Week 4

A worksheet for assessing vocal quality with different parameters.

Exercise 4.1: Using the Vocal Profile Worksheet, evaluate your vocal habits. (15 min)

The goal of this exercise is to measure your vocal character. There are two main ways to approach this:

The best way: Enlist a couple of members of your Fan Club. Read your GRC script in front of friends and have them fill out the Vocal Profile Worksheet. Remind them to be honest. Discuss their reactions.

The next best way: Record yourself reading your GRC script. Watch the recording and evaluate yourself using the worksheet. Try to be really honest with yourself as you review the video.

Once you have evaluated your voice, ask yourself: Is there anything I want to change? In my case, I need to speak more slowly. Why? Because speaking quickly makes it harder for people to understand me. How will I learn to speak more slowly? By speaking more deliberately, observing my audience to monitor their comprehension, and by using more pauses.

Download the Vocal Profile Worksheet or access the online version.

Two colleagues discussing ideas during a meeting.

Exercise 4.2: Brainstorm your strong start. (1 hour)

Keeping your ABT for Research script in mind, choose two strong start options and develop them. This task is perfect for members of your Fan Club. Enlist their help to think of clever and curious ways to open your talk. Plan to test both as part of your rehearsals. Which idea feels better to you in terms of delivery? Which one gets a better reaction from the audience?

For more ideas, check out my Strong Start Menu.

Young woman passionately rehearsing a script on stage under bright lights.

Exercise 4.3: Revise your script and start memorizing it. (2 hours)

This week, our goal is to have a 50% version of your script. If you have been working through the exercises, you should be very close, if not beyond that mark. For this revision, focus on including your strong start.

Also, choose one part of the talk that you are pretty sure is staying in the script and begin memorizing it. If memorizing it seems like a daunting assignment, start by choosing 3–5 sentences. Keep the stress low; you still have time. Take baby steps and enjoy those little successes!

Woman enthusiastically raising hand during a group meeting or workshop.

Exercise 4.4: Practice your delivery skills. (30 min)

Ready to have some playtime? Awesome! Ever since I was a kid, I loved a poet by the name of Shel Silverstein. His poems were clever and funny, and sometimes heart-warming. My favorite is one entitled “Sick” which tells the story of a young girl who doesn't want to go to school. It has a funny surprise ending! The poem "Sick" is available here. If you have another poem or passage that inspires you more, please feel free to use that one.

You will read this poem (at least) three times.

Reading round 1: Focus on body language. Read the poem while focusing on the position of your body. Imagine you are delivering your talk and strive to make eye contact with members of the audience. Think about the following elements:

Maintaining eye contact
Grounding your body
Moving around the stage
Managing arm and hand gestures

Reading round 2: Focus on vocal quality. Read the poem while focusing on vocal characteristics such as the following:

Articulating words
Adjusting volume
Managing pace
Minimizing filler words
Using pauses

Reading round 3: Overall physical presence. Read the poem with a focus on the following:

Sharing energy
Expressing confidence
Calming nerves

Pro Tip: Record yourself as you perform the different rounds so you can observe yourself.

Man in suit speaking at Falling Walls event.

Exercise 4.5: Watch the first 30 seconds of 3–5 GRC presentations for strong starts. (30 min)

In this round of viewing GRC videos, watch for ideas for strong starts. Note whether any resonates with your research or with your personality. I have included a few options below.

If you are interested sparking curiosity, try Pewee Datoo Kolubah's Falling Walls Berlin talk "Breaking the Wall of Accessible Electricity" or Tim Gordon's FameLab talk "Helping Nemo Find Home"
If you want to try a call-and-response, watch Shannon Brady's Grad Slam talk "Thinking Out Loud: Is Self-Talk a Secret to Success?"
For a analogy, check out Dina Rogers' Falling Walls Berlin talk "Breaking the Wall of Plastic Accumulation"
For a powerful image and a personal story, watch Fernando Quijano's 3MT talk "Spousal Competence and the Invisible Family Load".

Person presenting at FameLab event on stage.

Exercise 4.6: Watch Tim Gordon’s 2019 FameLab talk with a focus on his physical presence. (10 min)

Watch Tim Gordon’s 2019 FameLab talk about the impact of climate change on coral reefs. In my opinion, his hand gestures and vocal variation are excellent. Pay attention at the 1:30 minute mark as he adjusts his vocal pace and volume to add emphasis to what he is saying.

Progress chart for GRC preparation week 4 with three categories.

So long Week 4!

Now we are starting to see some real progress, right?

Your script is nearing 50% or more. In terms of your physical presence, you are learning what your strengths are and where you need to improve. You are starting to think about how you will open your talk with power, arguably the most important eight seconds of the entire talk.

Well done you. Now it is time to start rehearsing!