So for Whom and for What - is all this for?!
The answer of course is for anyone but particularly parents, those who seek to reconcile differences, teachers, preachers, facilitators and those who generally support and guide others.
Everyone performing these roles have unique opportunities to heal and develop in others and themselves, positiveness, imagination, interest and 'will to act'.
The Path in preparation for speaking we have been working through so far in the Posts in this Blog takes us from consciously creating a mental picture image, the supporting gesture, allowing ourselves to show and express them, these helping to form the "tone" of what we are saying, the rhythm and pace of our speaking - all 'crowned' by our knowing, forming and 'releasing' individual characteristics of consonants and vowels.
Therefore we are now at the point on this Path where understanding specific characteristics of consonants and vowels enriches and helps makes practical sense of everything covered so far.
Additionally, the importance of breathing to support consciously speaking words and within them consonants and vowels, will be addressed.
The necessity for effective, creative, and idealised speech through which we express our values and ideals, is being eroded through the significant lessening of opportunities within families. social and working contexts for face to face conversation. In simple terms "If we do not use it we will lose it"!
In 2013 I will work through the characteristics and qualities of each consonant and vowel in the English Alphabet relating these and everything covered to date in this Blog specifically to the roles described in this Post.
Please describe in any response to this Post what you intuitively know is particularly important when speaking as a parent, mediator, teacher, preacher, facilitator and guide.
Thank you for visiting this Blog this year and I look forward to being with you next year.
Monday 24 December 2012
Friday 21 September 2012
Paralympic Games - Most profound Gestures possible
From the Paralympic Games - the most profound gestures possible.
Following on from my last Post about what gestures we may experience from the Paralympic and Olympic Games I saw embodied in one man who was mute and deaf the most natural, energetic and totally awe inspiring portrayal of the six gestures I described in the last Post that most widely present themselves.
I had the privilege to engage in dialogue with this young man in part with the aid of another to learn how he was actively lobbying politicians in Africa and America to consider more strongly the needs of those who were disabled.
In dialogue with me he presented all six gestures EQUALLY. This formed the strength of the way he engaged. He never once strayed into adopt a "one-sided" way to make a point. He ranged across all gestures to an equal degree which left me experiencing truth from pure art.
I have rarely experienced this to this degree. The ethos and values of the Paralympic Games clearly supported this man being able to be this way. Long may this effect continue.
Following on from my last Post about what gestures we may experience from the Paralympic and Olympic Games I saw embodied in one man who was mute and deaf the most natural, energetic and totally awe inspiring portrayal of the six gestures I described in the last Post that most widely present themselves.
I had the privilege to engage in dialogue with this young man in part with the aid of another to learn how he was actively lobbying politicians in Africa and America to consider more strongly the needs of those who were disabled.
In dialogue with me he presented all six gestures EQUALLY. This formed the strength of the way he engaged. He never once strayed into adopt a "one-sided" way to make a point. He ranged across all gestures to an equal degree which left me experiencing truth from pure art.
I have rarely experienced this to this degree. The ethos and values of the Paralympic Games clearly supported this man being able to be this way. Long may this effect continue.
Monday 27 August 2012
The Olympic and Paralympic Games - Gestures
The first and early Olympic Games placed emphasis upon the beauty and movement of the body - the artistic nature of the "Game".
To support this, Greek Gymnastic Exercises were pursued and great buildings created to enable them to be carried out.
Dr Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, built upon the "gestures" the first Olympians were encouraged to aspire to and display. He categorised six. Here are three.
One is where an individual consciously "Feels Forward" towards another individual or situation. This is where 'I seek a relationship with obstacles in the World'. This reflects the value of 'Friendship' that underpin both Games today.
Another is "Sympathy" towards another or a situation where 'I unite with the World'. This reflects the value that underpins the modern Games of 'Respect" and 'Equality'.
A third is where an individual is very "Effective" - "Directive", impressing themselves upon others, situations, the World. In terms of the values and principles underpinning the modern Games this third gesture encompasses -'Courage', 'Determination', 'Inspiration' and 'Excellence'.
Beautifully these original gestures and modern values were presented time and time again during the London 2012 Olympic Games not only by the athletes but also by all spectators, often to the astonishment and comment by many around the World.
