Speech CommunicationAssociation NZ (Inc)

Spring 2014

ISSN 1179-5662 (print) 1179-5670 (on-line)

Image Owen Jones

2 Cue - Spring 2014

ADVERTISING RATES FOR CUE Scatter Ads: 7.5 x 5cm, $10.00 per issue or four for $35.00 Quarter Page: $25.00 Half Page: $50.00 Full Page: $100.00

President Dianne Jones

Vice-President Dinie Bevers

Adjudication Glenda Pearce

Deirdre Snedden Trust Dianne Jones

Finance Dinie Bevers

Membership Dianne Jone

Web-site Helen Morton- Jones

Social-Media Helen Morton- Jones & team

Admistrator Carol Millward Non-Council & Associate Council Posi-tionsPublications – Cue: Donna & Owen Jones

Connect: Dianne Jones

Marketing Team - Helen Morton-Jones,

Page 3: Editorial

Page 3: President’s Patch

Page 4 - 5 Good Vibrations

Page 6: Schools get together

Pages 7-9 : Afghan Theatre

Page 10: Branch News

Page 11: Shakespeares deaths

Page 12: 50th celebrations

Pages 14 Triple filter test

Pages 15 -19: Teachers’ Speak

President’s Patch

EDITORIALSpring 2014 Cue - 3

The birds are courting in the camellias and the grass is rizzing where my dog hasn’t killed it............

By the time you read this it will be Spring and I’ll be experi-encing more snow and the cold in Alaska and Canada.

From there I’m heading down the east coast of the United States to New Orleans before heading home in time for PDS.

As well as the beautiful scenery I’m going to en-counter I’m going on a variety of cruises – Alas-kan, tall ship and swamp cruises.

In addition I’m seeing three shows and you’ll read about them in future issues of Cue.

In the meantime I wish you a relaxing holiday before the busy Term Four, and look forward to seeing you at our PDS, To the Lighthouse, at Labour Weekend in Christchurch.

I think you’ll enjoy the mix of fun and learning involved in our varied programme of workshops and socialising times in the beautiful setting of St Andrew’s College.

See you in the Spring –Dianne

Last week of term is upon you all as I sit down to pen some words. Many of you will be heading off for a short holiday break and no doubt be won-dering what on earth to pack. The weather has been crazy, from one extreme to the next, all in one day. Hopefully, it will start to settle now and you can all wind down before winding up for term four.

I am pleased with this issue of Cue, but must admit to being more than a little excited to receive all the news for the Christmas issue. President Dianne is travelling afar for a few weeks, Sister Leonie is sounding as though she is settled in Ireland and Anna Coleman is about to head off to the United States in October to attend her public speaking conference. On top of all that, Perry Piercy is also venturing overseas as she has alluded to in ‘Good Vibrations’.

I believe Deirdre Snedden would be ecstatic to see members like Sister Leonie, Anna and Perry tak-ing the opportunity she so generously afforded them. I have lost count of how many recipients we have had since the Trust was initiated, but people have come on board, seen the benefits and taken the bull by the horns. I cannot wait until you get back and can share with all of us.

PDS in Christchurch is getting closer. I know from past experience that the Canterbury members will have everything organised and will be gener-ous hosts.

Unfortunately, I am unable to attend, but I wish everyone the very best of times both in learning from the masters and having enjoying each oth-ers’ company.

Donna McKinlay-Jones

‘To the Lighthouse’ is drawing closer and we, in Christchurch, are excited. Simon Williams is perfecting his skills at making Blueberry Porridge with Vanilla Bean Yoghurt to tickle your taste buds on Monday morning and Lucie’s husband, Paul, is creating a very special treat to go in your packs.In dispatches from abroad, Sister Leonie is hon-ing her ideas to create an even more thrilling session on Performance Poetry. I won’t tell you anymore. Eric, the Ventrilo-quist’s dummy, is being groomed, the puppets are on tender hooks and the television studio is being made ready.Remember registrations are due on September 30th, but if you are one day late and panic,

just contact us and we shall make sure you are included. We look forward to seeing you all and swapping ideas with our friends and colleagues. Lynn Williams Please update your address book - our new ad-dress is oakgateleg@gmail.comThis sounds awesome and so great to see the partners getting involved to make it all a success. Sorry to be missing out on the Blueberry Por-ridge!I would love to get loads of photo’s for the Christ-mas issue so get your camera’s and/or cell-phones warmed up for the event.Editor

PDS in Christchurch draws near

4 Cue - Spring 2014

I’m pickin up Good VibrationsBy Perry Piercy

I have been lucky to do quite a lot of radio work in my career, and I have always loved how

we can use our voices to paint pictures and tell stories.

Recently, I have been thinking about how much of our aural experience of theatre, film and television is complemented by the visual….and not just entertainment - what about the visual component of wed-dings, graduations and award ceremonies.

What is the bride wearing? Why is the audience laughing? I have been made aware of this through some training I have done recently with an audio describers course in Welling-ton.

This was organized and run by Arts Access Aotearoa and led by Nicola Owen and Robyn Hunt.

