On Wednesday 26 May 2023, Mrs. Thitiporn Chirasawadi, the Director of the Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs (DVIFA), assigned Dr. Narat Vidyananda, Minister Counsellor, to preside over the closing ceremony of the Oral Communication Course (OCC) 2023. Dr. Narat delivered his congratulatory address and presented certificates of achievement to the 21 participants made up of government officials from 8 government agencies and state enterprises. These include (1) The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security; (2) The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives; (3) The Ministry of Energy; (4) The Ministry of Justice; (5) The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation; (6) The Ministry of Education; (7) Bangkok Metropolitan Administration; (8) Metropolitan Electricity Authority.

               Dr Narat commended each of the participants for their hard work and the determination that they had demonstrated throughout the past 5 weeks and their ability to fulfill the main objectives of the course. He expressed his confidence that the knowledge and skills they have learned and internalized will help them to henceforth achieve their professional goals. In addition, this course could serve as a bridge towards friendship and professional network building among all of the participants and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

               The OCC course ran from 26 April to 26 May 2023, over a period of 120 hours, including training at DVIFA and a 3-day workshop in Nakhon Pathom. The course was designed to improve the speaking abilities of government officials in giving presentations and expressing ideas in meetings more clearly and concisely to address audiences’ needs and expectations. The subjects covered were Presentation Skills, Fundamental Skills for Meetings, Impromptu Speaking, MC and Moderating and Speech Writing.

               During the final week, the participants attended a three-day workshop in Nakhon Pathom. The workshop commenced with a study visit to the Rice Science Centre at Kasetsart University, bringing them to the world of modern technology for rice production and transformation. The visit beneficially prepared them for the subsequent simulated workshop under the theme “International Technology and Innovation Expo 2023”. The aims of the workshop were to encourage them to work collaboratively by bringing both their expertise and experience to the table and by applying the skills and language they have learned, to enhance creativity and to challenge them to deliver two differently styled presentations in a simulated context: consisting of a panel presentation with PowerPoint slides and a display board for an EXPO booth.