticism tend to be more

emotionally stable, less prone to outburst, and are generally considered

calmer than those who score highly in Neuroticism. While it’s not guar-

anteed that low-Neuroticism individuals will be positive (Extroversion cor-

relates more directly with positivity), they may find it easy to break free from

emotional setbacks.

Extraversion - Extraverts get their energy from interacting with others, while
introverts get their energy from within themselves. Extraversion includes the

traits like being energetic talkative, and assertive. Extraverts, or those

who are on the high end of the Extraversion scale, tend to possess a

positive, “can-do” spirit. Often overflowing with energy, they thrive off

social interactions and physical experiences with the world.

Introverts, or those who rank low on the ‘Extraversion scale’, tend

towards a more laid-back attitude, with little need to be constantly

engaged in social interactions. While less pos- i t i v e - m i n d e d

than extroverts, however, introverts are not univer-

sally shy or depressed. Rather, they find

social and physical interactions to be

more overwhelming and prefer solitude,

time to process emotions, and fewer

but more intimate social connections.
Each personality trait and aspect
have advantages and disadvantag-

es. It is for that reason that varia- Gav. Manula Pethiyagoda
tion exists in the human population.

There is a niche for each personali-

ty configuration and that resulted in the

consequence of finding the place in re-

lationships, work, and personal com-

mitment that corresponds to your

unique personality structure. Yo u

can find a reliable and compre- hen-

sive big 5 test on understand- my-

self.com

BEST SPEAKER 2021 65

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