 The awards ceremony and the orientation for the 4th batch of the Communication and Leadership Skills Programme was held at the Royal College auditorium on January 15.
The event which simultaneously staged a demonstrative club meeting by group 1 and an awards ceremony saw the students flaunt their newly acquired skills for which they were awarded with certificates in recognition of their outstanding performances.
Delivering the welcome address Mr.Sunil De Silva, the President of Serendib Toastmasters Club was thankful for the support he received to launch the programme and added that the students should make the most out of this opportunity and learn these vital skills that will help them in the future when they step into society.
 "The programme is training three batches of students with a fourth batch online. Each batch has to undergo 12 sessions of this training.
Through the program we impart knowledge as to how one must present himself in front of an audience, acquire self confidence and learn to conduct sessions as a leader. Communication and English are essential in today's world. It's important that you learn the language of the day which is English. After 12 weeks of training the students are now prepared to perform in front of an audience so let's carefully observe the change. If there is a change then we have achieved our goal and you have achieved something for yourself," he said addressing an eager group of students.
Subsequently the Chairman for the day Udeera Bandara kicked off the proceedings with an inspirational message which was followed by an introduction of the role players.
There were three specific sessions in this demonstrative Club Meeting, namely; Round Robin, Table Topics and prepared speeches.
Interestingly, the evaluation process of every single speech that was presented at these sessions were conducted by the students themselves which was a new experience that offered them an opportunity to understand the entire progression of communication and presentation.
Upon listening to the powerful speeches delivered by the students with an air of conviction it was evident that they had put their heart and soul to pull of an amazing show of talent that left the audience stunned with pleasure.
Mr.Priyanga Hapugalle, the immediate Past President of Serendib Toastmasters Club who addressed the gathering was pleased with the remarkable transformation that he had witnessed in the students which had left him speechless. Mr.Hapugalle added "there is a crying need to produce people who are not only academically qualified but have that personality when entering society. This program is proof of talent that lies behind the academic curriculum."
Meanwhile, the principal of Royal College Mr.Upali Gunesekara noted that he was extremely satisfied with the performance of the students and went onto say that this Communication and Leadership Skills program should be taken to the classroom level defying all obstacles.
He also went on to say "This program is important as it covers various aspects of public speaking throughout the 12 sessions. English is not our mother tongue and it's an unfamiliar language which we seldom use. I noticed that you'll have gathered a lot of knowledge and done research before reaching this level and I want to thank the boys for what they have achieved during the last couple of months. English plays a major role when looking for higher education prospects and job opportunities in the world."
Finally the students were awarded certificates by the principal of Royal College Mr.Upali Gunesekara.
The Communication and Leadership Skills Program is conducted by Serendib Toastmasters in Collaboration with the Royal College UNSECO club and Peoples Bank. Its sponsored by HNB Assurance while Wijeya Newspapers Ltd is the media sponsor. (Shabnam Farook)
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