Photo: MC15, Mr Ananh Sengsavang
With the words flowing as clearly and adroitly as those of a seasoned professional, it's not hard to realise that 18-year-old Mr Ananh Sengsavang has real talent.
This acumen shone through at the SEA Games Announcers Contest, where he deftly answered questions and demonstrated his linguistic abilities on stage.
This was the moment when the young man could win over those critics who doubted that someone of such a tender age could master the microphone.
His clear Lao and English language speaking skills were foremost among the reasons why he has been selected as one of 10 announcers for December's games.
The young man is a Vientiane native, but is also a veteran of two years of language study in Australia .
Despite his youth he was able to withstand the pressure, managing to pull together a performance to woo the judges and assembled audience.
As he talked during this interview, Ananh partly hid face with his hand, covering his nervousness.
“I think it's incredible I could pass this test, pitted against 45 contestants with experience as TV and radio presenters.
“It's all the more surprising after I sent my picture to the contest organisers and some people said my candidacy was inappropriate due to my age.
“However, that was good for me, as it was the first step towards improving my mental toughness and developing my ability to do well in this contest.”
Talkative by nature, Ananh has enjoyed entertaining others since he was a child, which could be where his ambitions as an announcer have their roots.
More recently he has been seeking to increase his experience and has been hosting a radio programme after school.
This practice has undoubtedly proven its benefit in competition with contestants more senior and seasoned than he.
Ananh tried to explain what helped him to pass the test.
He said he was almost unable to control his poise during the selection interview.
However, there was a secret weapon at hand. He was lucky enough to have learnt to reduce stress by mastering his breathing.
“It was hard to believe but it worked. I knew that when I heard my name announced in the list of 20 finalists,” he recounted with a grin.
In that round he felt more confident. Coming up against 20 senior contestants at the National Culture Hall, he once again dodged the cut and was selected as one of the 10 announcers for the SEA Games.
Ananh said he had both excitement and fear of failure coming into the final round.
Presented with an article and only 10 minutes to prepare, he was competing on stage.
He also had to write scripts himself in a bid to communicate with the audience.
The most challenging task was to remain composed when dealing with an incident on stage.
Being able to handle unexpected occurrences on stage is very important if you want to be a good Master of Ceremonies.
The young man showed his problem-solving ability and gained experience from this challenge.
Ananh explained that although he had spoken on-air and received valuable advice from his seniors, he remained unsure of his success.
According to the young man, that's partly because addressing a large remote audience, as one speaks alone via radio, can seem like a solitary exercise.
Speaking on stage to an audience is what really gets his nervous energy up.
“However, you must learn to adjust, just take in the feel of the event.”
So, what was the most difficult part of the contest? Ananh confidently answered that everything had both simple and hard aspects, and it was up to the individual to overcome both.
Like many a proverb says, when one is patient, success is found.
“For me, the difficulty was like a challenge, and an opportunity to improve myself,” Ananh said.
Ananh is a student at the Faculty of Architecture at the National University of Laos.
While he has yet to formally do any media studies, he still loves speaking, providing information and entertaining other people. He hopes his experiences at the SEA Games will give him the opportunity to become a renowned presenter in the future, be it wooing the crowds in person or via the airwaves from a broadcasting studio.
By Ounkham Pimmata
Vientianetimes
