Wednesday, January 6, 2010

More Speaking Wisdom from the Karate Kid

Someone who read my last post on the Karate Kid asked me, "How can I ever hope to prepare like Danny LaRusso? I don't have time to practice repetitive motions all day!"

Oh yes, you do.

The average person speaks 16,000 words per day. That's 16,000 chances to practice your speaking skills.

The next time you are talking with a friend, practice maintaining sustained eye contact. The next time you read a story to your child, practice varying your voice. And the next time you speak to a sales clerk at the grocery store, practice keeping your body in an open stance.

Mr. Miyagi would be proud.

From the Green Room: Each day provides us with dozens of opportunities to practice using our voices. The more you work at strengthening your voice in casual conversation, the better you will sound when you get up to give a speech.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I just want to be like the sensei from Cobra Kai and not speak so nicely. Anyway, I like your general point.

Anonymous said...

Terrific advice. But what are the elements of an open stance?

Sarah Gershman said...

Thanks for both of these comments. By open stance, I mean feet grounded, should length apart, arms at sides, and in general - body open - not stick straight - just open. In theater, this is called a heroic stance.