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Problems in Preparing for the English Impromptu Speech Contest

Entering an ‘English Impromptu Speech Contest’ intimidates many students who do not have a good command of the English language. Some choose to give up before the contest date while others stand speechless on the stage. This paper identifies a range of problems confronted by contestants from my college, the Yuanpei Institute of Science and Technology in Taiwan. These problems can be categorized into three aspects: (1) language, (2) speaking skills and (3) background knowledge. Language poses many difficulties; many students have a narrow knowledge of English vocabulary, others have a limited understanding of correct word usage, and some make frequent mistakes with their grammar usage. As for speaking skills, students lack public speaking organizational skills and the ability to develop key points, and they have difficulty in controlling the subtle yet important timing of a speech and difficulty with attention-grabbing opening statements. The third problem is the contestants’ limited background knowledge. Many students simply do not have the life experiences necessary to converse on a given topic. A number of ways are probed to remedy these problems confronting speech contestants at the Yuanpei Institute.