ENG-Part Three: On-Screen Presence

Name ______Bro Jo

ENG-Part Three: On-Screen Presence

Part One: Getting Started

PDN: Read the provided sample and try to memorize it. (5 minutes)

Cueing up Knowledge: Activity #1: Brief Analysis #1

Watching the second clip, what did A.J. Clemente do wrong? Was his firing justified?

Bridging the Previous Lesson: Activity #2: Mic Check Memory Card #: ______

As a way to wrap up our quick look at microphones (we will get back to audio soon, rest assured) and begin our look at screen presence, you will complete a brief activity where you and a partner will grab a camera (one per pair), and each will take turns on camera.

First we need to prepare the camera (as a class)

White Balance
Hooking up the microphone/checking the levels
Find our shot

Each person in the pair will speak into the camera in two different ways.

Without a script, just speak directly into the camera, like a reporter, but as yourself. Tell us a story. Describe your weekend. Etc. (30 seconds)
Look at the script from earlier in the class. Say what you can remember. Roleplay as a reporter. (15-30 seconds)
Switch camera person and on-screen talent. Repeat the previous two steps.

Turn in your memory card to Mr. B.

Reflect in 2-3 sentences minimum. How did it feel to be on screen? What part was easy? What was a challenge? ______

Part Two: Public Speaking Basics

The first place to begin discussing on-screen presence is….shudder….public speaking. In fact, on-screen presence is not much different from public speaking.

Independent Research: Activity #3: Phone-Research Activity

We will begin with a phone-research activity on the following terms. Research your term using your phone (or a computer) and be prepared to share it with the class. We will then complete the chart as a class.

Public Speaking Vocabulary

Speech Term / Definition
Articulation
Emphasis
Enunciation
Feedback
Fillers
Inflection
Intensity

Further Notes:

Notes/Discussion: Volume/Rate/Pitch/Pronunciation/Enunciation

How to speak “good”! 

Volume is the loudness or softness of your voice and you must adjust your volume so that you can easily be heard by listeners at the back of the room while those in the front of the room do not feel you are shouting. In addition, you should speak more loudly in a large room than a small one, in a more crowded room than in a room with a small number of people, and more loudly if there are other distracting noises competing for your voice (like fans, or people talking in a hallway). Sometimes you must also adjust your volume to vary the emotion in your message. Speak more loudly when the emotion you wish to communicate is more passionate, angry or excited and more softly if you wish to increase the tension (the audience must listen harder and this, ironically, increases tension) or speak more intimately or to be conspiratorial.

It is important to vary the volume you use in a speech. Use either louder or softer volume with certain phrases you feel are important to add emphasis to your message.

Rate is the speed of your delivery. It is how quickly or slowly you speak. Many nervous speakers have a tendency to speak too quickly. Others, perhaps those who have under-prepared and want to seem like they have more to say, will speak too slowly or put long pauses between words, phrases or ideas. Listeners can become uncomfortable if you speak too quickly and will recognize that you have not prepared carefully if you speak too slowly. You should keep your speaking rate at a steady but moderate pace.

As is true with volume, it is helpful to vary the rate somewhat throughout your speech. Slow down when you come to words you want to stress. Speed up if you are talking about an event which happened quickly. Be sure to match the variations you use to the message.

Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of your voice and may be one of the most important aspects of the voice to control. Pitch which is too high can be quite irritating to listeners, yet many speakers tend to raise their natural pitch a little in a formal speaking situation out of nervousness. If this happens to you, you may need someone to listen to you practice several times and remind you when your pitch is high because most speakers are quite unaware of this tendency.

It is important to vary your pitch in order to add inflection (raised or lowered tone to affect meaning) to your voice. The very same words, said with different inflection, can mean very different things. For example, if you say, "Me!" and drop your tone as you say it, you mean to affirm that you did something or want something. However, if you say, "Me?" and raise your tone, you mean to ask if someone really meant you! You may be suggesting your surprise at having been chosen.

Pronunciation and enunciation have to do with how you use words. Both arevery important to successful communication, especially in public speaking, because people will pay closer attention to what you say and how you say it when you are speaking publicly.

Pronunciation has to do with saying a word the way a dictionary would tell you it should be said.

Some errors in pronunciation stem from using words with which you are less familiar. Sometimes, your subject will be new to you. It is natural that you might encounter new vocabulary in your research. However, you must be away of those new words and be careful to discover the correct pronunciation before your presentation in order to preserve your credibility. The most reliable way of doing this is to look the word up in the dictionary. Practice the correct pronunciation over and over until you are comfortable with the word.

Another reason for errors in pronunciation might be that other people you spend a great deal of time with also pronounce the word incorrectly and you may have learned this pronunciation from them. In fact, some words are commonly mispronounced by a large number of people.