Audio description involves provid-ing a narrative that conveys what sighted people are aware of, without disrupting the audible components of a per-formance or event. The audio description is relayed via radio

headsets to the audience. The audio describer often sits in the lighting box, or sometimes, in a specially constructed soundproof booth.

In our training we became aware of issues that affect the blind and partially sighted com-munity, as well as protocols around organizing audio de-scription.

We practiced a range of narra-tives to accompany film, thea-tre and videos. The training was intense and exhausting – it involved watching recorded material many, many times to find the gaps within which to describe. We then had to evaluate what was important to talk about, and select the right words.

I was initially interested in audio description, because I believe that the pleasure and stimula-tion of engaging with perfor-mance in all its forms: theatre and film/television should be available to everyone.

I became increasingly fascinated, as I realised that working as an audio describer would draw, not only on my use of voice, but my love of words and language.

The audio describer must choose the most appropriate words to convey maximum informa-tion in minimum time…so the actor doesn’t just walk on stage – that would be a wasted opportunity!

Instead, they saunter, strut, glide, drift or burst! It be-comes particularly interesting when there is a lot going on, to select just what is important to say about that moment so that the thread of the story, the relationships or the character development will be enhanced for the listeners.

So far I have participated in three audio description events. The first was a play: “Hikoi’ at Circa Theatre in Wellington.

I worked with a partner, doing

half the play each. We had only a week to write the audio description for the play. We saw it first on the dress re-hearsal, and recorded it. We then watched it live every night for 3 or 4 nights.

During the day we used the re-cording to find the gaps, and then as we got more familiar with the play, we tested our audio description, muttering in the lighting box in subse-quent performances.

An issue that arose was that ac-tors are spontaneous and this play was being workshopped throughout the season.

So, of course, gaps changed and so did the actions the actor made. Having always been an advocate for acting ‘in the mo-ment’, I had to bite my tongue! Knowing the play well helped, and sometimes, we just had to let our planning go and wing it!

Vocally, it was a challenge, as we sat in the lighting box, which was close to the audience, and not sealed off, so that in quiet moments there was a temp-tation to whisper, so that we would not disrupt the sighted audience’s enjoyment of the play.

Finding a way to be vocally pre-cise and ‘full voiced’ without projecting was a delicate bal-ance, which for me involved sharpening my articulation, and using all my knowledge of microphone technique. In the end, we just had to commit to being ‘live’ and doing our best.

This sense of being ‘live’ was very present when I audio described the Arts Access Aotearoa Awards at Parlia-ment.

This was an inspiring evening, which focused on celebrat-ing all the great work that is

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Spring 2014 Cue - 5

I’m pickin up Good VibrationsBy Perry Piercy

being done to make the arts more accessible for everyone. Here is a link, which gives more information, as well as photographs. http://artsaccess.org.nz/Arts+Access+Awards/Arts+Access+Awards +2014

There was great diversity in those that attended: prison guards and parliamentarians, par-tially sighted people, hearing impaired and wheelchair us-ers, everyone came together to celebrate.

The ceremony was both audio described and signed for the deaf.

We began the evening with a

‘touch tour’. This provides an opportunity for

vision impaired people to have a tactile encounter with cos-tumes and props, and gives a chance for the audio describ-ers to let the listeners know about the set or environment, the lighting and any other visual components which they might not have time to describe within the run of the event.

Describing the trophies, which were made by Lower Hutt pot-ter Robert Rapston, was par-ticularly fun – in fact Robert ended up receiving an award himself!

I hope to further explore the

work of audio describers when I am in England. I leave in a couple of days – in fact as you read this I am probably there! I have the great good fortune to be a Deirdre Sned-den scholar, and to attend the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama to do a Masters in Voice Studies.

I am tremendously grateful for the support I have received from the SCA and the Deirdre Snedden Trust, which enables me to do this work.

I look forward to sharing my journey with you through this column. Until then, enjoy the spring, and I will wrap up warm and dive into my studies and into the English winter.

The Trustees of the Deirdre Snedden Trust

Invite applications for overseas study

If you are 18 years & over, have been a member of SCA for 12 months,

and are a New Zealand resident, currently living in New Zealand, then you are eligible to apply for:-

100 % Course Fees, 100% Travel Expenses

Or 100% Accommodation, or all of these inclusive

Applications will be considered 1st March – 31st October inclusive each year

For all enquiries, copy of criteria and application form – please contact:- The Administrator, P O Box 207, Palmerston North 4440

office@speechcomm.org.nz

6 Cue - Spring 2014

Young leaders from two Hawke’s Bay schools interactduring examinations

On Thursday August 8th, three senior students from Karamu High School interacted with Year 8 Here-worth Boys during recent speech exams in Hawke’s Bay. Pictured from left to right are, back row Coco Kerkhoffs, Te Moana Bartlett and Larissa Hogen-doorn (Karamu High School). Front row (left to right) Steven Black, Alex Lawson, Harry Mowat, Charlie Bayly and Max Devon-shire (Hereworth). They were about to go into the senior New Zealand Speech Board Communicating and Leadership Exami-nation, which as the wording suggests, is all about putting into practice the communicating and leader-ship skills they use in their school.Since both Hereworth and Karamu Schools have a strong tradition of teaching, modelling and encouraging leadership amongst the students, this was an excellent opportunity for role modelling and learning for all participants.The examiner reported on the success of the mixing of both younger and older students and both teacher, Judith Bartlett, and local secretary, Raewyn McIndoe, hope they can repeat the successful event in future.Judith said that with the necessity of a group of participants, senior candidates should not overlook the possibilities of using the younger students who are very “leadership” aware these days and provide the op-portunity for getting away from “dragging in unwilling class peers” for the audience participation in these examinations.

