1705135849
1705135850
During the speech, a debater needs to convey confidence through the use of posture and stance. When called upon by the adjudicator to give a speech, stand up calmly and walk purposefully to the front of the room. Jumping up nervously or continuing to scribble notes conveys the impression that the speaker is anxious or not ready to speak. Similarly, when standing to offer a point of information, stand calmly, but purposefully; do not give the impression that, if the point is not accepted, everything is lost. Stand calmly as if to say, “Now is a good time to make that point I’ve been saving.”
1705135851
1705135852
While speaking, debaters should stand with their feet planted, about shoulder-width apart. Having the feet planted means that the speaker should keep both feet on the floor with weight distributed constantly and evenly on both feet. In other words, debaters should not rock on their feet or shift their weight from foot to foot. Keeping the feet firmly planted communicates that the debater is taking a firm stance in terms of content. Shifting of weight or rocking makes a debater look uncomfortable about what he or she is saying. Similarly, pacing around the front of the room makes a debater look nervous as though he or she wants to leave the room. Remember to stand firmly with feet planted to avoid letting nervousness play out in speaking.
1705135853
1705135854
Many rooms in which debaters are assigned to speak will not have a podium. In those cases, debaters need to find a comfortable way of speaking, even when they have to hold their notes in their hands. They should stand straight rather than bend over to look at notes placed on a low table or desk for at least three reasons. First, standing straight helps the audience hear the debater more easily because his or her voice is projected to the audience members rather than downward at the table. Second, speakers who are bent over cannot breathe from their diaphragm. Debaters will speak more comfortably and confidently if they have access to diaphragmatic breathing. Third, by standing up straight while speaking, debaters will look more credible than if they are hunched over papers on a table.
1705135855
1705135857
14.3.2 Maintaining Eye Contact
1705135858
1705135859
While norms of eye contact vary from culture to culture, debaters need to keep an eye on judges for a couple of reasons. First, looking at the judges helps debaters know what judges are writing and what they are not writing. Are they following the arguments that debaters are making? Are they lost? Some facial expressions and movements of judges can give a debater a lot of information about how to adjust his or her speech to the needs of the debate. Second, for many Western judges, eye contact is a sign of confidence and credibility, whereas, looking at notes or looking at the wall indicates that debaters are less sure of they are saying. Of course, debaters should not appear disrespectful to members of their audiences, so following cultural practices is the first order of importance for the speech. In most Asian cultures, extended, steady, or constant eye contact is considered rude and challenging. In these situations, brief and intermittent eye contact is preferred.
1705135860
1705135862
14.3.3 Facial Expressions
1705135863
1705135864
Facial expressions can help create sound emotional appeals and can make a speech more interesting. Debaters should try to match their expressions to what they are saying. Obviously, debaters should not exaggerate their expressions, but should let their feelings about what they are saying show on their faces. Debaters should think about what they want the audience to feel about the example they are using or the explanations they are making. Audiences frequently get cues for how speakers feel about their materials from the speaker’s facial expressions and vocal tone. Having facial expressions that reflect the emotional appeals of a debater’s speech will create a consistent message sent to the audience through multiple channels of speaking, and will increase the debater’s credibility.
1705135865
1705135867
14.3.4 Gestures
1705135868
1705135869
Gestures can show a speaker’s confidence and help emphasize important points in his or her speech. For gestures to look confident and serve the purpose of emphasis, they must be limited, purposeful, and varied. Speakers who are nervous frequently gesture too much in their speeches. Their hands and arms are constantly moving throughout the seven minutes of their speech. Gestures are a little like underlining or highlighting in a book. If used sparingly, highlighting draws the reader’s attention to the important passages in the book. If an entire page is highlighted or underlined, nothing stands out and the page is harder to read. In a speech, gesturing constantly can distract an audience from what the speaker is saying. Gestures should be limited to those times when the debater wants to draw attention to important words and phrases.
1705135870
1705135871
Gestures can also present a visual picture of the structure of a speech or an argument. A debater might, for example, hold up a finger to help indicate his or her first point, two fingers to assist in indicating point two, and so forth. A gesture can visually represent a comparison when the debater holds out one hand and describes one half of the comparison, then holds out the other hand to describe the other half of the comparison. Debaters should make sure gestures are varied and avoid using the same gesture over and over during the speech.
