Public Speaking in the SCA
There’s a lot of talking involved in the SCA. There’s the formal stuff (Heralds speaking for their Excellencies, for instance), and Bards performing for events. Then there’s the informal stuff (like bardic open performances, or getting a friend’s attention from across your campsite). Regardless of how you use it, your voice is an important tool within the SCA.
You may not think of yourself as a Herald. This is new to me, in fact, as I only began studying heraldry in early July (2016)! Yet the tools and techniques I’ll be discussing today are things you will use in each and every skill within the SCA, from cooking to archery to needlepoint. At some point, you may become skilled enough at your chosen art to be asked to teach (or you might get strong armed into it, like me!), at which point you will need to be able to communicate efficiently.
Voice Heraldry often seems to be a mix of “so easy anyone could do it,” and “so complex it’s terrifying!” While both extremes of the spectrum are, indeed, true, the bulk of Voice Heraldry is pretty simple, and most people can pick up the necessary skills fairly easily. That’s what we’re here for today!
These are the basic rules of heraldry, and of public speaking in general:
1. Don’t yell. Yes, you need to be loud enough to be heard at the back of the room, but yelling actually distorts your voice and makes it more difficult to hear, both up close AND farther away. What you need to do is speak from your diaphragm, which is a muscle just below your lungs. You can feel it if you tighten up your belly muscles and then take a deep breath. When you are speaking to a crowd, you don’t use your chest muscles to push the air out, you use your diaphragm. This does need practice (preferably in a park where you won’t irritate other people, because it’s really loud!).
2. Breathe. This might seem obvious, but it isn’t. Most of the time, we are barely breathing adequately to sustain life. A full breath is drawing in enough air to completely fill your lungs, and then exhaling as much as is physically possible. The average person will feel dizzy after 3 of these full breaths, because they’re unused to that much oxygen in their system! Take the time to breathe deeply before you do any talking or announcing. By doing so, you ready your diaphragm and vocal cords to do the work, and you oxygenate your bloodstream, which often allows you to talk a little longer between breathing breaks. This is another one which requires some practice, but it’s pretty quiet and you can practice anywhere. The more you practice, the better you'll get, because you will slowly increase your lung capacity!
3. Don’t walk while talking. This is especially true if you are the person crying a camp, where you have to jog from section to section to make announcements of import (such as court starting in ten minutes). Get to your announcement spot, then stop. Do your breaths, and make sure you aren’t out of breath before speaking. Then and only then, begin to
speak. Turning is alright, and will sometimes help you reach farther corners of the area you’re announcing in, but walking will take away from your clarity and volume. Note: some people say that you should not move at all when crying a camp, and that turning will only make your voice less identifiable to people who are behind you. I disagree; if you are projecting adequately, no one will have any difficulty hearing you. Trust me on this.
4. Enunciate. If you were in elementary school plays or chorus, you probably have memories of a "Professor McGonagall" type woman telling you to speak clearly and exaggerate some of your letters when on stage. She was right, you know! Make certain you use smaller, easy to understand words where at all possible. Don’t use one large word where two smaller
ones will make do. Think about what will sound better when spoken loudly, and when competing with crying children, bacon frying, axes hitting shields, and people sneezing. Avoid alliteration always, as alliteration abjures accuracy. Or, more clearly, simple words are less likely to be misunderstood and non-repetitive sounds are easier to hear accurately. Also, avoid contractions. It’s easy to miss the final sound in them, especially if people are at their camps, distracted by life going on around them. Rather than “won’t” say “will not”.
5. Speak to the back of the room. When you start talking or announcing, pick someone in the very back of the room and modulate your voice to reach them. They’ll appreciate that you’re noticing “people in the cheap seats”, and you’ll be assured that everyone in the room or area will hear you clearly.
