When Nur Amylia Natasha Saiful Bahri, 15, was thinking of a topic to prepare for Marsiling Secondary School’s (MSS) TeenTalk contest, she considered her English teacher’s advice about choosing a topic that would be relatable and engaging to her schoolmates.

In the end, she decided to speak about giving instant noodles a creative twist, after watching her younger brother devour his second packet of Maggi noodles that week.

Amylia ended up winning the TeenTalk contest held at the school on Friday, and feels proud that she finally overcame her stage fright.

“Before, I did not enjoy public speaking. It’s very nerve-racking. But after TeenTalk, I realised that public speaking is actually really fun,” said the Secondary 3 student.

Madam Salwati Salim, the head of department for English and literature at the school, conceptualised TeenTalk in 2016, modelled after the Ted Talk showcase for speakers presenting well-formed ideas succinctly.

She said she is a firm believer in the English language not being learnt just as a subject to pass an examination.

She wanted a platform to give the school’s students a voice, by building on their public speaking and presentation skills.

Madam Salwati said: “I want them to know that their voice matters, regardless of which school or background they’re from. Their stories matter.”

During a staff retreat at Nanyang Polytechnic in 2017, MSS teachers received feedback from the lecturers there that secondary school students lacked public speaking and presentation skills.

These are important skills that students would need, as many polytechnic modules require students to present their project work.

So the MSS English department redesigned TeenTalk to move it to a bigger platform.

When it first started in 2016, TeenTalk was conducted only in the classrooms as part of English lessons for Secondary 3 students.

Students were taught public speaking and presentation skills. They would then plan and give a presentation on their chosen topics to their classmates.

In 2018, an assembly contest was added to the programme.

Top speakers from each Secondary 3 class would give a presentation on their topic to the entire school and a panel of judges comprising key personnel from other departments.

“We need to present it to the entire school, so that it will be an impetus for the rest of the levels, from juniors to the Secondary 3s, to know what it takes to be a good speaker,” said Madam Salwati.

Ramos Joaquin Emmanuel Lopez, 16, a Secondary 4 student, fondly recalls his participation in the TeenTalk contest in 2022.

He liked the autonomy to plan and prepare his presentation, and the interesting things he learnt from his peers.

He said: “What I liked about it the most was how I was in charge of everything. I was in charge of creating my own slides and picking the topic I wanted to talk about.”

Ms Dian Khairyani Mondzi, a senior English teacher at the school, said that apart from building public speaking and presentation skills, the students enjoy TeenTalk as it allows them to bond with their peers and speak about things they are passionate about.

“They actually get to learn more about their friends. So it’s an eye-opener for them because they realise that, ‘hey, my friend actually has a similar hobby to mine’.

“Second, they get to share about what they’re really passionate about. So when they come to class, it’s not just about academic work,” she said.

The school’s principal, Mr Leonard Koh, is excited to see the TeenTalk programme evolve and grow. He sees it as a valuable addition to the educational experience of students in heartland schools like MSS.

“Not only are they encouraged to generate ideas, they are also given that nudge to go further to share their ideas, present their ideas and convince someone else,” he said.

“In a way, they learn how to engage others through this programme.”