1705135872
1705135874
14.4 Using the Voice in Delivery
1705135875
1705135876
Voice plays a powerful role in delivering a speech. Using voice with variety and purpose enhances a debater’s speaking. This section explains how to vary the use of voice purposefully. The rate of speaking and the use of pauses, volume, and vocal tone all contribute to the quality of a speech and, used well, can give the impression of polish and poise.
1705135877
1705135879
14.4.1 Speaking Rate
1705135880
1705135881
The rate of speaking is one important element of voice. As previously mentioned, a speech that starts off at a slower rate can help audiences who are unfamiliar with a debater’s accent or pronunciation adjust to that debater’s speaking. In addition to controlling the rate at the beginning of a speech, a debater can also use quicker or slower speech as a delivery strategy to keep the speech more interesting and effective.
1705135882
1705135883
Speaking at the exactly same pace for the entire seven minutes is not as interesting or as easy to listen to as a speech that has some variety to it. However, debaters should not arbitrarily vary their rate of speaking. When describing the model, for example, the debater will want to slow down. Description of the model is an important part of the Prime Minister speech where a misunderstanding could not only hurt the opening government team, but the debate as a whole. Any speaker using complex concepts or processes, unfamiliar ideas, or complicated evidence should slow down during the delivery of those parts of his or her speech. A debater should increase his or her pace a little when using a narrative example, when recapping familiar ideas, or when repeating arguments already explained earlier in the debate. A quickened pace conveys confidence and enthusiasm; a slower pace conveys thought and care. Having a mixture of those qualities improves any speech.
1705135884
1705135886
14.4.2 Pauses
1705135887
1705135888
Pauses are another element of voice that is important to delivery. Just as a book with no punctuation would be confusing, a speech without appropriate pauses is confusing. Using pauses in the speech can help indicate that the debater is moving on to a new idea or is open to taking a point of information. Pausing can let the audience catch their mental breath for a second and reflect on what the debater has just said. A pause would be helpful after delivering complex or important material, such as a model or a detailed piece of evidence. It is also helpful to pause after delivering a preview of the speech’s main points. That way, the judges can make sure they understand the structure of the speech before it gets underway. Debaters should also pause between points. In addition to making sure that they use pauses in their speeches, debaters also make sure that their pauses are silent. Sometimes, debaters will use filled pauses during their speeches. These are sounds like “uhhhh” or “ummmm” during a pause. Pauses are the most effective if they are silent, unfilled by sounds or words.
1705135889
1705135891
14.4.3 Volume
1705135892
1705135893
Volume of a speech affects how the audience perceives the debater’s vocal delivery. Any speech should be delivered at a volume that the audience can hear. As debaters think about how loudly to speak in a debate, they need to consider the size of the room and how far away the judges are. In larger rooms with high ceilings, they will need to speak more loudly. In smaller rooms, they will want to speak more quietly so the judges don’t feel as though the debaters are shouting at them. In addition to speaking at the appropriate volume, debaters can also consider using volume as an element to make a speech sound more interesting. Purposefully varying the volume of a speech can enhance delivery and make a debater sound more polished. The debater can raise his or her voice a bit when describing an example that causes outrage, then can lower the voice describing something that is extremely serious. Going from a louder to a quieter voice will often cause a judge look up from his or her notes to listen more carefully to the debater. A debater can lower his or her volume to call attention to an important point in the debate.
1705135894
1705135896
14.4.4 Tone
1705135897
1705135898
Tone, like many other elements of delivery, should be varied during the speech. A monotone speech is indicative of a boring speech. Most of the time, if debaters are speaking extemporaneously, they will not sound as monotone as they might if they were reading from a manuscript. In an extemporaneous speech, debaters will likely use the same natural variation of tone used in conversation. Tone can help emphasize important points and assist the adjudicators and audience in picking up emotional appeals. Debaters should make sure that they vary their tone according to the emotions in the speech. Debaters need to consider what they want the audience to feel. By thinking actively about how the arguments, examples, and ideas make them feel and how they want the audience to feel, debaters should have little trouble matching their vocal tone to the emotional tone of their arguments. Debaters who are struggling with varying their tone can try varying their facial expressions. One’s tone generally lines up with the emotions one is displaying facially.
[
上一页 ]
[ :1.705135849e+09 ]
[
下一页 ]