You went to the first tournament and got inspired watching a Duo or Open Interpretation... OR... You just aren't feeling the piece you developed over the last four months... OR... You are suddenly motivated to Persuade people... OR... You have the most epic idea!! What do you do?! Do you wait until next season when you have more time to develop a new Piece? Do you rally to create what could be the next National-level Speech? Before jumping in... Here are some things to think about...
You know you have to say it. Out loud. The sources of your information….
And it is good and proper that we DO give credit where credit is due as we are giving speeches that inform, inspire, persuade, instruct, and generally educate your audience. In all fairness, one of the real academic benefits of preparing a platform speech is the research you learn how to do. You garner information from a variety of sources, learn from it, process it, and integrate it into your own paper – a blend of your ideas and words with those you’ve learned along the way (which by the way totally shaped your ideas, you know!)
How well do you really know someone? What’s their story? What’s their background? We are midway through the season… And I want to see competitors fully engaged to their characters in their Interpretive Speeches (this includes Biblical Presentation). At this point competitors should have a sense of who their characters really are. I can tell when one is performing a memorized speech and when one is truly visualizing and understanding each and every character. I want every competitor to bring it to the next level. This is the difference between performing and acting.
Kristi and I have developed a resource to bring your Interp to the next level! Our Character Analysis and Worksheets help competitors really process who their characters are. Warning- research and actual thought process may have to be done.
Let me give you some examples- If you are playing the part of a child with cancer- you may want to visit a hospital with cancer patients. Are you connected and understand what they are going through? If you want a character to have a German accent, you may need to go on YouTube to learn how. If you are trying to develop your character of Wilber, in Charolette’s Web, you may need to dig deep to understand loneliness and what a friend would really mean to you. This may sound over the top, but really understanding and developing your characters is pivotal for a well-rounded piece. For my students, this is what I want them to achieve, I want them to understand what they are trying to represent. This is part of the lesson of being in Speech- understanding people or characters in a whole new way.
Our worksheets bring you through the process of developing YOUR characters. The reason I stress your is because, I should not see the same Interpretation twice. Your development of characters should be unique. If you don’t know who your character is or who they are trying to represent- you need to go through the process of figuring it out. The worksheets will help you with…
Emotional Development
Character Analysis
Background
Physical Development
and more!
Here’s what people have said about our worksheets…
“WOW – The Character Analysis and Worksheets is a super helpful document! I was familiar with the concept of character development, but this fleshed it out so thoroughly! It really does separate those performers who have done the work and those who haven’t. It takes the character from two dimensions to three!” -Parent
“These worksheets helped me develop my characters, so I could really visualize who I wanted them to be.” -Student
“I wish I had these when I started Speech years ago!” -Student
My hope is that at the end of the season, students will have more than just “a Speech”. That they will have accomplished more than just memorizing a piece of literature, a play, script, or section of the bible. My hope is for students to have a deeper understanding of characters and people. That this experience in Speech will impact them, as well their audience, for the rest of their lives.
Heather: Remind us, how did your Speech, “The Bible in Ten Minutes”, do throughout the season?
Jathan: Ouch!
Ashley: Ha, ha!
Jathan: This is a good story…
Continue reading “Duo Champions Interview- Heady/Jackson (part 3)”
Heather: I know Kristi and I hear stories how partners search high and low for a piece. It’s fun how it just happened! Now I heard you have videos of some of your first practices… describe that…
Continue reading “Duo Champions Interview- Heady/Jackson (part 2)”
Kristi and I had the honor of interviewing Jackson/Heady- the 2016 Duo Champions of NCFCA, shortly after their win. Kristi and I loved getting to know them more via SKYPE, and recorded our time together. But due to “technical difficulties” putting the video up for you all to view, wasn’t going to be an option. However, Jathan Jackson and Ashley had so many great things to say and lessons to be learned, I decided to transcribe it for you all!
Continue reading “Duo Champions Interview- Heady/Jackson (part 1)”
It's Thursday and so far I have coached SEVEN Biblical Presentations this week! It's going to be a great year! God is revealing some great stuff to these kids! Biblical Presentation is in it's second year with NCFCA. Let me remind my readers with a short recap of what a Biblical Presentation is...
What do we stress very most about the night before a tournament? SCRIPT SUBMISSION! So….how do we avoid the rising blood pressure and temptation to throw the printer? Here are a few tips to smooth out the script process for you...
Rebecca Frazer is a National Speech (Persuasive 2012 NCFCA) and Debate (TP 2012 NCFCA) Champion. She is a Speech Coach and has memorized many, many speeches! Here are some of her tips for memorization.
If you are competing in any Interpretive Speech, creating believable characters is fundamental. Characterization is the vessel for demonstrating your interpretive skills. Our Character Worksheet can help you analyze each individual character. As you create your characters, there are a few specific aspects you should develop. Remember, although there may be a whole book written on your character, you have a time limit. Also, your creativity in the development of characters is ultimately up to you! Have fun! Get to know these people… You're going to spending a lot of time with them! Remember the goal is to make your characters memorable so your judges can tell them apart, as well remember them. Here are some things to consider...
Lasting Impact! is excited to announce our very first product!! In honor of Cyber Monday we now have our very own Store! Check it out! More products coming soon…
https://lastingimpact.info/product/character-worksheet/
How well do you know the rules? When you see a speed limit sign that states 25 mph- does that mean you need to start driving 25 mph before or after you reach the sign? I think speech rules are often read, but I wonder how many students are actually understanding them. Today I am going to break down a couple of my favorite NCFCA Interp Rules... (Of course this is only my interpretation)...
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