Spring 2014 Cue - 7

By Karim Haidari BBC Kabul

On a sweltering hot after-noon people are jam-packed into a small audi-

torium in the arts department at Kabul University.They’ve come to watch a new pro-duction of An Enemy of the Peo-ple, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s story of a man struggling with the contradictions of modern society. In the hands of young director Haroon Noori this 19th Century classic takes on new resonance for an Afghan audience.The actors are in modern dress, including one who’s clearly based on President Karzai with his trademark robe and hat. The play weaves in issues affect-ing city life in the new Afghani-stan - widespread corruption, illegal construction and poorly-planned drainage.

Afghan notebook: Ibsen in Kabul

Ibsen’s classic ‘An enemy of the people’ on stage in Kabul.

For 90 minutes the audience is spell-bound forgetting the heat, life outside and the ever-present fear of insurgent attack. “We pulled this play together in 25 days including time for re-hearsals, costume, stage lighting and set design,” says Mr Noori, who has a degree in theatre from California East Bay University, and now teaches directing at Ka-bul University. The actors are drama students. Putting on the play has been their final year project before they graduate in the autumn. “It’s been a great chance for them to get some first-hand experi-ence,” says Azim Hussain Zada, who heads the theatre depart-ment.The performance was sponsored by the Norwegian embassy in Kabul. The Norwegians, together with the French and German cultural institutes, have led the struggle to revive theatre in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Distinguished history

It’s an art form with a surpris-ingly long history. Kabul’s first-ever stage play modelled

on modern Western theatre was performed to a select audience which included members of the Afghan royal family in 1923. Mother Homeland was an epic by Mahmood Tarzi, a pioneering journalist who also happened to be King Amanullah’s father-in-law.Members of the cabinet and the diplomatic corps also played a role, translating popular plays from French, German, Italian and English.Short plays were performed at private events, but it took two decades for the theatre to break free from court circles.

In 1943 Inheritance by Rashid Lateefi, a newspaper columnist, was one of the first plays to be performed to a wider audience. Afghanistan’s best loved actor Qayum Baysed, made his acting debut on the opening night.He is described by his many fans as Afghanistan’s answer to Brit-ish actor Sir Ian McKellen. The late Qayum Baysed was Af-ghanistan’s foremost stage actor The temporary headquarters of the National Theatre is mostly closed to the public

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8 Cue - Spring 2014 Spring 2014 Cue - 7

Afghan notebook: Ibsen in KabulFrom previous page.

Mr Beysed captivated audiences throughout his six-decade-long career and inspired a new genera-tion of Afghan actors.In his last interview with the BBC, before his death last De-cember, a fragile Mr Beysed recalled that in the early days of Afghan theatre all the actors were men. “But once theatre was perceived as an art rather than cheap entertainment, women began to take part in the 1950s,” he said.The emergence of theatre mir-rored Afghanistan’s development as a modern state. Roads were built, new technol-ogy imported, and people went to the theatre to see locally written plays performed alongside works by Shakespeare, Chekhov and Brecht.In 1978 Afghanistan’s first televi-sion channel was launched and TV theatre became hugely popu-lar - despite the censorship im-posed by the then Soviet-backed government.After the Soviet withdrawal and the onset of a new bitter round of civil war, Kabul’s theatres closed down and by 1992 the performing arts had completely disappeared.

Travelling theatre It was only after the fall of the Taleban that theatre began to be revived.Development organisations were quick to see its potential as a way to promote messages about public health, women’s rights and democracy.Travelling theatre projects have brought educational drama to au-diences all over the country and have also given new opportunities to out of work actors. “It helps theatre staff to get back into acting,” says Rahmatullah Khostay, a veteran actor from Khost in south-eastern Afghani-stan.“Otherwise they are all selling po-tatoes or trading cars for a living.

The actors are drama students. Putting on the play has been their final year project before they graduate in the autumn.

The late Qayum Baysed was Afghanistan’s foremost stage actor.

.The temporary headquarters of the National Theatre is mostly closed to the public. To next page.

Spring 2014 Cue - 9

But Afghan theatre still has a long way to go. The Ibsen play at the university in Kabul was performed to a select audience of students, art-ists and foreign diplomats, and it wouldn’t have happened without foreign backing.Afghanistan’s National Theatre is the only state-funded company in the country. It operates in temporary premises after its original building was de-stroyed during the civil war.

Afghan notebook: Ibsen in KabulFrom previous page.

