The day itself

Time yourself

Tell your story from the first word to the last and stop the clock. Do it three times. If your three times are very different, you do not know the story well enough yet.

Finish a little under your competition’s limit. On stage you will speak slower than at home, because of the pauses you have planned and the ones you have not.

Voice

• Slower than feels right. If it feels too slow to you, it is about right for the back row.
• Stop on purpose. Two full seconds of silence before the turn in your story is the strongest thing you can do.
• One whisper, one strong line. Choose them in advance. More than that and it becomes noise.
• The last line is a gift. Slow down, look up, say it, and wait.

Eyes

• Three people. Find one face on the left, one in the middle, one on the right. Tell each of them a whole sentence.
• Not the judges only. Look at them the same amount as everyone else.
• Lost your place? Look at a friendly face, breathe, and say the last line you remember again. It sounds like a choice.

Hands

• Three gestures. Each one shows something in the story: how big, how far, how afraid. The rest of the time your hands rest at your sides.
• Nothing in your pockets. And nothing in your hands.
• Feet still. Move when the story moves. Otherwise plant them.

Nerves

• Everybody has them. Shaking hands mean your body is ready, not that you are going to fail.
• Breathe out longer than in. In for four, out for six, three times, before you walk on.
• Know your first line cold. If the first sentence comes out well, the rest follows.
• Smile at the room before you speak. It gives you two seconds, and it makes them like you.

A score sheet for a friend

This is not any competition’s official sheet. It is a practice tool. Ask a friend to give you 1 to 5 on each line and tell you why.

What they look for	1 to 5
I heard every word
The English sounds were clear
They knew the story and did not search for words
The voice changed: fast and slow, loud and soft
They looked at people
Hands and body helped the story
The ending landed
I enjoyed it

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