The true legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be re-igniting through experiencing and appreciating the original gestures underpinning the modern values.
I am trusting this will be the case. I was a volunteer Games Maker to the Olympic Games and am to be again, for the Paralympic Games. I believe the above three gestures will be especially present in the Paralympic Games.
The importance for me of gestures and values for the way we speak is because of the roots and links between them and our speech. The original Olympic Games included spear-throwing - now throwing the javelin. This is an exercise used for projecting speech. Running and jumping brings rhythm and modulation to our speech.
Speech becomes real through factual gesture. There is no real gesture that is not derived from the Greek Gymnastic exercises. Gesture can be felt in the voice and if 'exercised well' disappears into and transforms our speech enabling it to be authentic and truly inspirational.
Please let me and each other know what you see, hear and feel during the Paralympic Games in the speech of athletes, commentators, spectators and ourselves.
Wednesday 20 June 2012
Finding the Gesture within the written word
For this post there is a short video of my reciting a poem describing the four main types of clouds I wrote for a meteorology lesson for pupils in a school.
Each of the four descriptions are necessarily very different - portraying their own picture-image of a particular type of cloud.
Finding - establishing - the Gesture that supports speaking the words creatively and truthfully is achieved by speaking imaginatively the contrasting picture-images of the highest type of cloud Cirrus, whispy and white, with the lowest type of cloud Nimbus, heavy and black. The Gesture for Cirrus is light, whispy, very high, and transient - there one minute gone a short while later - and having the power to signal rain is on it's way! For nimbus a 'dogged determination by the heavens' to finally release torrents of rain.
You cannot have two more contrasting cloud formations or skies in which they sit - the former in blue sky, the latter sky often being black everywhere.
The purpose of writing the poem for the students was to enable them to "experience" these graphic differences in picture-images, gestures, through their reciting the description of each type of cloud.
I met one of these pupils recently and she spoke about the poem with great feeling.
Speak the poem and identify the specific gesture, picture-image, this creates in you about the different types of cloud.
Here is the Poem
Cumulus - white cauliflower day cloud
Nimbus - heavy black cloud
The last two posts have looked at the connection between picture-image and gesture. The next post will explore the use of picture-image - (visualisation) by sports men and women to enhance their performance.
Each of the four descriptions are necessarily very different - portraying their own picture-image of a particular type of cloud.
Finding - establishing - the Gesture that supports speaking the words creatively and truthfully is achieved by speaking imaginatively the contrasting picture-images of the highest type of cloud Cirrus, whispy and white, with the lowest type of cloud Nimbus, heavy and black. The Gesture for Cirrus is light, whispy, very high, and transient - there one minute gone a short while later - and having the power to signal rain is on it's way! For nimbus a 'dogged determination by the heavens' to finally release torrents of rain.
You cannot have two more contrasting cloud formations or skies in which they sit - the former in blue sky, the latter sky often being black everywhere.
The purpose of writing the poem for the students was to enable them to "experience" these graphic differences in picture-images, gestures, through their reciting the description of each type of cloud.
I met one of these pupils recently and she spoke about the poem with great feeling.
Speak the poem and identify the specific gesture, picture-image, this creates in you about the different types of cloud.
Here is the Poem
Cirrus - whispy white cotton tails
high in the sky
foretelling of rain
Stratus - grey blanket cloud
advancing steadily
covering the heavens
Cumulus - white cauliflower day cloud
forever changing
Nimbus - heavy black cloud
shedding torrents of rain
coming to a sky near to you soon!
The last two posts have looked at the connection between picture-image and gesture. The next post will explore the use of picture-image - (visualisation) by sports men and women to enhance their performance.
Power of Gesture supporting living speech in conversation
Continuing with Gesture here is a short video exploring the use of Gesture in conversation. The video illustrates the worth and power of Gesture in forming picture-images, enabling choice of the most appropriate words and speaking them in a living way - in the context of the four recognised phases of an effective conversation.
The subsequent post will look at Gesture in an entirely different context - reciting the written word: Gesture refelecting and being found in the written word, which when spoken in a "living" way is reflected in the way words are spoken.
