LHS Public Speaking

writing, editing, and presenting speeches

 

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Table of Contents:

  1. Vocabulary
  2. Techniques
  3. Format
  4. Progression

 

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Vocabulary:

  • Accent:  The prominence of a syllable in terms of loudness, pitch, and/or length.
  • Articulation:  The act of producing clear, precise and distinct speech.
  • Body Language:  Body stance, gestures and facial expressions.
  • Dialect:  A variety of language, cant or jargon that is set apart from other varieties of the same language by grammar, vocabulary or patterns of speech sounds.
  • Diction:  The accent, inflection, intonation and sound quality of a speaker’s voice. Also known as enunciation.
  • Elocution:  The formal study and practice of oral delivery, especially as it relates to the performance of voice and gestures.
  • Extemporaneous Delivery:  Learning your speech well enough so that you can deliver it from a key word outline.
  • Impromptu Speeches:  A speech delivered without previous preparation.
  • Inflections:  Variations, turns and slides in pitch to achieve meaning.
  • Manuscript Delivery:  Reading the text of a speech word for word.
  • Memorized Delivery:  Learning a speech by heart and then delivering it without notes.
  • Performance:  The execution of a speech in front of an audience.
  • Pitch:  The highness or lowness of one’s voice or of sound.
  • Pronunciation:  Saying words correctly, with the accurate articulation, stress and intonation, according to conventional or cultural standards.
  • Regionalism:  A speech form, expression or custom that is characteristic to a particular geographic area.
  • Tempo:  The rate, pace, or rhythm of speech.
  • Timbre:  The characteristic quality of the sound of one’s voice.
  • Tone:  The particular sound quality (e.g. nasal or breathy) or emotional expression of the voice.
  • Verbatim:  To say with exactly the same words.
  • Vocalized Pauses:  Verbal fillers in speech such as “um,” “uh,” “like,” “and,” or “you know.”

 

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Techniques:

Body Language:

  • arms folded:  [effect on different people/audiences –TBA]
  • blinking more than normal:  [effect]
  • bold stance:  [effect]
  • bowing:  [effect]
  • fist raised:  [effect]
  • hands in pockets:  [effect]
  • hands up:  [effect]
  • looking down:  [effect]
  • looking to side:  [effect]
  • looking up:  [effect]
  • namaste:  [effect]
  • prolonged eye contact:  [effect]
  • smiling normally:  [effect]
  • smiling with eyes:  [effect]
  • smiling, fake/forced:  [effect]
  • more TBA…
  • [example TBA]:  [effect]

Mind Tricks:

  • going with the flow; not preplanning / rehearsing what you will say
  • listening with the intent to understand, not just to take your turn saying what you already thought of
  • picturing the audience in their underwear, etc.
  • more TBA

 

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Format:

(general outline/structure for some types of speeches)

  1. personal anecdote (or other attention catcher/grabber)
  2. overview
  3. body
  4. closing/summary
  5. Q&A

 

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Progression:

Sequence of practice levels:

  1. give a short (one-minute) speech to yourself; facing a mirror
  2. give a short speech to a family member
  3. give a short speech to a friend
  4. give a short speech to new acquaintance
  5. give a short speech to a classmate
  6. give a short speech to a stranger
  7. now try all of those in a sexy outfit
  8. now try all of those nude
  9. give a medium-length (~five-minute) speech to yourself
  10. give a medium-length speech to a family member
  11. give a medium-length speech to a friend
  12. give a medium-length speech to new acquaintance
  13. give a medium-length speech to a classmate
  14. now try all of those in a sexy outfit
  15. now try all of those nude
  16. give a long (~ten+ minute) speech to yourself
  17. give a long speech to a family member
  18. give a long speech to a friend
  19. give a long speech to new acquaintance
  20. give a long speech to a classmate
  21. give a speech to a group of classmates/students
  22. give a speech to the whole class (to dozens of people)
  23. give a speech to another class (to ~a hundred people)
  24. give a speech at a party (such as a bachelor party or reunion)
  25. give a speech to an auditorium (to hundreds of people)
  26. give a speech to a stadium (to thousands of people)
  27. give a speech on live TV (to potentially millions of people)
  28. now try all of those in a sexy outfit
  29. now try all of those nude
  30. give a speech a foreign language
  31. give a speech in ASL
  32. give a speech in one of Inisfree’s languages

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By School-year:

  1. To self
  2. To mirror (seeing how one’s own body language looks, and perfecting it)
  3. To teacher
  4. To friend
  5. To Batch (group of pre-surface ICVs / classmates)
  6. To stranger (guest of the class/es)
  7. To multiple strangers
  8. With distractions (conditioning for potential bullies/fools/hecklers in the Outlands)
  9. With dangers (e.g. to boost motivation of troops dealing with incoming)
  10. Recorded
  11. Radio Broadcast (conditioning for the stress of knowing thousands or even millions may be listening)
  12. Televised
  13. Exodus (optional speaking to animals who might be encountered during this year-long outing/seasoning)
  14. To hundreds (in person) –theater/theatrical; posb. part of a stage performance
  15. To thousands
  16. To millions (thus ready if intended to participate in any of our 5 Congresses)

 

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