[nabs-l] Public Speaking

Sun Jun 22 22:49:42 UTC 2014

Thanks Candice. I will have to check out that app. I am thinking of
using something like that or the Victor Stream Reader. I think I would
like the idea of being able to play my notes on the Victor
continuously and only pausing occasionally if the reader gets ahead of
me. It sounds like if I used the iPhone I would have to read line by
line and it might not be quite as easy to pause and start again.
However, I suppose I could set Voice Over to read the entire document
and then double finger single tap to pause and restart as needed, so
perhaps that would be just as easy as working with the Victor. I'm not
sure, but I think I will try to experiment a little with both options
and see what feels most comfortable to me. But at least now I am more
informed about the options that are available to me, so I don't have
to worry about delivering a speech without having notes that I can
access.

Thanks,

Shickeytha

On 6/22/14, Candice Chapman <chapman.candicel at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello again,
>
> So, there seemed to be a fair bit of interest in the whole audio
> teleprompter idea. I heard of this from Sheila Koenig at our semi-annual
> state convention, here in Minnesota. She developed the idea while taking a
> class. Here's a message about the idea from her:
>
> Part of my Writing and Zen class required us to read our writing aloud.
> Because I learned Braille as an adult and haven't developed the kind of
> speed I wanted, I sought out another method to read my own work. I
> downloaded the app called Plain Text to my ipad. In this app, I can create
> documents, and by using the rotor gesture, I can read the writing line by
> line. This allows me to use my ipad like an audio teleprompter. It took a
> little practice because it required me to speak aloud one line as another
> was being read, but it really did work well. I'd be glad to talk with anyone
> who has specific questions, or we can meet in Orlando at convention. Feel
> free to send me an email atshekoenig at comcast.net
>
> Hope this is helpful for you all!
>
> Best,
>
> Candice
>
>> On Jun 21, 2014, at 8:27 PM, Shickeytha Chandler via nabs-l
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks Lizzy and Rahul! Rahul, I agree that certain gestures and
>> visual expressions don't seem to come as naturally to us as to sighted
>> people. In my undergrad work, I took vocal (singing) lessons as part
>> of a music minor. The faculty gave me some constructive criticism
>> about my facial expressions and appearance while singing. this was not
>> done in a disrespectful way at all, but definitely blunt and honest.
>> They told me that I looked "bland" as I was singing and that I did not
>> have any facial expressions to bring life to the music. I was glad
>> they pointed this out to me because I then began to be more conscious
>> of how I appeared during performances, whereas previously I had
>> focused only on how I sounded. My voice instructor gave me some
>> helpful tips. She told me to think about the words that I was singing
>> as if I were telling a story to someone and to think about what
>> feelings those words would evoke and let that come out naturally
>> through my expressions. She didn't give me specific instructions, such
>> as telling me to smile at a certain point or look sad at a certain
>> point, but rather encouraged me to let my emotions become more engaged
>> with what I was singing about and express myself accordingly. Many
>> years ago, someone told me that facial expressions come natural for
>> blind and sighted alike, and I think perhaps many gestures do as well.
>> I personally think that the key is getting yourself relaxed enough and
>> focused on what you are talking about and emotionally/mentally
>> connected with the subject matter so that those facial expressions and
>> gestures will occur naturally. Now this probably differs in singing
>> and speaking... For example, it is easy to become emotionally engaged
>> when singing a song about heartbreak or about love or about a happy
>> event. But when you are giving a speech to your Economics class, well
>> maybe not so easy, lol. But I think some of the same principles can
>> perhaps be transferred. I think this sort of goes along with what
>> Lizzy said about being knowledgeable and comfortable with the subject
>> matter at hand. My theory is that when that occurs, the gestures and
>> facial expressions will come naturally. Again I am speaking more based
>> on theory than from practical experience here, but I do know that
>> these things helped me with my facial expressions and gestures while
>> singing, and I do plan to use some of these same ideas in my speeches,
