Here is a sample:
Quoting page 7 of the PACE:
Notice how the script has been marked. These markings indicate proper emphasis and pauses.
Words that are underlined once receive only light emphasis.
The double underlined words receive strong emphasis which identifies words or ideas which are extremely significant to the meaning.
Underlined words that have great meaning or colour, and where the voice ascends or descends, are shown by small arrows, indicating the direction of pitch.
The words that are usually slighted (not emphasized) are prepositions, state-of-being verbs, personal pronouns, sometimes adjectives, and other words as desired. To help you speak with proper emphasis, cross out the words that are slighted entirely. They are spoken clearly but receive no emphasis at all.
The circled words require more feeling and emotion.
A short pause is indicated by a single slash mark, and a major pause is noted by two slash marks.
I highly recommend the High School Elective SPEECH course. Consisting of 6 PACEs and a video, it covers the basics of good speech delivery and provides six performance projects which, with the aid of the video, the student memorizes, rehearses, and performs to an audience before sitting the PACE test. The performance projects are suitable for use at Student Convention.
2. Read through the General Platform Guidelines to check that you are including all important steps in your presentation. Missing one step could cost you a placing or even get you disqualified. Make a check-list, and work through the areas, i.e. approach, eye-contact, posture, gestures, delivery, introduction, and the specific hints from judges.
3. Keep a close eye on your category guidelines and the judge’s form to ensure that you are including all requirements in your presentation. I.e. You may not enjoy using gestures, but not using any could cost you a total of 15 points (5 from each judge).
4. Rehearse in front of a mirror.
5. Record yourself with a sound or video recorder then observe yourself. Is your voice pleasant to listen to? Are you riveting or boring? Are your gestures natural, or jerky and repetitive?
6. Give someone a judge’s form and have them judge your performance and then discuss it with you.
7. Play your recording and rate yourself on the judge’s form.
8. Perform before an audience as many times as you can. The more often you do it, the more confident you will be. You could perform for your family, a few friends, your class, church, or youth group, or visit a retirement home, your neighbour, or an older person from your church. Pre-Convention concerts in which all students from your school or homeschool group present all their Music and Platform items are an excellent way to gain experience, but make sure this is not your first public exposure.
9. Practice your introduction. Saying your own name can feel very uncomfortable. You need to work on saying it pleasantly and clearly, greeting your audience in a friendly but businesslike manner.
10. When preparing a Poetry Recitation, write your poem out in paragraph form and read this out loud. Your poem should not lilt up and down monotonously. Writing it as a paragraph and penciling in emphasis marks will assist you in preventing the sing-song tone that many associate with poetry readings.
11. MEMORIZE your script! Do this as soon as possible so you can then concentrate on the performance of your item and not on trying to remember what comes next.
12. The script must have a powerful or dramatic theme before you can create something exciting with it. The MESSAGE is the biggest point allotment. What are you trying to prove? Are you trying to convict or to inspire your audience? To change their view on something? Check for age appropriateness.
13. Medal-winning performances are ones that are presented with PIZZAZZ. Just being technically correct isn’t enough. For pizzazz, you need:
ATMOSPHERE – Provided by set, music, lighting, and/or the way you make your opening statement.
PROPS/COSTUME – Choose items with colour/contrast and clarity. Make sure their condition matches your setting – don’t use brand new items if your character is a street urchin. You’re going for visual impact. Give your audience something fascinating to look at.
PRESENTATION – Providing something your audience can relate to that will stir an emotive response. Decide if your style is natural, narrative, mysterious, jovial, pompous, or any of a myriad other styles, only make sure it’s appropriate to your message. Then present it with PASSION!