Lack of money and continuing instability in Kabul mean it only stages two performances a year. “It’s always a struggle to get government funding for festivals and new plays,” says Ghafoor Shary-ati, who heads the company. “We don’t know if the Ministry of Culture and Information has even allocated a budget for theatre.” But despite the difficulties, the company has taken part in theatre festivals in neighbouring

countries and over the past dec-ade it has picked up a number of awards. And while the actors might not take to the stage very often back home in Kabul, when they do the National Theatre’s rare one-night performances always play to sell-out audiences.

Submitted by Anna Coleman

10 Cue - Spring 2014

CANTERBURY BRANCH NEWS

Sister Leonie and the recipient of the Helen O’Neill Award, Kimber-ley Palmer.

This award is for a student who achieved the best result in Canter-bury in an ASB examination.

Kimberley is a student of Helen Balch.

Lynn Williams with Neil Cameron who accepted the Elizabeth May Salver on behalf of his daughter, Timmie, who is in the United King-dom.

This award is for the student who gained the highest marks in Can-terbury for an ATCL Performers examination.

Her teacher was Lynn Williams.

Spring 2014 Cue - 11

He is known for penning some of the most beautiful romances in literary his-

tory but, when writing tragedies, Shakespeare’s murderous imagi-nation ran wild. Of the countless characters Shakespeare killed off in his work, there are some pretty gruesome deaths that definitely deserve some recognition. From smothering to stabbing, Shakespeare covered all of violent bases. Here are his most disturb-ing and goriest deaths!Did we miss any disgusting ways to go? TITUS ANDRONICUSThe most violent death in Shake-speare’s most violent play, La-vinia’s, is frightening. She is thrown into a pit and raped by Demetrius and Chiron, who proceed to cut off her tongue and hands in order to ensure she will not tell anyone what they have done. When Titus, her father, learns of the rape, he murders her by breaking her neck.Chiron and Demetrius’s murder is possibly the most creative of Shakespeare’s deaths. When Titus learns that Chiron and Demetrius have raped and dismembered his daughter, he not only kills them but bakes them into a pie that he feeds to their mother, Tamora. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but in Titus’s case it was best served hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.The secret Moorish lover of Lucius’s wife, Tamora, Aaron is brutally killed by Lucius at the end of the play.Once he is crowned emperor, Lucius orders for his wife’s lover to be buried chest deep, leaving him to die of starva-tion and thirst. Still, in his last moments of life, Aaron does not regret the wrong he has done to Lucius.Titus Andronicus takes the cake (or is it pie?) for most gory deaths in one play. ROMEO & JULIETThe star-crossed lovers’ tragic end comes when Romeo, upon hearing about Juliet’s untimely

Shakespeare’s 10 most disturbing deaths

(and untrue) death, acquires a bottle of poison, goes to the Cap-ulet crypt and drinks the poison over Juliet’s body. When Juliet wakes up to find lifeless Romeo laying beside her, she ends her own life by stabbing herself with his dagger.MACBETHIn the second to last scene of this great tragedy, Macbeth fights Macduff on the battlefield, all the while claiming he is invincible because of the witches’ prophecy. Cut to Macduff entering the next scene carrying Macbeth’s head. Brutal.We can’t say he didn’t deserve it for his command of the mur-ders of Macduff’s wife and young children.KING LEARKing Lear and his daughter, Cordelia, are jailed after having lost the battle against Cornwall and Albany.Edmund orders they both be murdered and while King Lear survives, Cordelia is not so lucky. She is hanged in her cell.OTHELLOThe newly-married Othello lets jealousy get the best of him when he wrongly accuses his bride of cheating on him with Michael Cassio. Othello comes into Desdemona’s

room at night and smothers her to death, only to find she had been loyal all along soon after he kills her.Riddled with guilt, Othello stabs himself with his dagger and dies next to Desdemona.HAMLETWithin the first Act of the trag-edy, Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his deceased father. Hamlet’s father tells Hamlet of his death, revealing that Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, murdered him by pouring poison into his ear while he slept. While this might seem like it’s not particularly gruesome, the description Hamlet’s father gives proves otherwise: “And a most instant tetter bark’d about,/ Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust,/ All my smooth body.”

RICHARD IIIAfter being arrested and thrown in jail by his brother, Richard, The Duke of Clarence is stabbed to death by henchmen that Rich-ard has hired to kill him. To make sure he is actually dead, Clarence is drowned in a barrel of wine. Also in the barrel? Two severed hogs heads.ANTONY & CLEOPATRAThough Cleopatra dies happily (according to Shakespeare), we think it’d be a pretty bad way to go. She and her maids kill them-selves using poisonous asps. Add Antony’s botched suicide at-tempt (sounds pretty painful) for additional blood and gore.Huffington Post Blog (Arianna Huffing-ton)

12 Cue - Spring 2014

Hawke’s Bay celebrates 50 years of Speech New Zealand

Pam Logan recalls early days of Speech New Zea-land: When I was first teaching: Hanging on to every word of wisdom that came from examiners, such as Nerissa Moore, Rhona Davis, Jillian Carpenter and Melda Townsley, in order to further develop my own teaching skills.A memorable examining moment: On asking a young Oral Communications candidate something further about a book he had just shared - his response:‘I am sorry, Mrs Logan, I don’t know the answer to that’. A totally valid and courteous response.Now: I am feeling so grateful to all who have gone

