Good evening everybody. It has been a very long day and I am sure very tiring. We, the judges, are reasonably exhausted. Partly because, we had a fierce debate on the result. I wouldn’t comment on which part of the judgment we had a fierce debate, but it was that stimulating, so I thank all the participants for their very stimulating debate. I personally learned a great deal and I think it is the same for my fellow judges as well. For a senior citizen like me, it was a very interesting experience to be hearing about, for example, about startups. I think that is a new word for joint ventures these days, and I had to do some preliminary research so that I would be able to ask some questions, which wouldn’t be laughed at. But that’s a very important part of our modern life. In terms of the topics covered, we ranged a broad range of topics, I mean, starting from rugby to books and the environment and startups, sharing economy and so forth.

It was really encouraging to see all the participants thinking a great deal about these topics and coming out with their own ideas, which they wish to share with everybody. Having participated in the past presentation contests, I am very happy to see that the quality of the presentation has improved very considerably. Having said that, there are one or two things, which I wanted to say. Firstly please do speak with more confidence. If you practice, you can speak with confidence and also it is important to have confidence when you are answering questions in the question and answer period. For that, I think the important thing is to organize in your own mind, what your main message points are, and then when you are asked a question, think back on your message points and try to see if you can answer the question by relating it to your key message points.

In other words, you have been too honest. Some of you have been too honest like one of the poor civil servants of my generation who had to go to the Diet and answer very embarrassing questions. We had to be very defensive, so we couldn’t possibly tell a lie, so we tended to be very, very cautious. Now, in a presentation, you have to speak with confidence, so I do encourage you to come out with your message in answering a question and deliver it with confidence. Thank you very much.

I want to congratulate all of today’s speakers. Today, you showed poise, creativity and skill in speaking in a foreign language, English, and you have mastered that skill. I can tell you all of you to continue your study of the English language and perhaps think about continuing your studies of the English language in the United States where we offer graduate school programs and opportunities for you to participate in speaking programs. So, congratulations to all of you. You all did wonderfully today.

Thank you. I also like to congratulate you all for your fascinating presentation. I very much enjoyed it. Communication is very difficult and challenging. So, when you have your first initial thought, it gets better after rounds of discussion, especially it gets better when pounded by your colleagues and your seniors. So, don’t get intimidated by Q＆A session. It might be intimidating, but it levels up your business model. I have been in the business for quite a long time and the name of the game is Q＆A session. So, with that, I hope you keep on challenging. Thank you.

　今日は素晴らしいプレゼンテーションをありがとうございました。どの方も甲乙つけがたく、我々審査員もたいへん苦労しました。
　私はプレゼンについてではなく、みなさんの将来についてお話ししたいと思います。英語はコミュニケーションのツールと言われますが、良くも悪くも今日本の社会はどんどん変わっています。○○会社の誰々さんではなく、ますます個人対個人で物事が動くように変わりつつあるのを、実際にビジネスをしていると実感します。
　その中で自分をどのようにアピールするか、相手の信用をどう獲得するか、自分についてどう説明するかという個人のコミニュケーションスキルが、今後ますます重要になります。それはビジネスでもそれ以外でも同じです。今回のようなプレゼンテーションをその練習の一つとして、今後も続けていただきたいです。

Thank you very much. I learned a lot today, which is great because that is what a good presentation is all about, to be able to learn something. So, thank you all for the information you gave us today. One of the key things, of course, of a good presentation is to know what your audience wants. I get a sense what the audience really wants to know right now, is who won, so I will keep my remarks very short, except to say that in the three years I have participated in the contest I have seen the skills improve every year, so I would encourage everyone to keep working at it. It is very difficult to give a great presentation. So, congratulations to you all.

I have been also very impressed by your presentations covering a wide range of topics, which are of my great interest. My message to all of you: the communication skill is crucial for your future career development. I hope you will continue your efforts in further developing your skills on communications. I am sure that you have good opportunities to explore your bright future. Thank you. Congratulations.

　私もラグビーワールドカップ招致のため、世界のあちらこちらでプレゼンテーションをしてきた経験から、英語でのプレゼンテーションの力は私たち日本人にとって非常に重要だと感じでいます。今受賞のステージに上がっている皆さんだけでなく、この大会にチャレンジした方々は全員、必ず何か大きなものを得たことと思います。素晴らしいチャレンジをありがとうございました。
　先ほどからQ＆Aの話が出ていますが、私から皆さんへのアドバイスとしたいのは、普段から物事を深く考えていないと、とっさの質問には答えられないということです。学校の勉強やインターネットで情報を得るだけでなく、なるだけ学生のうちにボランティア活動やアルバイトなど、社会に出て体験することが大事です。それによって、より多くのみなさんに訴える中身の濃い回答ができるようになり、将来のプレゼンテーションの役に立つはずです。

I recently reviewed an interesting book about beneficial bacteria for the “Bound to Please” column of The Japan News, so it was nice to hear some of you talk about bacteria. One thing you can learn from bacteria when giving a presentation is to think small. If you’ve got an idea that can fit into a certain space, keep your comments mainly in that space. If you have a very big introduction that you gradually narrow down to the small space, you may waste time that you could use to provide more details about that small area. I think all of you are much more valuable than bacteria, but you should imitate bacteria in at least that way, by focusing in and thinking small.