>> though it will be an entirely different situation. So I hope there is
>> something that I just said that makes at least a little sense and is
>> helpful (smile). I would love to hear others' thoughts and opinions on
>> the matter of facial expressions and gestures while speaking publicly
>> as a blind person, as I am sure there are a lot of differing points of
>> view on that aspect.
>>
>> Shickeytha
>>
>>> On 6/21/14, Rahul Bajaj via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> This is turning out to be an intriguing discussion!
>>> I have really enjoyed reading all the great suggestions that others
>>> have given so far.
>>> Although I'd like to believe that I'm not that bad at public speaking,
>>> I have been told a couple of times that I should use hand gestures to
>>> convey my points more strongly.
>>> I have never done this because, as I am sure you all would agree, this
>>> isn't something that comes to us naturally.
>>> As a result, I just stand still while giving my speeches and don't use
>>> any gestures; this is something that weighs heavily against me in
>>> public speaking competitions.
>>> Can anyone share any effective strategies that they have employed to
>>> circumvent this problem?
>>> Someone spoke about practicing this with a sighted person. That's a
>>> good suggestion, and I'll definitely keep that in mind.
>>> Does anyone have any other suggestions?
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Rahul
>>>
>>>> On 22/06/2014, lizzy via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> Hi Shickeytha,
>>>> You've gotten some great tips thus far.  Here are a few more
>>>> tricks to add to the list.
>>>> First, let me just say that my tips for a blind public speaker do
>>>> not differ greatly from those I would give to a sighted speaker.
>>>> - Always look at your audience to keep their attention.  You
>>>> mentioned sighted people looking down at notes or a teleprompter,
>>>> I personally dislike when people do this (especially when reading
>>>> from a powerpoint located behind the presenter) because it is
>>>> pretty distracting to the audience.  No matter how you choose to
>>>> read your notes, you will always have the advantage of being able
>>>> to look at your audience while speaking to them (which is a plus
>>>> if you ask me).
>>>> - If you do decide to use braille, one tip you could use is not
>>>> necessarily memorizing your speech ahead of time, but knowing
>>>> your stance on a topic and perhaps just writing that subject down
>>>> (or even shortening the word to just a few letters), and
>>>> explaining your view to the class.  Since no one else is reading
>>>> your notes, they can literally say anything as long as you
>>>> remember what the letters/words mean.  There are benefits and
>>>> drawbacks to memorizing your speech ahead of time, let me know if
>>>> you'd like for me to elaborate.
>>>> - Be sure to not only speak clearly, but also use inflection.  I
>>>> can't stress this enough, speaking in a monotone voice is a sure
>>>> way to get people to fall asleep or think about things totally
>>>> unrelated to your presentation.
>>>> - Know your audience and your subject matter.  You speak to
>>>> college students in a different manner than you would third
>>>> graders which differs from how you would speak to parents.
>>>> Likewise, you'd talk about genocide with an expression that
>>>> contrasts the one you'd have when talking about something
>>>> positive.  Be sure to maintain appropriate tone of voice,
>>>> posture, movement etc.  You'll know your audience is engaged when
>>>> they react appropriately to something you've said.  For example,
>>>> when you tell an anecdote, they respond with ooos and ahs, awws,
>>>> laughs/chuckles- whatever's appropriate.  If you hear a lot of
>>>> movement (stretching, looking for a clock, checking phones,
>>>> etc.), or excessive coughing (when it's not flu season), you know
>>>> you've lost your audience and it's time to take a more upbeat
>>>> approach.
>>>> - Finally, and this is the most important tip of all in my
>>>> opinion.  Be yourself.  If you're not a funny person, don't force
>>>> it.  If you're not comfortable moving around, just maintain good
>>>> posture in one area.  As Joe said, these things need to look
>>>> natural, so do whatever you feel most comfortable with.  If you
>>>> would like to learn about gestures, movement etc.  then by all
>>>> means, do so! It makes for a great presentation, but don't force
>>>> anything.
>>>> Please let me know if you'd like for me to elaborate on specific
>>>> topics! I would be more than happy to do so.
>>>> Hope this helps,
>>>> Lizzy
>>>>
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