Along with other branches Hawke’s Bay celebrated Speech New Zealand’s 50th, with the cutting of a cake by two examiners who were on a tour to Hawkes’ Bay.The gathering took place at Margie Hardy’s home and the cutting of the cake was done by Pam Lo-gan and Colleen Bassett.As well as the Hawke’s Bay teachers there were Sue Steven’s (a previous Hawkes Bay branch secre-tary, and Raewyn McIndoe ( the incumbent branch secretay)Pictured from left are Sue Stevens, Judith Bartlett, Caryl Boyle, Pam Logan, Katie Barton-Ginger, Jo Carpenter, Colleen Bassett and Raewyn McIndoe.

before me and established and developed Speech New Zealand into the supportive organisation that we have today.

* * * *And from Caryl Boyle: My first examining tour was to Dunedin, in a fairly small room.A candidate gave me a vigorous lesson on how to play the bagpipes, including a demonstration!The examiner in the next room demanded the noise be stopped, not realising it was part of an exam.I am not sure what I heard for the rest of the day, but I never did master the bagpipes.

Spring 2014 Cue - 13

By Michael Brown

Heard this old line? Hold a pen in your lips (parallel with lips) to make a forced smile, keep smiling, remove the pen – and you get

to feel happier. When I first heard it, I scoffed. I thought surely such change can only come from the inside.I was wrong. Sure, the pen is trivial, but the con-cept is not. Our bodies really can change our minds. Or, more accurately, we can use our minds to make our bodies change the way we feel. And ultimately to redefine who we are.I’ve seen it again and again in my presentations workshops. Trainees who force their bodies to simulate outer symptoms of confidence – such as more animation, emphasis, projection, eye contact – tell me they immediately feel more confident and more in control.Want hard facts? Professor Amy Cuddy of Harvard Univer-sity put many people through what she calls ‘pow-er pos-ing’ (for ex-ample, think of the clas-sic Won-der Wom-an pose). Her sub-jects adopted such poses for two min-utes. She then tested their tes-tosterone (domi-nance hormone) and cortisol (stress hormone) levels. Those who adopted high-power poses boosted their testosterone levels by as much as 20% and lowered their cortisol levels by as much as 25%. That’s a huge differ- ence. And the low-power testing was just as startling. Want to try it your-self? Wait until you next feel down or depressed. Then take a five minute walk. As you begin, ask yourself, If I felt happy right now, how would I be walking? Then force yourself to do it. Step lightly, straighten your upper back, lift your eyes to the roof-line or tree-line. You will start feeling the differ-ence in just a few steps. Your mind just instructed your body to make you feel better.How could that be? It works because there is no real separation between consciousness and body. Every cell, every organ has a consciousness that is

‘Lightning in a bottle’ A truly powerful tip for personal growth

part of the consciousness of you.

Instructions go both ways.It’s not a new idea. In 1884, the philosopher Wil-liam James said, “If you want a quality, act as if you already have it.” He was laughed at so thoroughly that his brilliant insight was forgotten for 50 years. But his last notes contain the phrase: This is lightning in a bottle.It is.Think what’s waiting. Confidence, courage, com-passion, gratitude, forgiveness, trust, dignity, etc… etc… Act it until you can say I am confident, I am dignified, I am compassionate, etc… etc… So here’s another old line, slightly re-written. ‘Fake it and you will make it.’

But here’s the real challenge. How willing are you to make real change to what comes af-ter I am…? That’s not as easy as it sounds because you’re tampering with deep seated beliefs about who you are. And you’re dealing with those ancient questions Who am I? and Why am I here? If you’re willing to go that deep, read my book Finding the Field.

Michael Brown is the author of seven books in-cluding: Speaking Easy: engage your audiences with confidence and authority (now in edition five), and Media Easy: how to handle the news media with confidence and authority. For the philosophy behind his methods, read Find-ing the Field: an adventure of body, mind and spirit.

14 Cue - Spring 2014

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and

said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied.

“Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say.

That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is

true?”

“Well, no,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and…”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what

you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“Umm, no, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true.

You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend

going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really.”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

Submitted by Paul Hakiwai

The Triple-Filter Test

Spring 2014 Cue - 15

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and

said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied.

“Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say.

That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is

true?”

“Well, no,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and…”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what

you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“Umm, no, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true.