6. Write things down. Even if you’re not prone to stage fright, it’s inevitable that if you don’t write things down, you will forget something, and it will matter. Carry a clip board with notes, or if you’re wanting something a bit more period, make a scroll and slide your notes into it and read from that. Point form notes are your friends, and you should use them frequently. It’s actually better to go with point forms than to write out a whole speech, because it will sound more natural and you won't find yourself staring at the page. Knowing what you need to say will also help with nerves.
7. Be consistent. If you’re crying the camp, say basically the same thing, in the same order, at every stop. This means that when people meet up with each other, they’ll have the same memories of what you said, and can help each other remember the important details. If you’re announcing in Their Excellencies, use the same style each time, providing a consistency to the sound of the words. This gives people in the audience verbal clues on when to settle down and be quiet, and when it’s important to listen. Also, especially if crying the camp, follow the same pattern for walking the physical space each time. Start at Gate (where you'll oftentimes be getting your information to announce!) and then make your way to the Newcomer Area (because they NEED those announcements, and will appreciate you making them your first stop), and then on to the rest of the camp. Campers will hear you making your way toward them, and will stop what they're doing so they can pay attention.
8. Write down names phonetically. Some of the names that people have are definitely not easy to pronounce. Sometimes, they’re not even written in letters we recognize: Лев Николаевич Толстой (Lev Nikolayevhich Tolstoy)! If you’re able to meet with the person whose name you will be reading, ask them to very slowly pronounce it for you, and then write it down as you need to say it. Then repeat it back to them three or four times. Trust me – they will appreciate your taking the time and making the effort. If you’re reading from scrolls in front of a court, you’ll usually get a
flysheet that comes with the scroll, with an easy to read typed version of what’s on it. You can write phonetic names on these sheets, making it easier for you to not stumble over them. If you can’t speak to the person directly, ask someone who is a friend or knows the person (which also means the friend will make sure they're AT court, and that important people such as spouses and children are also in attendance).
9. Be organized. It might take you a few minutes more to get everything ready, but it’s worth it to write down the order in which announcements or awards will be given. Make sure that both you and Their Excellencies (or Their Majesties!) have a copy of the order you’ll be handing them things (in Stonemarche, Their Excellencies decide on the order, and will let you know - you may or may not be permitted to make suggestions), and be prepared to change that order at Their whim. For
more information on court heraldry in particular, please check out the EK Heraldic University class.
10. Be flexible. We get asked to do odd things at odd times, in heraldry. That is probably also true of those involved in the Bardic Arts as well. You can be asked to speak for the local Royals at any moment. It is important to be flexible, willing to work with whatever the Baron and Baronessa, or King and Queen throw at you. Most of the time, it’s not difficult, but being prepared is important.
11. Know who you’re talking about. It might seem like a little thing, but taking a few minutes to learn something about a person who’s being announced or who is getting an award can make a huge difference. It’s the difference between, “Three cheers for Lady Whatsitz, getting her Laurel!” to “For her research into, tireless effort in teaching others, and her skill in underwater basket weaving, to Lady Whatsitz we say ‘Vivat!’” Knowing that tiny bit will make your announcements much more interesting, and will also inform the audience, who may be unable to hear what occurs up on the dais where the award is being granted.
12. Speak like a herald. Heralds of old were the newspapers, the radios, the televisions of medieval times. Avoid using obtrusively modern slang, phrases, or ideas. If you’re not sure how to put together something more appropriate, take a look at Shakespeare and Chaucer. Both have a vast library of words you can learn and borrow from. This goes for Bardic skills as well – poetry, stories, and songs should “sound old”. Emulate the era which your persona is from.
13. Wear comfortable shoes. No, really, this is a rule. I’ve found that it doesn’t matter what kind of heraldry or bardic you’ll be doing. They all require standing or walking. A lot. Investing in a single pair of good walking shoes will pay for itself after one turn of crying the camp. Don't stress over whether those shoes are "period" or not. At some events (like Great North Eastern War), you may be asked to walk literally several miles over the course of a day of announcements. Runners might not be pretty, but you'll still be a functional human being at the end of the day, and that is MUCH more important than looking pretty.