For example:

accept (not except)
Arctic (not Artic),
et cetera (not eck cetera).
escape (not exscape)
especially (not expecially)
espresso (not expresso)
February (not Febuary)
formerly (not formally)
government (not goverment)
library (not libary)
moot point (not mute point)
nuclear (not nu-kyu-lar)
often (the t is not silent)
picture (not piture)
preferable (not prefabul)
probably (not probly)
statistic (not stastistick)
suppose (not susppose)
vegetable (not vegtable)
zoology (not zoo-ology)

Enunciation has to do with saying all the sounds in a word clearly. To do this well, you must move your tongue and your lips fully. Often, especially in casual or conversational speaking, we become careless or sloppy and move our lips and tongues less than we should. The result can be slurred speech which can be, at best, annoying and, at worst, very difficult to understand in a public speaking situation.

A good way to improve one's delivery of normal phrases is to practice on difficult ones. Here are a few tongue twisters that will exercise both your vowel and consonant articulation:

Rubber baby buggy bumpers
Eleven benevolent elephants

Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle
Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings.

She stood on the balcony inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping and amicably welcoming him in

One type of enunciation error stems from dropping off the ends of words, especially "ing," "ed," "d," "p," or "t." "Stopped" becomes "stop," for example. Other times, we might muddle the middle of words by replacing sharper sounds (like "t'") with softer sounds (like "d") because the softer sounds require less muscle energy. "Butter," for example, might become "budder." Another source of enunciation errors is running words together. "Whadjagit?" or "Wuzzat?" looks like a foreign language when seen written here but are common incorrect oral enunciations for "What did you get?" and "What's that?"

Eliminating these problems from your speech requires practice and diligence. Often the habits you are trying to change have been a part of your speaking pattern for a very long time. Don't expect to change overnight but stay as conscious of these issues as often and for as long a stretch of time as you can. With practice and desire, you will soon be pronouncing and articulating like an old pro!

3. Extension Activity/Practice: Activity 4: Enunciation/Monotone Activities

Enunciation: “Dropping G’s and Twisting Tongues”

Dropping “g”s is one of the most common examples of poor enunciation.

Say this list of words out loud:

* Going *Walking *Jogging *Thinking *Striking *Selling

Say these sentences out loud:

1)I’m going to have to rethink that bid.

2)Waiting to hear back from the bank is very nerve-wracking and stressful.

3)Before starting my business, I looked at a lot of different business opportunities.

4)There’s more to learning than just reading, writing and arithmetic.

Tongue Twisters (say 3 times each).

1) Keeping customers content creates kingly profits.

2) Success seeds success.

3) Bigger business isn’t better business but better business brings bigger rewards.

4) Wanting won’t win; winning ways are active ways.

ANSWER NOW: *Reflect upon your success on enunciating with the activities. If you are unhappy, what can you do to change that?*______

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AVOIDING THE DREADED MONOTONE

-First, say the sentence out loud as you would if you were ecstatically happy.

-Then say the same sentence out loud as you would if you were extremely sad.

1. I just got a call saying that I won a vacation in Las Vegas.

2. I’m going to have to change that light bulb.

3. Our town now has a new recycling program.

- First, say the sentence out loud as you would if you truly believed the statement.

-Then say the same sentence out loud as you would if you didn’t believe what you were saying and wanted to convey your disbelief to your listener.

1. You’ll never regret buying one of these.

2. What I’m doing now is the best thing I’ve ever done.

3. I am the best at what I do

4. Partner Project: Activity #5: Eliminating Fillers/Tell-Me Prompts:

Directions: Pick one prompt below. You must talk about the prompt for one minute without stopping. Your partner will record how many fillers you use. Fillers can consist of: “um,” “uh,” “like,”, etc. This activity will make you more aware of when and what fillers you use while speaking.

Your favorite hobby and why it is your favorite.
What you would do if you won five million dollars on the lottery?
Which of the five senses is most important? Why?
What skill or talent would you most like to have? Why?
What are the best places to eat in your town or city? Why?
What are the best things to do to relax? Why?
What’s the worst fault a person can have? Why?
What are the four things you least like to do? Why?

Filler:Number of times used:

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5. Bringing it together: Activity #6: “Reading the News” Memory Card #: ______

Directions: Partner Up. Choose one of the nursery rhymes below. Record each other performing on the rhymes as if sharing a news story. Switch positions, with one recording and the other reading.

A)Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got

And home did trot

As fast as he could caper

Went to bend

And plastered his head

With vinegar and brown paper.

B)Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

C)Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had a wife and couldn’t keep her.

He put her in a pumpkin shell,

And there he kept her, very well.

6. More Notes

More Tips for Speaking Like a Reporter

Look at what your face is saying as you read. Reporters have confidence even when they're staring at a camera. They believe in what they are doing and they want to share the breaking story with the viewer. Your face reflects what you believe and voice confirms this.
Know when to slow it down. A reporter will say, "Coming up next," very quickly but slow down when they say, "...and you won't want to miss it."
Learn to read from a distance. You’ll often see a reporter with papers in their hand. You can do this too. Remember: only glance, and don’t be obvious.
Challenge yourself. Read something news related that you haven't read before. See how you do.
Avoid speaking in everyday language and using colloquialisms.The way you speak with your friends is in direct conflict with the way you will report the news to a public audience.
Pay attention to how you speak.
Listen, Listen, Listen.

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7. Reflection/Exit Ticket:

Write answers to the questions on the board below