Newsletter No. 533

理智與感情— Myrmidon Kangara 希臘神話裏，「Myrmidon」原是阿基里斯麾下一支勇武神 兵。一位喜愛希臘神話的母親，以此為女兒命名。由神話到 現實，這位津國女兒一樣傳奇：她談笑用兵，卻不像傳說中 的馬密頓人唯命是從，欠缺獨立思考。心繫社會而修讀法律 的她，能言善辯，才識過人，入學不久已於中大英語演講比 賽嶄露頭角，成為冠軍人馬，其後更再下一城，於去年12月 初北京舉行的「外研社．國才杯」五日四輪馬拉松式全國英 語演講大賽，擊敗全中國一百九十名演辯高手，以離冠軍零 點八分之差奪亞榮歸。 眼前的Myrmidon，成熟踏實、說話乾脆利落，聽到讚賞和 談起一些生活點滴和趣事時，便會嬌憨地笑起來，泛起一 種夢幻感，提醒你她還只是個十九歲的小妮子。但談笑過 後，做起事來，這位女生熨貼無比，認真得令人折服。訪問 完結時，筆者曾請Myrmidon補寄資料，翌日即收到她簡短 回覆，稱彙集整理需時，請筆者稍等。她之後寄來長達十頁 的履歷，將曾參與的活動一一分類，日期、崗位、職責等資 訊齊備，二十張相片悉數冠以描述，另清楚以要點澄清訪問 提及的細節。大將之風不限於講臺，也深入日常。 說出來的責任 在臺上盡展鋒芒的她，不說不知曾是害羞的「灰姑娘」。自 言內向的她，中學時有加入公開演說的學會，但並不活躍； 遇見想參與的活動和比賽，她卻因為害羞踟躕不前，一次 又一次與機會擦身而過。「來中大後，我覺得不可再封閉自 己，要走出來，表達自己所想。」挑戰公開演說，源於知不 足；令她一往而深，潛心鑽研箇中之道的，是一份對社會人 生的責任感：「我喜歡集思廣益—今日我們面對的許多問 題，其實都值得和需要我們坐下來細談，然後付諸行動。如 果你擅長公開演說，你便能發表想法，裨益討論。反過來 看，如果你見思精微，卻沒有勇氣宣之於口，這便是對自己 和其他人最大的浪費。」 化被動為主動，攻克的是心理關口，但演說的技藝要如何精 進？Myrmidon稱除了恆常練習，還要多觀察，從日常生活 如課堂、書院演講，甚至電視人物的談吐汲取養分。對於有 志增進說話技巧的人，她認為要先習慣面對面與人溝通，  「可參加一些學會，如遠足等，不一定是辯論。自在一點後 便可參與國際演講會的小組，大家互相學習、扶持。」她指 與人接觸很重要，因演說涵蓋廣泛，別人的心得經驗可為靈 感和珍貴素材。 少即是美，尋求共鳴 說回比賽，Myrmidon謂此次取得佳績，她的教練、英語教 學單位三名老師 李思華 博士、 梁潔芝 女士和 張悅瑩 女士功 不可沒。要數從她們身上得到的最大得着，是甚麼呢？「嗯， 是演說中，表達比概念更重要。概念不要太多、太複雜，要 Myrmidon的三位良師（由左至右）：梁潔芝女士、張悅瑩女士和李思華博士 Heroes behind the stage (from left to right): Ms. Ella Leung, Ms. Olive Cheung and Dr. Sarah Lee Sense and Sensibility— Myrmidon Kangara In Greek mythology, the myrmidons are a fierce tribe fighting under Achilles in the Trojan War. For her fondness of Hellenic tales, a mother decided to name her daughter after the valorous people. From myth to reality, this daughter of Zimbabwe is little short of legendary: with mere words she subdues and inspires, but unlike the myrmidons known for their unquestioning subservience, Myrmidon is a social-minded individual who chooses law as her vocation. Possessing great oratorical skills and a strong knowledge base, she landed champion of the CUHK English Public Speaking Competition as a freshman. In the ‘FLTRP • ETIC Cup’ five-day four-round marathon English speaking contest held in Beijing last December, Myrmidon bested 190 top orators across the country and took home the first runner-up, just 0.8 mark behind the champion. Right before my eyes, Myrmidon was mature and spoke no-nonsense. She had a crisp manner of speaking, and upon hearing compliments or when talking about life’s tidbits, she would give coy smiles and infect the surrounding air with an innocent dreaminess, reminding one that she was still just a 19-year-old girl. But when she rolls up her sleeves, this girl covers so much ground that no room is left for complaint: as the interview drew to a close, the writer requested her to send in some information. The next day Myrmidon wrote in a short note, explaining that she needed some time to compile the data and they would be ready shortly. What the writer received later was a 10-page curriculum vitae detailing all clubs and activities she had joined, with all the dates, positions and responsibilities neatly put. The 20 photos she sent in all came with descriptions, together with illustrations in points clarifying the finer details arising in the interview. She did not only inspire confidence on the podium but also in everyday life. The Responsibility to Speak Up Few could have guessed that the queen on stage as we see now was once a Cinderella fettered miserably by her own shyness. Describing herself as ‘definitely introverted’, Myrmidon joined a couple of public speaking clubs in high school, though she was never an active member. Back then she came across a lot of contests and activities that she took an interest in, but she was too timid to speak in front of people and give them a try. ‘As I got into CUHK, I realized the continuing of this trend would be detrimental. If I am to get out of the shell, I need to learn to speak in public.’ Picking up the gauntlet of public speaking was driven by necessity, but what fuels her passion for the oratorical art is a sense of responsibility to life and society. ‘I like the idea of people sharing ideas—I think many problems we have today require us to sit down, talk things over, and then go out and get it done. If you can speak in public, you can share ideas. On the contrary, if you have good ideas but remain reticent, then it is not going to do anyone any good.’ It may be more than a mental break, but how does one perfect one’s skill in the art of public speaking? Myrmidon pointed out that, regular practice aside, observation also plays a crucial role. A speaker needs to learn her trade from everyday life, say in lectures, college assemblies or even from watching a movie or sit-com, paying heed to how people speak. To people who aspire to improve their speaking skills, Myrmidon suggested they should first try to get used to talking face-to-face with other people. ‘They can join a club, say a hiking club, which does not need to be about debating. As they grow in confidence, they can try Toastmasters.’ She stressed that socializing with others is important, as debate covers a wide range of topics and others’ personal experiences can be a rich source to draw on. Less is More, Resonance Rocks Back to the public speaking competition, Myrmidon attributed her good result to the immense help and support she received from her coaches, the three teachers 在台上舌劍唇槍 Crossing verbal swords on stage 04 # 5 3 3 | 0 4 . 0 3 . 2 0 1 9