You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend

going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really.”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

Submitted by Paul Hakiwai

Teachers’ Speak...There are many excellent resources on the NEBO literature site if any of you would like to investigate. This is one that sprung out at me. If you are like me and have completed ASB and/or LSB in Public Speaking you will know how vast this topic is and, at times, quite daunt-ing. I chose this article because I believe it gives our students the basic introductory information required for the more senior levels. It is an excellent hand-out for senior students who are considering working towards their Grade 8 or ASB Diploma in public speaking with Speech NZ. The article introduces us to the language of ora-tory and gives us a base on which to not only build our practical presentations, but to under-stand the philosophy behind the idea. PUBLIC AND PERSUASIVE SPEAKINGWhen preparing a persuasive, argumentative speech, you need to consider both matter (what you are going to say) and manner (how you are going to say it).MatterWhen preparing the matter for a persuasive speech, the golden rule is ‘quality not quantity’. A brief and simple message has the dramatic and persuasive appeal that a long- winded, rambling discourse does not. You want simply to deliver a clear and expressive message.Rhetorical Techniques:There are several stylistic devices we can use for dramatic and persuasive effect.Emotive language: Words that appeal to the listeners’ emotions rather than to their powers of reason and logic. These are some-times called ‘loaded’ words as they contain a message that is subtly telling the listener what to think or believe.Rhetorical questions:A rhetorical question is one put by a speaker for effect, not to draw an answer. An example is: ‘Who would believe such nonsense?’, the implication be-ing that no-one, would. The speaker is engaging the listener.Balance: Rhythmically balanced phrases and sentences ap-peal to the ear. They can have a hypnotic effect, persuading listeners to accept what is being said.“I came to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” Mark AntonyAsk not what your country can do for you,But ask what you can do for your country. John F. KennedyFaith is harder to shake than knowledge.Love is less subject to change than respect.

Hatred is more lasting than dislike. HitlerRepetition: Like the above, this has a cumulative, convincing effect.“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender” Winston Churchill‘Crescendo’ effect: ClimaxUsing a sentence that rhythmically and cumulative-ly builds up to a climax is dramatic and, therefore, convincing. This device is often used in the final sentence of an address to leave a lasting impres-sion.Bathos - Anti-climax:Also called the ‘let down’ effect, the speaker leads the audience to expect a resounding high climax, only to let them down to an unexpected low note:My father warned me against dealing in guns, drugs or health productsHe entered the room, saluted, pulled out his gun and burped.Walls and furniture was gutted, even the wallpaper was scorched.Attached you will find my stellar CV, replete with achievements, commendations, awards, honours and little athletics ribbons.The ‘three’ effect: For some reason, three balanced phrases or three strong, emotive or alliterative words have a particu-larly dramatic impact, for example.I came, I saw, I conquered. Julius Caesar Of the people, by the people, for the people. Abraham LincolnNever in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. Winston Churchill Inverted phrases:Changing well known phrases by inversion or sub-version can be extremely engaging.We are no longer the lucky country; we must become the clever country” Bob HawkeThis is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning. Churchill Ambiguity: A definite no-no in informative writ-ing - where clarity and precision are mandatory - in creative writing ambiguity adds a richness and di-mension of infinite possibility to meaning. Ambigu-ity can be constructed by the contradictory mean-ings in oxymorons, paradoxes, complex sentences, contrary phrases. Creative construction of grammar and words with multiple meanings help to create multi-faceted messages.

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Teachers’ Speak...Alliteration and assonance: An excellent device is the repetition of consonants or vowels at the beginning of two or more words, eg. ‘radical rat-bags’, and ‘unloved, unlovable and un-lovely’. This is alliteration. Where the internal vowel in two or more words has a similar sound, we have assonance, as in ‘this bumbling, stumbling lumber-ing idiot’.Poetic devices: Other poetic devices such as imagery, metaphor, simile and personification can also be used, where suitable, to add life and colour to what is being said.Try not to get carried away by the above devices - these ‘tricks’ of the oral trade. Make sure that you have a solid, underlying argument, which is logi-cally developed and supported.Criteria for assessing oral presentationsSKILLS (Aural - these key words pertain particu-larly to vocalisation).FluencyClarityEnunciationModulation of paceModulation of toneModulation of volumeExpressionInflectionPitchNON-VERBAL These key words pertain particularly to the use of the body as an adjunct to speech.Eye-contactAppropriate facial expressionAppropriate gesturesStanceBody LanguageMovementVariety and rangeLANGUAGE SKILLS These key words pertain par-ticularly to language choice and usage.Appropriateness of language to the audience, the character and the occasionVocabularyPhrasingSyntaxSequencingClimaxDenouementPersuasiveness

Effectiveness of introduction and conclusion

Forms of Speeches:Declamation: a speech given in a dramatic or theatrical manner.Proclamation a formal declaration or pub-lishing of a new law or policy. Also as: Edict, Ukase, BullJoint communicae a formal announcement at the conclusion of multi-lateral talks.Statement a formal announcement de-signed to clarify an issue.Oration a pompous, ceremonial or rhetorical address on a momentous occasion.Sermon homily - A speech delivered with some moral adviceExhortation designed to encourage, in-spire or stimulate to action - in war.Address a formal speech to an audi-ence.Panegyric an oration of celebration or praise Eulogy a funeral speech in tribute to the deceased. Obsequies an expressions of consolation or bereavement for the dead.Valedictory a farewell address generally at a graduation ceremony.Toast a formal well wishing during a celebration.Lecture an informative address to instruct or expose a topic.Harangue an angry ranting speech criti-cal of its subject or audience. Also a Tirade, rant, diatribe, invective. Soliloquy generally an actor talking to oneself that the audience is meant to overhear. Monologue One person talking to an au-dience.

