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How will a chair impact my presentation in Commentary? |
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While the critic may find a speaker presenting from a seated position more relaxing and personal than traditional extemp, students shatter this image when they use distracting informal positioning and restrained nonverbal communication. Here are a few techniques CDE students have used in preliminary and final rounds of Extemp Commentary.
- Remember to sit toward the front of the chair to avoid slouching over while gesturing.
- Posture is of utmost important in such an event, and keeping your shoulders squared can make you look all the more natural and confident in the round.
- Facial expressions are, of course, important, but even more so in Commentary because the speaker’s body is limited in movement. Since the judge is now sitting at eye-level with the speaker, the judge is concentrating more on a speaker’s face than they may in other events. Expressions should be deliberate.
- Students should pay particular attention to arching of eyebrows, smiling, and positioning of the head to assist in creating a relaxed atmosphere while at the same time communicating the importance of the subject at hand.
- The “commentary” aspect of the event seems to ask for a wide variance of vocal tone and inflection. Use of sarcasm, irony, surprise and even disdain can be expressed without the use of words… and should be, if appropriate.
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