The subsequent post will look at Gesture in an entirely different context - reciting the written word: Gesture refelecting and being found in the written word, which when spoken in a "living" way is reflected in the way words are spoken.
Tuesday 29 May 2012
The Importance of Gesture
The Importance of Gesture
This is a critical and fascinating aspect of speech.
This is a critical and fascinating aspect of speech.
For actors it is about living the character they are portraying.
For everyday speech - speaking - it is letting the picture, "what is in your minds eye", live.
And if you do that, movement of your body will reflect that picture in your minds eye - your arms, legs, facial movements, whole body.
These movements - gestures - precede speaking.. In doing so they influence speaking. The feelings and will you have towards the picture, your minds eye, comes through and radiates outward into our speaking.
Take the short passage I read aloud in the last post entitled Clarity and Picture. I spoke it twice. The first time I pictured what the writer was seeking to convey through the words he chose to write. The second time I did not do this. I simply read and spoke the words, without forming a picture of what the writer intended.
Listen to both recordings and in the first sense my seeking a picture of beauty in relation to the word beautiful. When speaking this word I remember my body moving forward, striving, to envisage a picture, example, feeling of beauty. In the second recording the word beautiful just 'died' - not imparting to the listener any sense of beauty at all.
So basically this is "living into" what we are saying, able to mean what we are speaking because we have thought and felt a phenomenon, a feeling, a wish, a dream, a vision before we speak words to describe it.
In the next Posts, through practical examples, I will explore the full nature and force of the Gesture and how doing this makes our speech truly live.
In the meantime please share any practical examples you have.
And if you do that, movement of your body will reflect that picture in your minds eye - your arms, legs, facial movements, whole body.
These movements - gestures - precede speaking.. In doing so they influence speaking. The feelings and will you have towards the picture, your minds eye, comes through and radiates outward into our speaking.
Take the short passage I read aloud in the last post entitled Clarity and Picture. I spoke it twice. The first time I pictured what the writer was seeking to convey through the words he chose to write. The second time I did not do this. I simply read and spoke the words, without forming a picture of what the writer intended.
Listen to both recordings and in the first sense my seeking a picture of beauty in relation to the word beautiful. When speaking this word I remember my body moving forward, striving, to envisage a picture, example, feeling of beauty. In the second recording the word beautiful just 'died' - not imparting to the listener any sense of beauty at all.
So basically this is "living into" what we are saying, able to mean what we are speaking because we have thought and felt a phenomenon, a feeling, a wish, a dream, a vision before we speak words to describe it.
In the next Posts, through practical examples, I will explore the full nature and force of the Gesture and how doing this makes our speech truly live.
In the meantime please share any practical examples you have.
Monday 28 May 2012
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Clarity and Picture
Following on from the last Post about needing to have an imaginative picture in your "minds eye" to enable your speech to be clear, imaginative and living - listen to the following two recordings of a saying by Lao Tsu:
I seek here to recreate what the writers words portray to me.
This next recording shows what happens when I do not do this.
How would you describe the difference between the two recordings?
What would make the second one more alive and interesting?
Tell each other and myself!
And then after this in the next Post we will look at the importance of the underlying gesture in how and what we say.
How would you describe the gesture underlying the above saying?
I seek here to recreate what the writers words portray to me.
This next recording shows what happens when I do not do this.
How would you describe the difference between the two recordings?
What would make the second one more alive and interesting?
Tell each other and myself!
And then after this in the next Post we will look at the importance of the underlying gesture in how and what we say.
How would you describe the gesture underlying the above saying?
Sunday 25 March 2012
Clarity and Picture
Here I am concentrating upon having a simple straightforward picture of what we are saying before and when we are speaking. Having a picture "in our minds eye" is critical to speaking clearly, interestingly and effectively.
I was fortunate last night to see this in action in London at a stage performance of a story - a poem written by the German poet Wolfgang Goethe entitled The Green Snake and The Beautiful Lily. The performers lived their characters so thoroughly you could "see" the pictures they had in their heads and hearts and through how they moved,silently, while a narrator spoke the poem.
It was a graphic presentation of invisible pictures held by the artists.
