29/04/2010

from 14 to 21: Faith

Yesterday, in Center London, I told a story about Faith to a group who sit all around, quite an interesting experience.

Also, I was not sure enough of myself and did tell too much AND for exemple, and too many times was searching for the right word, I did it> Next time, better...

Yesterday In central London

I told a story about Faith to a group who sit all around, quite an interesting experience

18/04/2010

Observations from the first debate

After weeks of preparation and practice, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg finally took to the stage to debate.

some snippets found from experts observations on BBC website

"All three made extensive, and I would say excessive, use of anecdotes," says Max Atkinson. Throughout the 90 minutes the leaders recalled stories about people they had met on the campaign trail to illustrate certain points.

"Nick Clegg came out with some rather good lines, and used alliteration and powerful imagery

The rule of threes - making statements in three parts - something both Mr Cameron and Mr Brown demonstrated. Cameron's use of the three-part list was more effective because it wasn't highlighted."

Another technique demonstrated by the politicians, was the use of contrasts, which our expert says can be very powerful.

"Gordon Brown came across as more relaxed than usual and maybe humour had something to do with that," he adds.

Nick Clegg looked the most relaxed,

"In terms of pure debating techniques, Brown delivered technical information clearly. Cameron was soft on arguments and high on rhetoric, and Clegg framed himself as the voice of reason away from the other two parties."

Our expert says there were moments when all three let their guard down, like the time Mr Brown joked the Conservatives had done him a favour by putting his image on the their election posters.
Hand gestures
Big on hand movements - Brown, Clegg and Cameron

"You can see both Cameron and Brown smiling and laughing. That was a very powerful moment... everybody became more human."

===============
Nick looked the more relaxed thus gained more, audience appreciation, but personally I did listen also to what each said, and did not like at all what he said that he thinks we, from European Communion also should need work permit! I am also wondering, what would say all British who go to work in other European Countries, if they were told that! And that was not the only issue, where he did give "popularist" opinions without too much thinking of the consequences.

But at the end of the debate, for sure, he did gain more then the other two usually more exposed already and with a lot more responsibility on their shoulders of their proposals.

So the stance, body language, humour, etc are important, but also the message.

There was a moment at the end, when Gordon Brown went into the audience to greet people and the other two stood, undecided on the podium what to do, which stuck me, and which, if repeated on TV, but it was not, would have seen awkward for those.

13/04/2010

Rhetoric from begining of the election

David Cameron used contrast, between other devices, contrasting the 
"Road to ruin" the others will lead, and the "Road to prosperity" his party will lead.  He also spoke lots of time about "Change" and "New", giving a special small favour to married people, and excluding all others, is it a "change" and "new"?


Gordon Brown, used also a contrast, a message that got also showed from the beginning, opening with the cabinet near him, and all through the campaign, asking others to come and speak with him, and thus become more then just a rhetoric device. 
"I am not a team of one. As everybody can see, I am one of a team." 


I do not vote in UK, but look, ponder. Think. Learn. Looking to speeches in this election, and analysing their impact, I learn a lot about how to become an effective speaker.

From yesterday's BBC 2 emission

The emission took us to old debates and showed us how some won and others lost the presidential debate "lessons learned"

One that impressed me a lot is not just hearing but seeing, Bill Clinton going near the public, looking, interacting with them "working them" very effective, at the same time, Bush did not even understand the auditor's question and kept on speaking about deficit and the state, not adressing the woman's personal wory. Kept himself far from the audience.

Another example was how Obama looked to McCanain, who never looked to him or the audience.





Also, very impressive was how the (we now know) ill Kennedy looked strong and young, and Nixon (having just injured his knee) ill and old. And so on.

Of course, the message matters. But also, how you deliver it.

08/04/2010

Direct from Canal Cafe Theatre, with my small dictaphone

this is the version recorded at the theatre yesterday evening, with my small dictaphone, I'll put their professionally recorded version here as soon as I get it.

I was told, some cried, and I did hear also some laugh here and there. I got very good feedback, but the most important is was someone telling me: "It felt so near, as if have had happened - when you told us.

The most important, not only the organizer was very happy with my performance and story but more then one of the audience told me, they had "seen" how it happened, as if would have happened "now" as I told it.

The war cought up with me when.mp3

07/04/2010

Gordon Brown opens the elections Video


Found on YouTube, and added 19 hours ago. Yesterday, when I looked for it, to embed here, it was not yet available. Here it is now.

And here it is the text, if you want it, too.
_______________________

Gordon Brown, surrounded by his Cabinet members, announces a general election for May 6 on the steps of 10 Downing Street text from: Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/

''It will come as no surprise to all of you, and it is probably the least well-kept secret of recent years, but the Queen has kindly agreed to the dissolution of Parliament and a General Election will take place on May 6.

''I come from an ordinary middle class family in an ordinary town, and I know where I come from and I will never forget the values - doing the right thing, doing your duty, taking responsibility, working hard - that my parents instilled in me.

''Over these last few months this Government, at every time it's fought hard, facing the biggest world recession, to fight on behalf of hard-working families on middle and modest incomes.

''Over the next few weeks I will go round the country - the length and breadth of our land - and I will take to the people a very straightforward and clear message: Britain is on the road to recovery and nothing we do should put that recovery at risk.

''There will be many big challenges and many big decisions to make over the next few months upon which our future success depends.

''Get the big decisions right - as we did in the last 18 months since the world recession - and jobs, prosperity and better standards of living will result. Get the big decisions wrong and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are diminished as a result.

''Our economy is now moving forward, but to withdraw millions of pounds from the economy would put recovery at risk. Unemployment has now been falling, but a government that is not prepared to implement our plans to help the unemployed will see unemployment rise faster again. Small businesses are starting to grow but a double-dip recession would hit thousands of them.