Mehrabian’s communication researchProfessor Albert Mehrabian’s communications modelProfessor Albert Mehrabian has pioneered the un-derstanding of communications since the 1960s. He received his PhD from Clark University and in l964 commenced an extended career of teaching and re-search at the University of California, Los Angeles. He currently devotes his time to research, writing, and consulting as Professor Emeritus of Psychology, UCLA. Mehrabian’s work featured strongly (mid-late 1900s) in establishing early understanding of body language and non-verbal communications.

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Teachers’ Speak...Aside from his many and various other fascinating works, Mehrabian’s research provided the basis for the widely quoted and often much over-simplified statistic for the effectiveness of spoken communica-tions.Here is a more precise (and necessarily detailed) representation of Mehrabian’s findings than is typi-cally cited or applied:7% of message pertaining to feelings and attitudes is in the words that are spoken. 38% of message pertaining to feelings and attitudes is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said). 55% of message pertaining to feelings and attitudes is in facial expression. The following is a more common and over-simplified interpretation of Mehrabian’s findings, which is quoted and applied by many people to cover all communications - often without reference to Mehra-bian, although Mehrabian’s work is the derivation. It is understandable that many people prefer short concise statements, however if you must use the simplified form of the Mehrabian formula you must explain the context of Mehrabian’s findings. As a minimum you must state that the formula applies to communications of feelings and attitudes.Here’s the overly-simplistic interpretation. Where you see or use it, qualify it, in proper context.7% of meaning in the words that are spoken. 38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said). 55% of meaning is in facial expression. Other important contextual and qualifying details are:Mehrabian did not intend the statistic to be used or applied freely to all communications and meaning.Mehrabian provides this useful explanatory note (from his own website www.kaaj.com/psych, re-trieved 29 May 2009):“...Inconsistent communications - the relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages: My findings on this topic have received considerable attention in the literature and in the popular media. ‘Silent Messages’ [Mehrabian’s key book] contains a detailed discussion of my findings on inconsistent messages of feelings and attitudes (and the relative importance of words vs. nonverbal cues) on pages 75 to 80. Total Liking = 7% Verbal Liking + 38% Vocal Liking + 55% Facial Liking Please note that this and other equations regarding relative importance of verbal and nonverbal mes-sages were derived from experiments dealing with communications of feelings and attitudes (i.e., like-dislike). Unless a communicator is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable. Also see references 286 and 305 in Si-lent Messages - these are the original sources of my

findings...”(Albert Mehrabian, source www.kaaj.com/psych, retrieved 29 May 2009)The ‘Mehrabian formula’ (7%/38%/55%) was estab-lished in situations where there was incongruence between words and expression.That is, where the words did not match the facial expression: specifically in Mehrabian’s research people tended to believe the expression they saw, not the words spoken.

Tips on explaining context and application of mehrabian’s formulaNotwithstanding all this background and qualifi-cation, Mehrabian’s model has become one of the most widely referenced statistics in communica-tions. You will continue to see it referenced, and you will probably use it yourself, not always in its purest form, and not always with reference to its origina-tor.The essence of the model - even when used in overly simplistic form - is powerful and generally helpful, and certainly better than placing undue reliance on words alone for conveying (receiving and send-ing) communications, especially those which carry potentially emotional implications. So, subject to suitable qualification and explana-tion, Mehrabian’s findings and the theory resulting from them, are particularly useful in explaining the importance of understanding meaning in commu-nications as distinct from words alone.Here are a couple of simple ways to begin to qualify the interpretation and application of the formula:You must first clarify that the Mehrabian formula often quoted out of context and too generally. For example, the spoken instruction, “Everyone evacuate the building because there is a fire,” car-ries 100% of the meaning in the words: i.e., 1) there is a fire, and 2) get the hell out of here. The tone of voice and body language might additionally indi-cate how far ahead of you the person issuing the instruction is likely to be, but aside from that, you’d get the message fully through the words without having to be an expert in body language to unravel the meaning.Mehrabian’s theory and its implications are also not especially applicable in strongly autocratic environ-ments, such as the armed forces. If the Regimental Sergeant Major tells a soldier to jump, the soldier is best advised to consider how high, rather than whether the RSM is instead maybe inviting a debate about the merit of the instruction, or the feelings of the soldier in response to it.The value of Mehrabian’s theory relates to commu-nications where emotional content is significant, and the need to understand it properly is great.This is often applicable in management and busi-ness, where motivation and attitude have a crucial

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Teachers’ Speak...effect on outcomes.