To speak clearly and in a living way we need to push along this same path.
To go back to one of my earlier posts with the title "Immeasurable Help" - with a voice recording attached. There I described my hearing, when trying to help resolve a conflict between two people, the heartfelt speaking of this phrase by one of them. I "replayed" it back to both. This helped them realise what they had to do and they did it.
The art is not to leave doing this for just the key or most important words we are saying. The skill - the best way to develop - is to create and work from key pictures more and more until, like the performers last night we hold pictures of what we intend to speak all the time, making our speech truly living speech.
I was fortunate last night to see this in action in London at a stage performance of a story - a poem written by the German poet Wolfgang Goethe entitled The Green Snake and The Beautiful Lily. The performers lived their characters so thoroughly you could "see" the pictures they had in their heads and hearts and through how they moved,silently, while a narrator spoke the poem.
It was a graphic presentation of invisible pictures held by the artists.
To speak clearly and in a living way we need to push along this same path.
To go back to one of my earlier posts with the title "Immeasurable Help" - with a voice recording attached. There I described my hearing, when trying to help resolve a conflict between two people, the heartfelt speaking of this phrase by one of them. I "replayed" it back to both. This helped them realise what they had to do and they did it.
The art is not to leave doing this for just the key or most important words we are saying. The skill - the best way to develop - is to create and work from key pictures more and more until, like the performers last night we hold pictures of what we intend to speak all the time, making our speech truly living speech.
Monday 5 March 2012
The role and context from which you are speaking
Making yourself clear and interesting when you speak reduces considerably unnecessary disagreement with what you are saying. This is particularly the case when you ensure those with whom you are speaking know your role or task - your "authority" for what you are saying.
An example is where you have been asked - or decided - to get something done which requires the support and help of others. When speaking, the person with the task, needs to describe the 'role' and/or task he or she has taken on - clearly, and ideally with enthusiasm!
Doing this the 'speaker' enables the listener to understand, appreciate and respond (more) positively to what they hear from you. Without this information there is a potential risk - 'barrier' - the listener will say "Why should I do that?" and not contribute towards what is needed. And then you have to spend time and energy unpicking the barrier rather than continuing your enthusiasm.
In an interesting way this is acknowledging the "Rights" both the listener has for knowing what is going on and you have to say what it is you are doing.
Not having unnecessary barriers or using time to retrospectively clarify and resolve your role and task means you create a safe, warm, open and exciting climate within which creative and imaginative thinking from creative and imaginative conversation (dialogue), can evolve. This conscious forming of your own "conversational culture" allows the spirit of your activity to form.
From this follows well focused appropriate activity, next steps, solutions - very practical outcomes - transforming a good creative and imaginative idea into a business project - piece of artistic activity. All because time and care has been taken to meet the rights of others and yourself to appreciate the role and context from which you are speaking!
This area of clarity is so easy to achieve if you think about it before speaking - very difficult to put right if you don't. If you do achieve it you enhance significantly the likelihood of good work, products and art coming from it. And the way you speak when doing this will either enhance still further or detract even more from what is achievable.
So good luck with concentrating upon this aspect. Please tell each other and myself about your experiences.
The next Post in this Series will look at the importance of having a clear picture in our mind about what we intend to say.
Robin
An example is where you have been asked - or decided - to get something done which requires the support and help of others. When speaking, the person with the task, needs to describe the 'role' and/or task he or she has taken on - clearly, and ideally with enthusiasm!
Doing this the 'speaker' enables the listener to understand, appreciate and respond (more) positively to what they hear from you. Without this information there is a potential risk - 'barrier' - the listener will say "Why should I do that?" and not contribute towards what is needed. And then you have to spend time and energy unpicking the barrier rather than continuing your enthusiasm.
In an interesting way this is acknowledging the "Rights" both the listener has for knowing what is going on and you have to say what it is you are doing.
Not having unnecessary barriers or using time to retrospectively clarify and resolve your role and task means you create a safe, warm, open and exciting climate within which creative and imaginative thinking from creative and imaginative conversation (dialogue), can evolve. This conscious forming of your own "conversational culture" allows the spirit of your activity to form.
