EPFL Public Speaking contest 2019

Changemaker: Marwan El Chazli

Country of Implementation: Switzerland

Engineering and science students are seldom taught effective communication skills. Yet today

more than ever, scientists and engineers need to engage in more productive conversations with

the general public; we see the impact of that in the crisis of climate change, among other things. To

start bridging this gap between the world of scientists and the public, I launched in 2017 a

public speaking contest which then became an annual event at EPFL, one of Europe's most

prestigious engineering universities. After a very successful edition in 2018, we are looking to

organize the largest public speaking competition in Switzerland and the only one of this scale to be

organized on an engineering campus. Six finalists will be invited to perform in front of a jury

composed of important Swiss personalities. In parallel, free and open public speaking

workshops are organized, benefiting over 200 engineering and science students.

The contest will take place on October 8, 2019 in the prestigious Swisstech Convention Center.

The goal is to send a strong message to the public and to scientists: everybody can, and

should, learn how to communicate a clear and important message.