Lesson eleven: delivery & timekeeper
Rhetoric: debating style
11.1. Same as last time.
11.2. But first aCHECK-LIST: have they been speaking or reading ? EYES: looking at the audience (eye-contact!), or mistakenly at the other side, at their feet, at the ceiling?
HANDS: flapping and gesticulating, or standing calmly with a pencil held between the fingers of both hands?
FEET: are they steady, or moving backwards and forwards nervously?
When replying to a point of information, say "Mr Chair / Madam Chair ", or "Ladies and Gentlemen"; o r combine the two and say " Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen. ") The same can be said at the end of each paragraph, or after every few sentences.
It is reassuring, it bridges gaps, it reminds us to talk to the audience and not to the other side.
11.3. None of this has anything to do with being serious . Good debaters are serious, so that they can be taken seriously, but good debaters are also witty and can approach the topic lightly. Arguments have to be sold , not just told . The more serious the topic, the more relaxed the approach. Fun is not just confined to funny topics.
11.4 . There's also work for a time-keeper , sitting near the chair. A ring of a bell, or a knock of a gavel (hammer) or a gong , or a tap on a glass to announce...
11.4.1. the end of the first minute of a speech (the beginning of POIs);
11.4.2. the start of the last minute of a speech (the end of any POIs);
11.4.3. that time is up (a double ring or knock); and finally
11.4.4. that the speech must stop NOW! (a continuous ringing or knocking).
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