Element Descriptor
It’s one thing to speak at a public meeting, with a set agenda, a good sound system etc. It’s something else to address a rally or speak at the end of a march. But most people invited to do it are really crap. Don’t be that guy.
Level descriptors
| Novice | Practitioner | Expert | Ninja |
|---|---|---|---|
| You are able, with plenty of warning and a fair bit of rehearsal, deliver an entirely competent and mercifully short talk to a rally, that gets the main point of what you need to say over to your audience | You are able, with little advance notice, to give a good talk at a rally which, while short, references what else has already been said, gets the main points over and gives people a sense that your group is banging | With no advance notice you are able to give a funny, warm and wise short speech that draws together threads, gives folks a new perspective and useful information, and has people coming up to you afterwards to ask for your group’s details (and only half of them are undercover cops) | Dragged to the mic blindfolded, while doing a hostile journo interview, you still blast out a ripsnorting punchy speech that makes “I have a dream” sound like “Peace in our time”, leading to prolonged foot stomping and calls of “encore” and “revolution now!” |
Element Overview Essay
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This is a different skill to speaking at a public meeting. And you are usually speaking through a crap sound system, or God forbid a megaphone.,.
The number one thing that you must not do is go into convoluted complex, highly detailed rants about the latest stupid thing, or the latest evil thing that the people you’re angry with did. Nobody cares. They’re at a rally. They’re about to go on a march. They don’t want to know, painful details.
The consequences of speaking badly at rallies is you bore people, you lose credibility. They don’t come up and speak to you afterwards.
Really, in these circumstances, you have to keep it very, very simple and short and you have to Say what you’re going to say. say it and then say what you’ve said. Thank the rally organisers, thank the people who came. Say that you’re going to stick around and people can ask you questions
Development Resources
Assessment Resources