From this follows well focused appropriate activity, next steps, solutions - very practical outcomes - transforming a good creative and imaginative idea into a business project - piece of artistic activity. All because time and care has been taken to meet the rights of others and yourself to appreciate the role and context from which you are speaking!
This area of clarity is so easy to achieve if you think about it before speaking - very difficult to put right if you don't. If you do achieve it you enhance significantly the likelihood of good work, products and art coming from it. And the way you speak when doing this will either enhance still further or detract even more from what is achievable.
So good luck with concentrating upon this aspect. Please tell each other and myself about your experiences.
The next Post in this Series will look at the importance of having a clear picture in our mind about what we intend to say.
Robin
Monday 6 February 2012
Journey into Living Speech
Hello,
Over the coming months I will create Posts for each aspect of choosing and saying words in the best way to convey the meaning we intend.
This Journey will look first at the role and context from which we are speaking to make sure what we are intending to say is appropriate and makes sense - a health-check really.
Then, as in the first Post - "Silvery Sails" - being clear about the visual picture we need to have in our head to bring life to our speaking.
The Post that will follow will concentrate upon being alive to the Gesture that "flows" naturally from the picture we hold. I will do this because how we speak is directly affected by the Gesture.
The Post after that will look at the critical importance of the precise words we use to convey what we want to say. This is a real craft, choosing words that are clear, straightforward and imaginative.
Then I will look at the importance and nature of breathing so that our mental pictures have the best chance of being heard.
Following this I will concentrate upon the rich characteristics and qualities of the consonants and vowels in the English language.
What follows on naturally after this is the effective practice of "stepping the syllables" to lengthen and deepen a word.
Connected with this in the next Post I will look at use of the pause when speaking, to increase the listener's attention to what we are saying and allowing us, both, time to think and breathe!
Travelling full circle we return to whether we have kept faith with our role. This brings in observation - being clear and honest about what is going on around us and within us when we speak.
All this is then considered from the value of having a well constructed conversation - dialogue if we can achieve it - to embrace and nurture all these aspects.
To illustrate what I mean I will use elements of a fairy tale poem, "The Green Snake and The Beautiful Lily" by Wolfgang Goethe. It is wondrously pictorial and imaginative
So here we go! Join me on our Journey into making our speech really "live". Please tell me how you are able to use these materials and what you observe when you do. I am creating this Blog because I am passionate about our being able to take every opportunity to make our speech of benefit to others and enjoyable for ourselves.
Robin
Over the coming months I will create Posts for each aspect of choosing and saying words in the best way to convey the meaning we intend.
This Journey will look first at the role and context from which we are speaking to make sure what we are intending to say is appropriate and makes sense - a health-check really.
Then, as in the first Post - "Silvery Sails" - being clear about the visual picture we need to have in our head to bring life to our speaking.
The Post that will follow will concentrate upon being alive to the Gesture that "flows" naturally from the picture we hold. I will do this because how we speak is directly affected by the Gesture.
The Post after that will look at the critical importance of the precise words we use to convey what we want to say. This is a real craft, choosing words that are clear, straightforward and imaginative.
Then I will look at the importance and nature of breathing so that our mental pictures have the best chance of being heard.
Following this I will concentrate upon the rich characteristics and qualities of the consonants and vowels in the English language.
What follows on naturally after this is the effective practice of "stepping the syllables" to lengthen and deepen a word.
Connected with this in the next Post I will look at use of the pause when speaking, to increase the listener's attention to what we are saying and allowing us, both, time to think and breathe!
Travelling full circle we return to whether we have kept faith with our role. This brings in observation - being clear and honest about what is going on around us and within us when we speak.
All this is then considered from the value of having a well constructed conversation - dialogue if we can achieve it - to embrace and nurture all these aspects.
To illustrate what I mean I will use elements of a fairy tale poem, "The Green Snake and The Beautiful Lily" by Wolfgang Goethe. It is wondrously pictorial and imaginative
So here we go! Join me on our Journey into making our speech really "live". Please tell me how you are able to use these materials and what you observe when you do. I am creating this Blog because I am passionate about our being able to take every opportunity to make our speech of benefit to others and enjoyable for ourselves.
Robin
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