Nowadays, having a brilliant idea might not be enough to succeed: being able to express it appropriately can make the difference. For this reason, students of the University of Szeged are usually introduced to public speaking since their very first semester. Among them, some develop a real passion for presentations and public speeches. That is why, in the past few years, the presentation techniques competition has been organized, as it provides an opportunity for these students to challenge their presentation skills in a competitive environment.

This year’s competition, which took place on 12 April, 2018, has been perhaps the most exciting so far. In fact, there has been a clear improvement in the quality of the presentations, alongside with the speaking skills of the participants. It was hard to guess who the winner would be, as all the presentations were special in their own way: some were touching, others funny, entertaining and professional. Anyway, witnessing the increasing quality of the presentations given by the students in the past years surely justifies the effort of organizing an event such as this competition.

Among the participants, who were all well-prepared, the students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration have successfully stood out in the past few years. Professors of the GTK Faculty have been preparing their students to such competitions, by teaching them not only to deliver a message but to engage the audience at the same time. Moreover, even though standing in front of a large public in a big hall can be scary, the students could handle it without any major issue.

This year, the first prize of the Presentation Competition went to Arailym Seiitkhanova, a Kazak student of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. For the Faculty, this is the 3rd victory in a row. Arailym, who was the 5th presenter of the day, proved to be a qualified public speaker: she delivered an appropriate amount of information, without adding unnecessary details, and used perfectly the body language to keep the attention of the audience. Arailym’s presentation had a very clear message: in the eternal challenge of heart vs. brain, we might think that the latter is always rational, when in reality it can be influenced by emotions as well. While presenting this neuro-marketing-related topic, she could successfully involve the audience by asking questions and raise their attention by moving strategically around the stage. Additionally, she was definitely able to transmit her enthusiasm to her listeners and it was impossible not to pay attention to her speech. The jury was surely impressed by her work as well, since the judges assigned her with the first prize.

Winners:

• 1st Prize: Arailym Seiitkhanova
• 2nd Prize: Leila Topal
• 3rd Prize: Renáta Betkó
• Special Prizes: Schingler Regina, Torma Bence, Tamási Rebeka
• Audience Prize: Renáta Betkó

Congratulations to every participant!