Audience spellbound by 10-year-old's confidence and eloquence

KUALA LUMPUR: She is just 10 years old, but her amazing confidence and eloquence in public speaking held her audience which includes international leaders at a recent dinner event here, spellbound.

Not only did she have a good command of English, but Nur Ayeesha Azzaleea Mohamed Mukhriz also demonstrated a modest style with a well-modulated and organised speech that received thunderous applause from the audience.

It is not a wonder when the performance by the student of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) USJ 12, Subang Jaya at the 6th Round of the Indo-Pacific Economy Framework for Prosperity dinner here on Oct 19, went viral on TikTok with 1.3 million views since it was uploaded on Oct 20.

Nur Ayeesha Azzaleea, better known as Zaza, admitted that she never feels fear or panic on stage, even when speaking in front of a foreign audience.

"I always visualise the audience as a group of ants or a game. If something goes wrong, for example, if I forget the text, I will take a moment to calm down and speak slowly while trying to remember it.

"Alhamdulillah, I've never had that issue throughout my time in public speaking, only once that I had a problem saying the word 'osteoporosis', but managed to overcome it," she told Bernama.

Zaza who is also active in dance through the school's dance club, Tatih Pusaka Seni USJ12, usually practices in front of a wall, or mirror, or her parents who role-play as spectators and give feedback.

"My mother also records the practice sessions so we can evaluate my performance style, especially in terms of communication skills. If something is off, she will point it out," said Zaza who sees her mother Norani Mohd Sarawanie as her role model.

Norani, 42, said she realised her daughter's special talent in public speaking when she was seven years old.

"Zaza loves to talk. She can review a book or movie very well with my husband and me. She still has a habit of doing it now," she said.

Norani sent Zaza to public speaking classes in Subang Jaya for the past two years to develop her potential and increase her confidence in the field.

Norani, who is also a teacher at SK USJ 12, Subang Jaya, said Zaza's ability to communicate fluently in English is due to her love of watching videos in that language on YouTube since she was very young.

"The videos mostly have American and British accents, which Zaza likes to imitate, so much so that some people say she is also good at imitating the way mixed-race actress, Zahirah McWilson, speaks.

"Although Zaza has mastered the English language, she is also fluent in Bahasa Melayu. In fact, she won several storytelling competitions in the national language," she added, emphasising that parental support is the main factor in the development of a child.

"Don't break their spirit, instead always encourage them to keep trying. We also need to participate in the activities they want to do," she said, adding that she is also fully supportive of her daughter's ambition to be in the arts and culture scene.

-- BERNAMA