Judges, Teachers and fellow students: today I would like to talk to you about speeches. There was a time not so long ago when everyone your age participated in public speaking. An oral presentation of information to a classroom of your peers. With a great topic, strong talking points and your fingers crossed; you might move forward to represent your class. Present to the school and then represent your school at regionals. As anyone who watches Glee knows, regionals are pretty much what you work for each season. I didn't dare imagine a level above regionals, could there be nationals? Internationals? Publicly broadcast like the National Spelling Bee...what a dream come true. For a talker like me anyway it's still a dream. In my memory there were 3 major speaking moments.
First grade 5 when my topic was Unicorns. A topic close to my heart and one that filled my imagination. My childhood bedroom covered in the beautiful white beasts. Dreams of mystical proportion always included me riding off into the rainbow lit evening, champion of the day. At this point in my speech writing life I was unsure of what was allowed to be talked about. So instead of filling my 2.5 mins of cue cards with all this passion I felt, it was jammed with facts and history. Things that I didn't relate to. Things that I didn't know how to inspire others with. The speech I was so excited about transformed into cold mythology. My first lesson in speech writing: be passionate about your topic if you want others to be inspired.
The second was grade 8, when my topic was my family. My family's quirks, quips and catastrophes. I knew this topic forwards-backwards and thoroughly. My speech creating imagery of a quiet family life displayed in strange vignettes. Talk of soup cans and multiple sneezes making my classmates laugh. When it came time for my class to vote on who would represent them in the school finals; my teacher read off our names and the topics of our speeches. Having a last name in the middle of the alphabet, I waited for my name to be called. The thunderous applause- which is how popularity was measured- ensured that I would represent the class. And I did almost my best, but I was nervous and got off track, losing myself. It's a good thing I knew so much about my topic and could Hansel and Gretel myself back to the breadcrumb path. Knowledge truly is power.
Thirdly I remember the monologue I choose as my audition piece for theatre school. A comedic rant about not being in love with a man who loved me. At the time Hubby was still far off and my idea of love mirrored that of the heroine. But this was not a speech I wrote, it was not in my rhythm, it wasn't even in my own dialect...she was southern and I don't drawl. Drool perhaps but not drawl. For me to make this speech believable I needed to believe it myself. Build a backstory; be that southern lady, love the words and figure out their meaning. A playwright doesn't just use words. The play is carefully crafted and designed to pull certain heartstrings or hit certain funny bones. It's important to use their words as they wrote them. Speaking in their pattern and striking those same notes. A play is like a song, but instead of notes it's language.
With all my experience in speaking and writing and spinning yarns. There are simple rules: Know your subject, know yourself & believe in what you're saying. I wish that I could have learned that my voice was a strong one earlier in my childhood, I would've loved to go to the National Speak off. Would they accept a mature student like me? Probably not, if there's anything I learned from Glee it's that after 6 years in high school people start to wonder why you're still there.
First grade 5 when my topic was Unicorns. A topic close to my heart and one that filled my imagination. My childhood bedroom covered in the beautiful white beasts. Dreams of mystical proportion always included me riding off into the rainbow lit evening, champion of the day. At this point in my speech writing life I was unsure of what was allowed to be talked about. So instead of filling my 2.5 mins of cue cards with all this passion I felt, it was jammed with facts and history. Things that I didn't relate to. Things that I didn't know how to inspire others with. The speech I was so excited about transformed into cold mythology. My first lesson in speech writing: be passionate about your topic if you want others to be inspired.
The second was grade 8, when my topic was my family. My family's quirks, quips and catastrophes. I knew this topic forwards-backwards and thoroughly. My speech creating imagery of a quiet family life displayed in strange vignettes. Talk of soup cans and multiple sneezes making my classmates laugh. When it came time for my class to vote on who would represent them in the school finals; my teacher read off our names and the topics of our speeches. Having a last name in the middle of the alphabet, I waited for my name to be called. The thunderous applause- which is how popularity was measured- ensured that I would represent the class. And I did almost my best, but I was nervous and got off track, losing myself. It's a good thing I knew so much about my topic and could Hansel and Gretel myself back to the breadcrumb path. Knowledge truly is power.
Thirdly I remember the monologue I choose as my audition piece for theatre school. A comedic rant about not being in love with a man who loved me. At the time Hubby was still far off and my idea of love mirrored that of the heroine. But this was not a speech I wrote, it was not in my rhythm, it wasn't even in my own dialect...she was southern and I don't drawl. Drool perhaps but not drawl. For me to make this speech believable I needed to believe it myself. Build a backstory; be that southern lady, love the words and figure out their meaning. A playwright doesn't just use words. The play is carefully crafted and designed to pull certain heartstrings or hit certain funny bones. It's important to use their words as they wrote them. Speaking in their pattern and striking those same notes. A play is like a song, but instead of notes it's language.
With all my experience in speaking and writing and spinning yarns. There are simple rules: Know your subject, know yourself & believe in what you're saying. I wish that I could have learned that my voice was a strong one earlier in my childhood, I would've loved to go to the National Speak off. Would they accept a mature student like me? Probably not, if there's anything I learned from Glee it's that after 6 years in high school people start to wonder why you're still there.
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