Newsletter No. 533

取其精華，慢慢表述，讓聽眾明白，甚至聽得如沐春風。只有當別 人明白你所說的，才有機會與之共鳴。」 演說的最高境界是情感共鳴，這也是Myrmidon此次出征領悟的： 「颱風來了，若你只陳述應對方案，別人會無動於衷；但若你指出 人們正在水深火熱之中，我們要伸出援手，因為我們本為一體， 這樣便能打動人心，令人追隨。演說要說之以理，更要動之以情， 因人皆有情感，若你能進入他們的內心，牽動他們的悲喜，你便 能獲取所有。」 莎士比亞《凱撒大帝》的安東尼，藉感性的修辭扭轉乾坤、奪得權 力，箇中竅門，Myrmidon作為演說者和法律學生，心裏清楚；但 在辯題要求和當事人利益以外，布魯圖斯的直白與誠懇，則是她 的立命之所。在「外研社．國才杯」演講比賽總決賽以「世界」為題 的即席演說中，Myrmidon指出世界是理性和感性交織的場所，只 有兩者攜手，如以科學糾正偏執，以宗教引導解決科學帶來的道 德爭議，人類才能走進美好。演說與做人，講求的是理智與感情的 在「外研社．國才杯」演講比賽，Myrmidon得不少好友襄助，其中兩位為四川工商學院劉昱希（左）、「外研社．國才杯」和「21世紀．可口可樂杯」兩項大賽冠 軍、曲阜師範大學臧英傑（右），小妮子銘記於心 During the FLTRP • ETIC Cup contest, Myrmidon made friends with quite a few contestants and received a lot of help from them. Among them are Liu Yuxi (left) from Sichuan Technology and Business University and Jason Zang (right) from Qufu Normal University, who is also champion of both FLTRP • ETIC Cup and 21st Century Coca-Cola Cup English speaking contests 分寸拿捏，要無悔無憾，關鍵是擁有一顆善良和柔軟的心。 這顆心Myrmidon擁有。在演辯世界裏，她追隨馬丁路德金、麥 爾坎．X和小說家 奇瑪曼達．阿迪契 的腳步，除了以情感召，也提 出行動綱領，讓演說不只是漂亮的說辭。愛寫作和閱讀的她，閒 來寫詩也會以社會公義為主題。詩詞和演說看似站在情與理的兩 端，但她認為兩者有相通之處：「將很多意念放進一篇短短的演 講之中，恰如詩歌，要將意念凝鑄在字裏行間，且句與句要有所連 繫。」演說，不就是Myrmidon獻給世界的一篇篇情詩？ 尼日利亞作家齊魯瓦．阿切比在小說《神箭》寫道：「世界仿如一 場面具舞會，如果要看清全貌，便不能只站一隅。」千里迢迢到 異地求學，為的就是開闊眼界，獲取真知。然而留學僅為形式， 更重要是開放心靈，欣然接受途上的挑戰和喜悲。Innocent和 Myrmidon兩位津國少年，緣結香港和中大，千山歷遍，收獲成 長。他們的多采經歷會否為你帶來啟發，走出舒適區，來一趟世 界或心靈的旅行？ at the English Language Teaching Unit—Dr. Sarah Lee , Ms. Ella Leung and Ms. Olive Cheung . What is the biggest lesson she learned from them? ‘Well, it’s that in public speaking, delivery matters more than ideas. Speak slowly and to the points, do not bombard the audience with complex or too many ideas, make sure they understand or even enjoy your speech. Only when they understand what you are saying can they connect and agree with you.’ Myrmidon also took home from the mainland contest the lesson that consummate public speaking is winning the hearts of the audience. ‘Let’s say the monsoon is coming. If you just give a plan on how we are going to protect the people, it’s not going to win over the crowd. But if you say people are drowning, let us help everyone because we are one united family, people will bond with it emotionally. Focus on the content, and more so the emotion, because at the end of the day, people are emotional beings. If you can get to their emotions, then the audience is yours.’ How Antony uses his rhetoric to turn the tides in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is not lost to the orator and law student Myrmidon. But Brutus’s sincerity and speaking from the heart in the same play are what she abides by. In the impromptu speaking round of the grand finale of the ‘FLTRP • ETIC Cup’ contest where the finalists were asked to explain what the world is to them, Myrmidon put forward the view that the world is a mix of sense and sensibility. Only when they go hand in hand, such as using science to rectify prejudices, or religion to resolve the moral crises brought about by scientific progresses can mankind obtain peace. How to speak in public and how to live one’s life are all about treading the fine line between sense and sensibility, guided by a kind and grateful heart. And Myrmidon possesses a kind and grateful heart. In the world of public speaking, her role models are Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and the novelist Chimamanda Adichie , who impressed billions with not just their beautiful rhetorics and passions but also concrete plans which people can follow to bring about changes. An avid reader and a writer of poetry herself, Myrmidon tackles issues of social justice in her poems. Poetry and public speaking appear to stand in the pole positions of emotion and reason, but she sees the two have something in common: ‘You put a lot of ideas organically into a speech, just like in a poem every word, line or even space counts.’ Aren’t her speeches her love poetry to the world? Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe writes in his novel Arrow of God : ‘The world is like a Mask dancing. If you want to see it well you do not stand in one place.’ Going abroad and pursuing knowledge are often Siamese twins. Yet going abroad is simply the first step; what matters is to open one’s heart and mind to embrace the trials and tribulations along the way. Innocent and Myrmidon have come from Zimbabwe and met at Hong Kong and CUHK. Their extraordinary stories will surely inspire many other travelogues of the soul. Amy L. 05 # 5 3 3 | 0 4 . 0 3 . 2 0 1 9