On the Platform - Preparation is KEY!

Platform speaking gets its name from the fact that speakers generally stand upon some kind of raised platform or stage to speak from.  This is so that the speaker can not only be seen by the audience, but also so that they can be heard.  I have memories of my 6th grade Civics class textbook with its pictures of early American political candidates standing upon the platforms of train cars to speak to townsfolk as they traversed the country. We have come quite a distance in the kinds of platforms speakers use - even finding our chair in front of the laptop to be the most commonly used platform of this age.

The word platform has a second meaning - it can refer to one’s stance or beliefs on a particular issue or topic.  Candidates might be asked about their platform, meaning their approach to serving the needs of their community.  These platforms must be thoroughly thought through, as often candidates are grilled to the point where the holes in their platform ideology can become their undoing and shorten their political career in an instant.

For speech students competing at tournaments, your platform is the competition room, as well as the topic idea you are presenting.

I want to begin by discussing the competition room itself and the proper preparation for speech day.

The competition rooms themselves are a gift.  A generous donation made by a church, school, or business.  For this reason, first we all must be thankful that the people offering these venues see the value in what we are doing and remember this no matter what the state of our competition room is in.  You might be frustrated that you have to debate a round in a closet.  Or you might find the children’s education room plastered with colorful, distracting posters and wish for a nice professional conference room like the one down the hall.  I am here to tell you that if you enter and approach your judges the right way, the room does not matter. Even professional speakers can become frustrated with the environment; they are promised one design and when they show up everything appears to be one-tenth the size of the proposed marketing plan.  The question is: what sets the tone for the speech? The room? Or YOU?

The answer is YOU!  It begins outside in the hall; from the moment you place your hand on the knob to enter the room, your performance has begun.  You can make the room become the perfect environment for your speech with your smile, eye contact, walking style, and greeting.  These are the first 5-10 seconds, those first impressions as you enter the room.

Chances are you’ve not seen the room before, yet you know what to expect.  You know there will be space for you in front of the judges to stand about 3 feet from their table, plenty of space to walk back and forth in front of 3-5 judges (I am including outrounds here), chairs that may hold spectators on the sides of the room, and most likely some kind of classroom environment since that is the most common kind of space used for tournaments.

With these known factors in mind, if you become distracted by posters or toys or photos on the walls, that is not a room problem, that is a you problem.  Now stay with me because this is not a character flaw, this is human nature.  We are easily distracted or interested in color and images.  But ask yourself, “Why am I here today?”  Answer: to compete in a speech competition.  Therefore, your job is to help your judges to also NOT be distracted by the room and to focus on YOU.  How do we do this?  It’s actually not that hard.

Preparing for a tournament means preparing yourself.  After all, the focus is all on you.  In the competition room you are the star; the sole focal point for ten whole minutes.  So if you do not prepare to be the focal point, the judges may look around for another one.  Let’s avoid that by considering what it means to be the focal point for ten minutes.

Let’s start with personal hygiene and ablution. That second word is hardly used anymore, it means washing or cleanliness, but specifically the process we use to become presentable in public. In our world where folks wear pajama pants to the grocery store, the Victorians would be appalled.  But I digress.

If you think you can stand in front of moms and dads judging speech and debate and fool them into believing your hair is clean and styled because you slicked it back this morning but your cowlick or curl that you missed is giving you away, or if you believe you can hide the fact that your shirt is a wrinkled mess because it fell on the floor and your brother threw his backpack on top last night and it’s the only shirt you brought with you, you are unprepared.  I do not mean to be unkind, however I do want to impart wisdom that will help you to practice good habits and prevent judges from losing interest in your speech.

Tournaments start early and end late, so discipline yourself; sleep when it’s time to sleep and wake up early enough to shower and fix your hair.  Get a haircut or trim before the tournament - and be sure to tell mom you need one at least 2 weeks prior to leaving.  Ladies, do the same and try new makeup colors at home and ask for opinions.  I find that a neutral, soft approach to makeup colors is less distracting.  I do not mind red lipstick if it looks nice on you, it is appropriate if it suits you, but be sure to ask someone whose opinion you trust.  

Gentlemen, one note about white soled shoes - they draw the eye down and say, “Look at me!”  A nice dress shoe, a real men’s dress shoe, is always a better choice.

Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet  the line spoken by Polonius, “The apparel oft proclaims the man.”  This idea was actually first suggested in Homer’s Odyssey, but the point is that your clothing is the preview to what you have to say.  We see you, your hair, your smile, your make-up, and your clothes before you have uttered a word.  Our goal is not to judge your appearance, yet your appearance can distract from or elevate your speech.

An ironed shirt, socks that match the pant, dress shoes that are polished, heels that are not too high, skirts that are not tight fitting and do not fight the “to the knee” rule, modest necklines, traditional colors that suit you, ties or  bow ties that are properly tied, jackets that fit, sleeves that show only a half inch to one inch of shirt cuff…these are things your judges WILL NOT NOTICE. When these things go wrong, everyone notices. These simple preparations will let your judges smile, relax, and see only YOU!  

To be seen is to be heard.  What I mean by this is that when judges have nothing to call out related to your hair, make-up, clothing, or shoes, they have time to sit back, relax, and listen.  And that is when you have the opportunity to seize the day in delivering your speech.  

Now let’s discuss entering the room.  You are walking onto the platform the moment you touch the door handle.  Open the door prepared to be seen.  Competition room doors are sometimes already open, if so stand in the hall where no one in the room can see you, and prepare for entering the room.  Do not chat with friends up to the moment of entry - take at least 2-3 minutes to focus, ground yourself (see the article and video “Prepping for Nationals”), smile, breathe out, and walk into the room confidently.  Know where you are going. When you enter, always look to stand about 3-4 feet from the center judge (speakers should stand back enough that judges can see your feet). 

Walking seems to cause problems for some.  It is related to nerves, so you have to practice the entrance.  Remember to walk normally; step out with toes lifted so the heel lands first and you roll through the feet as you walk.  Your strides should be strong and confident, but not too fast.  Many competitors dislike the silence in the room during the walk, but the silence is wonderful!  Let your confidence shine within your smile and eye contact as you enter the room. This first impression is winsome in itself - it says, “I am ready and I am glad to be here!”  Stop at your place without adjusting and continue smiling and making eye contact.  It does not matter if you are off center by a little, you can adjust when you set down your timer. 

Now it is time for introductions.  I am often amazed at how students will introduce themselves quietly and quickly as though it is unimportant.  Of course the judges know who is speaking next, it is on the ballot, but we need to see your confidence in announcing yourself to speak.  A friendly hello and introduction, with nice posture and vocal volume delivered in the same tone that you will use for the actual speech is key.  The timer announcement is also important, not an afterthought!  Be slow and clear here both before and after the speech, this will help avoid timer errors.  Hurrying to stop a timer is the danger zone for timing errors - I have seen it far too many times.

Now it’s time for the actual speech.  Once you have done all the previous preparations and practice, your speech should be smooth and clear.  Now let’s turn our focus to the walking pattern.  If you are not using a walking pattern let me assure you - you need one.  Practicing the standard walking pattern as a young competitor will help you understand that wandering around is distracting as is swaying back and forth, playing with your clothes or hair, bouncing, shaking, and so on.  A walking pattern helps you understand the purpose of stillness as well.  When in one spot, ground yourself, stand still, and talk.  When it’s time to move, move! Walk with purpose, go toward the judge on the far side or center and stop again and talk.  Movement should only happen when you are transitioning to a new thesis point in the speech or to emphasize the next important idea.  Constant movement guarantees your judges will struggle to remember your speech.  Movement that enhances the points of your speech can create a visual emphasis that stimulates memory for the listeners.  

I hope it has become clearer to you how important preparation is to the actual speech.  When you prepare well, what happens is that you walk into the room clean, nicely dressed and polished, smiling, confident, grounded and ready to engage with the judges. No matter the state of the room, what happens is that the judges will see only you. They will focus on you, follow you as you walk, and have no awareness of the toys lying in the corner or that crazy paint job of handprints on the wall (which of course those Sunday morning kids adore).  You will become the central focus and attraction and the judges will no longer be concerned with the room; you have become the environment.  

Plan and prepare.  You have a platform, your topic, and you are the platform, the focal point. Practice and prepare well, because I can’t wait to hear your next platform speech!

René Schiltz

Editor 

The /Eloquent Voice

Citations

No Sweat Shakespeare, ‘Clothes Make The Man’ Saying Origin & Meaning,

https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/clothes-make-the-man/