Using mehrabian’s theory and statistics Understanding the difference between words and meaning is a vital capability for effective commu-nications and relationships. For example, as John Ruskin so elegantly put it: “The essence of lying is in deception, not in words.” (John Ruskin, 1819-1900, English art critic and social commentator)The Mehrabian model is particularly useful in illus-trating the importance of factors other than words alone when trying to convey meaning (as the speak-er) or interpret meaning (as the listener), but care needs to be taken in considering the context of the communication: Style, expression, tone, facial ex-pression and body language in Mehrabian’s experi-ments did indeed account for 93% of the meaning inferred by the people in the study, but this is not a general rule that you can transfer to any given communications situation.The understanding of how to convey (when speak-ing) and interpret (when listening) meaning will always be essential for effective communication, management and relationships. But using the Meh-rabian percentages is not a reliable model to overlay onto all communications scenarios. For example, Mehrabian’s research involved spoken communications. Transferring the model indiscrimi-nately to written or telephone communications is not reliable, except to say that without the opportu-nity for visual signs, there is likely to be even more potential for confused understanding and inferred meanings. A fairer way of transferring Mehrabian’s findings to modern written (memo, email etc) and telephone communications is simply to say that greater care needs to be taken in the use of lan-guage and expression, because the visual channel does not exist. It is not correct to assume that by removing a particular channel, then so the effective-ness of the communication reduces in line with the classically represented Mehrabian percentages. It ain’t that simple.It is fair to say that email and other written commu-nications are limited to conveying words alone. The way that the words are said cannot be conveyed, and facial expression cannot be conveyed at all. Mehrabian provides us with a reference point as to why written communications, particularly quick, re-duced emails and memos, so often result in confu-sion or cause offence, but his model should not be taken to mean that all written communications are inevitably weak or flawed.If this were the case there would be no need for written contracts, deeds, legal documents, public notices, and all other manner of written communi-cations, which, given their purpose, when well-written convey 100% of the intended meaning per-fectly adequately using written words alone. When we enter a public bar and the sign on the wall says ‘NO SMOKING’ we know full well what it means. We may not know how the bar owner feels about having to bar his customers from smoking, but in

terms of the purpose of the communication, and the meaning necessary to be conveyed, the written word alone is fine for this situation, regardless of Mehra-bian’s model.A visitor to this page also made the fascinating ob-servation that modern text-based communications allow inclusion of simple iconic facial expressions (smileys, and other emotional symbols), which fur-ther proves the significance of, and natural demand for, non-verbal signs within communications. The point also highlights the difficulty in attempting to apply the Mehrabian principle too generally, given that now electronic communications increasingly allow a mixture of communication methods - and many far more sophisticated than smileys - within a single message. (Thanks M Ellwood, Apr 2007)Telephone communication can convey words and the way that the words are said, but no facial ex-pression. Mehrabian’s model provides clues as to why telephone communications are less successful and reliable for sensitive or emotional issues, but the model cannot be extended to say, for instance, that without the visual channel the meaning can only be a maximum of 45% complete.Nor does Mehrabian’s model say that telephone communications are no good for, say, phoning home to ask for the address of the local poodle par-lour. For this type of communication, and for this intended exchange of information and meaning, the telephone is perfectly adequate, and actually a whole lot more cost-effective and efficient than driv-ing all the way home just to ask the question and receive the answer face to face.The Mehrabian statistics certainly also suggest that typical video-conferencing communications are not so reliable as genuine face-to-face communications, because of the intermittent transfer of images, which is of course incapable of conveying accurate non-verbal signals, but again it is not sensible to transfer directly the percentage effectiveness shown and so often quoted from the model. Video confer-encing offers a massive benefits for modern organi-sation development and cooperation. Be aware of its vulnerabilities, and use it wherever it’s appropriate, because it’s a great system.Mehrabian’s model is a seminal piece of work, and it’s amazingly helpful in explaining the importance of careful and appropriate communications. Like any model, care must be exercised when transfer-ring it to different situations. Use the basic findings and principles as a guide and an example - don’t transfer the percentages, or make direct assump-tions about degrees of effectiveness, to each and every communication situation.I am grateful for the guidance of B Taylor and C Ed-wards in progressively revising this guide to Mehra-bian’s communications theory.For more information about Dr Albert Mehrabian and his fascinating work see his website.Albert Mehrabian’s key book is Silent Messages, which contains lots of information about non-verbal communications (body language).

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Developing a character for performanceELEMENTS OF CHARACTERISATION

CONVENTIONS OF DRAMA

RoleSituationTime/placeMood/symbolTensionInner and outer characteristicsImagery/sterotypes and statusMovement and gestureSub text (what is beneath the wordsDividng in to beats(Get the key word and the sub-text will reveal itself)

See ‘Theatre in Action’ syllabusFontsFreeze frameFast forwardRe-windSlow motionRole on the wallReflect and commentHot SeatingWriting in roleSpeaking thoughts aloud

DEVELOPING A CHARACTER

GENRE

STYLESOF DRAMA TribalGreekTudorElizabethanRestorationC18, C19Kitchen-sink

METHODS

StanislavkyMethod acting(Brandon, Crowe)Dividing into beatsApply what you have doneOthers

MimeElizabethanComedyCommedia Dell’arteTragedyBlack ComedyEpic and Story Telling(Playfulness)WesternAbsurdistSlap-stickGreek TragedyRealism (empathy) A valuable handout gener-

ously submitted by Judith Bartlett.

‘Cue’ is the official journal of Speech Communication NZ (Inc).