The second-placed contestant of the Conservation Festival: Perseverance is our only ticket to success
They say that a good speaker must know how to perceive, have the will to listen, patience to learn, and above all, the power to combine it all into one, and express the essence. Milica Ljiljanić knows all that, second place at the Conversation Festival of the Faculty of Law at the University of Montenegro.
A first-year student at the Faculty of Metalurgy and Technology, she found the essence in a conversation about freedom of speech. We praise it, we talk about it, we have it in theory, we often schedule it in practice. Milica reminds us of that.
“I wanted to choose something that is current, something that is often talked about. The right to freedom of speech is, as I emphasized in the sermon, one of the basic human rights. We are witnesses that sometimes expressing a personal opinion on a topic can be punishable, and my oration was dedicated to those people. From the reactions of the expert jury, I realized that I had conveyed a clear message and that they understood the essence of my speech," our interlocutor begins the conversation.
The talented speaker has not appeared before the audience for the first time, nor this has been her first recognition.
“This is not my first conservation contest. As a high school graduate, I competed in the school competition in conversation and won first place. At that time, my oration was called "Woman - the pillar of society and its future". After the competition at the Faculty of Law, I received a lot of praise. I competed with law graduates and won the second prize, the pride I felt after the end of the speech festival cannot be described in words”, says Milica.
The jury found the essence in her speech, and she heard the essence in the words of the winner Đurđina Turković.
“The biggest impression on me was left by the winning speech by Đurđina Turković. The security she has when she speaks has delighted me", explains Milica.
The combination of talent and work on oneself creates a speaker, our interlocutor believes.
“We are born with a talent that needs to be enriched with knowledge. Persistence is our only ticket to success, and without effort and perseverance, talent would not mean much to us”, Milica explains.
Although, fortunately for her, she has never been afraid of public appearances, she has advice for those who struggle with it.
“I have to admit that I have never been nervous when I speak in front of others. I try to explain nicely what I’m talking about, that my speech has a certain dynamic and isn’t boring to those who listen to it. The only advice I can give to others is to be sure of what they are saying and with their heads held high say their opinion whenever they can, without trembling and fear because OPINION is our only torch of freedom”, she concludes.
You can listen to her speech in the video, from 1:09 minute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMyUelftTJY