In the final part of this blog series on learning lines, Liane explains why learning your ‘lines’ for Speaking in Public exams should be approached slightly differently.
Whenever any of my students learn their speech word for word, it can often come across as wooden or rehearsed. The act of delivering the speech becomes more about remembering the exact word order. With Acting and Speaking Verse and Prose exams, it’s our duty to memorise and present exactly what the writer intended. However, if you’re giving a speech in a Speaking in Public exam, it’s better to memorise the points you’re making (rather than the exact words) and the order in which you plan to present them. This will ensure you communicate your words with spontaneity and an audience will feel they are hearing your words as if for the very first time.
Use Note Cards
After researching their chosen topic, I ask my students to write down their speech in full. When the speech has been edited, it’s time to learn it. Here’s how I approach this with my students, using the start of Ali’s Grade 1 speech about his holiday to Egypt as an example:
In 2018 I visited Egypt and saw one of the Seven Wonders of the World!
After our flight into Cairo, we went in a taxi to our hotel. It took an hour to get there as the traffic was really bad. We even hit a bus! Everyone was driving so fast.
Cut a sheet of paper into pieces or ‘cards’ and identify the first point you make in your speech. Then write down two or three words which will prompt you on your first card. For instance, Ali wrote “Intro: 2018, Egypt” on his first card.
Now take this card and ask your child to find an object or place in the room which will help them to remember this point. Place the card in this location and ask them to make their point. Ali placed his first card next to a family holiday picture taken in Egypt. Remember, its Speaking in Public so we’re not looking for an accurate line for line memorisation as with Acting or Speaking Verse and Prose.
Now repeat this for the second thought. For instance, Ali wrote on his second card, “Cairo, traffic, bus” and placed the card near a toy car. Repeat this process until your child has all of their cards dotted around the room at various locations. Leave the cards where they are and get your child to run through the speech using the cards as prompts. Repeat this a few times until the journey from each location is solidified in your child’s mind.
Keep Line Learning Active!
Now remove the cards and get your child to deliver their speech whist making the same journey around the room. My students really surprise themselves when I take the cards away and they soon realise that what really helps them memorise the points in their speech is the journey around the room.
The method explained in this and in parts one & two of this blog series work so well because the human memory recalls data effectively if it’s stored in relation to something else. These methods also make the act of learning the data active not passive which is much more fun than repeating each line in parrot fashion and hoping the data is seeping in to our long-term memories.
After You’ve Learned Your Lines
When you have committed your LAMDA piece to memory, it’s really important to keep practicing and making sure you’re still accurate in your memorisation.
However, more importantly, trust that you’ve done the work and that your mind will recall your lines when you need them. Leap and the net will appear!