''That is why I am asking the British people - I'm asking you, the British people - for a clear and straightforward mandate to continue the urgent and hard work securing the recovery, building our industries for the future, and creating a million skilled jobs over the next five years.

''And I am asking the British people also for a mandate that, as we cut the deficit by half over four years through fair taxes and reductions in the public expenditure, that we will maintain and improve our frontline public services - our police, our schools and our hospitals.

''And I want to give a direct guarantee to every single citizen of Britain that, when you need the police, when you need help with cancer care, when you need your GP at the evenings and weekends, when you need as a child to have personal tuition in your school, then these public services will be there, directly guaranteed to you as individual citizens when you need them, and accountable to you and your family.

''And we will not allow 13 years of investment and reform in our public services, to build up the future of these great services, to be put at risk.

''During these next few weeks we will keep in our minds and hearts the work of courage that is being done by our soldiers and our armed forces in Afghanistan. And we will support them in every way in the fight that they are taking to terrorism that is still a threat to our land.

''But I have one final mandate to ask of the British people as well. It is a mandate to improve public trust in our democracy and in our public life. Politics has been scarred by recent events. In the next few days I will put forward a comprehensive plan so that the people of this country can be sure that there is transparent, accountable, open and democratic politics being pursued in this country, at every stage accountable to them in the future. And I want us to renew the contract between the people and those who they are sworn to serve.

''I am not a team of one. As everybody can see, I am one of a team. A team with energy, with substance and with ideas to lead this country in a second decade of a still new century.

''We will fight for fairness at all times. We will say to the British people, our cause is your cause. The future is within our grasp, it is a future fair for all. Now, all of us, let's go to it. Thank you very much.''

Humorous speech by Obama



Some say, we can learn only by analysing Toastmaster Manual speeches, I do believe, we can learn from all the speeches we found around us. Here is an example of Humour delivered to journalist at the White House, after his first 100 days.

Cameron speech - to analyse its Rhetoric devices

One can learn from any speech. I somehow distrust him, why I can not really say, but one can learn a lot to use Rhetoric devices from this speech, that for my taste is not enough concrete.

What I was looking for yesterday noon, I found this morning on the YouTube.

06/04/2010

Link to video of Cameron & Gordon speech 6 april 2010

General Election 2010: David Cameron promises 'real change' video of his speech on the web


General Election 2010: Gordon Brown sets May 6 poll date and speech video

Gordon Brown and David Cameron spoke today

Today, I listened on BBC News in direct, to the two leader's speeches.

Perhaps, if you go and try it fast, you can do it on the Internet, but for sure, somewhere they can be found, later on too.

What I would like to find, and did not yet, are the texts of their speech of today.

Two speeches, that we study and learn from them, compare them.

Learn as much about what was very good from them and what were the less successful parts, we can become then more and more competent speakers.

First I listened to Cameron's speech not far from the parliament, outside, on the Thames river board. He has invited to listen some of his party workers, chosen with care what kind of people he wanted to reflect on him.

Cameron used a lot of very good rhetorical devices, that we can be inspired to do, repetitions, inversions, and also a bit changed, Kennedy's big winner phrase. "Do not ask..." But a lot more. He delivered all the speech with enthusiasm and without any notes.

Those were the good parts.

What message come across?

We need a change. We will change.

Without re-reading, only general things, nothing concrete. The only concrete were the things that they will not change, as the Labor proposes now. Not that, not this, and so on.

Very clever speech, but for me not memorable, unless I will be able to study its details. As the commentator said, it was more an "against" speech then "for" - all different from Barak Obama's speech, who always speaks "for".

Gordon Brown come out with all his cabinet to speak, after the Parliament dissolution was accepted by the Queen officially. He spoke before the 10, Downing Street, announcing that.

Immediately after he spoke of himself as middle class man of a middle class family. He ended his speech, with "I am one of a group". I'll have to find the exact words, it was a lot better, rhetorical.

In the middle, he gave concrete measures, that most of us want of course. The most, I remember, as just dawn with a cold "Each will be able to call a doctor at home, even on weekend and evening." But there were some others, for each.

He did not speak with passion, but with power. And also without any note of course. He did repeat a phrase, that he did not remember perhaps well at the first, or wanted to emphasis. As he did it with a lot of aplomb, it did not come out like a mistake of course.

I did learn from both speech, and you could too. This month elections are a huge learning experience for us, if we look at it with our Toastmaster, Public Speaker point of view.

02/04/2010

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

 

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

The importance of being true, acting or speaking up in public,

weather it is a Greek old play or a personal story, it can be very important,
as you tell or show a profound personal experience,
sharing it with others.

01/04/2010

Open up to the audience

Yesterday, we heard three interesting speeches, and it was not the best delivered that gained the "best speaker" award, but the one who revealed most about himself and his dad. 

Who dared to expose, to open to the listeners, viewers.


He was nervous, he stumbled, he looked once in his papers, drank water another time, stopped a third time. Yet, he was the one who touched us more profoundly.


He opened to us.

He spoke about difficult times, failures, problems. As well, of course, how did he overcome them. And how we can learn even from our parents failures. 


- Of course, we can even learn from ours!

We had others, greatly delivered speech, but they told us a lot more generalities as well as the second one. We did feel,

I did, that there is personal experience behind them, but we did not hear them. About democracy I did realize, he did experience tyrany but he did not tell us about his personal experience, just the relief to be in UK.  

About the importance of money, but that speaker did not tell us about his perhaps recent problems with the absence of it, or personal difficulties.


Personal stories, or made them sound personal, make us care more. More we open up, more we are well received and also, the openness often returned.