14. Accept criticism gracefully and gratefully. It can be tough, hearing that you could have done something better, but it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. We rarely get things right the first time we do something, and you’ll make mistakes. Most everyone will be very patient as you grow into whatever position you’ve taken (teacher, bard, herald, etc.). Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from people with more experience. Usually people enjoy helping out the up-and-coming new people!
If you want to learn general public speaking skills, Toastmasters is a great place to go. There are probably meetings near your home or work, or even AT your work, that you can attend and learn at. Being able to speak well, both coherently and loudly enough for everyone to hear, is something each of us can learn. It takes no special talent; anyone can learn with practice and diligence!
It’s not easy being the one standing up in front of the crowd. Even the most experienced of bards and heralds occasionally has a bout of stage fright or discomfort. If this is where you want to be, though, up at the front of a class or a court, or on the battlefield announcing the winners, then there are plenty of places to learn the skills. Keep these rules in mind and you’ll slowly improve and become a fantastic public speaker.
Web Links for Information on Heraldry
The SCA - The site that leads to all the other links is heraldry.sca.org. There’s so much information there! The lessons themselves are worth the electrons they’re printed on.
The EK Heraldic University – If you want to learn the ins and outs of heraldry, this is THE place to go. These are YouTube video courses from classes a few years old. The information is phenomenal!
Silent Heraldry is for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many people find having a Silent Herald signing at court is very helpful, even those with no hearing loss at all. It’s something that the SCA has been promoting for a while. If you have any skill at ASL or CASE, this may be of interest to you!
The West Kingdom’s Herald’s Handbook – This is another great resource. Not every rule is the same when comparing East and West, but the basics are definitely comparable!
Florilegium article by Heather Nieto – Court and Field Heraldry requires a lot of practice, and Ms. Nieto offers some great tips!
Modar University offers a great article on different kinds of heraldry, including how to do announcing. The article also has a list of common honorifics for the various “pointy hats” that might be attending court or battle.
Speaking Forsoothly - Learning to “speak forsoothly” is actually rather important if you’re doing any kind of announcing
or writing from within your persona. Here’s a great article that touches on how to do so, and where to find more information on how to say what you want to say.
You may not think of yourself as a Herald. This is new to me, in fact, as I only began studying heraldry in early July (2016)! Yet the tools and techniques I’ll be discussing today are things you will use in each and every skill within the SCA, from cooking to archery to needlepoint. At some point, you may become skilled enough at your chosen art to be asked to teach (or you might get strong armed into it, like me!), at which point you will need to be able to communicate efficiently.
Voice Heraldry often seems to be a mix of “so easy anyone could do it,” and “so complex it’s terrifying!” While both extremes of the spectrum are, indeed, true, the bulk of Voice Heraldry is pretty simple, and most people can pick up the necessary skills fairly easily. That’s what we’re here for today!
These are the basic rules of heraldry, and of public speaking in general:
1. Don’t yell. Yes, you need to be loud enough to be heard at the back of the room, but yelling actually distorts your voice and makes it more difficult to hear, both up close AND farther away. What you need to do is speak from your diaphragm, which is a muscle just below your lungs. You can feel it if you tighten up your belly muscles and then take a deep breath. When you are speaking to a crowd, you don’t use your chest muscles to push the air out, you use your diaphragm. This does need practice (preferably in a park where you won’t irritate other people, because it’s really loud!).
- Practice this: relax your belly and diaphragm and blow out air. Then tighten up everything and try again. Last, start with full lungs, then tighten AS you release air. Hear/feel the difference?
2. Breathe. This might seem obvious, but it isn’t. Most of the time, we are barely breathing adequately to sustain life. A full breath is drawing in enough air to completely fill your lungs, and then exhaling as much as is physically possible. The average person will feel dizzy after 3 of these full breaths, because they’re unused to that much oxygen in their system! Take the time to breathe deeply before you do any talking or announcing. By doing so, you ready your diaphragm and vocal cords to do the work, and you oxygenate your bloodstream, which often allows you to talk a little longer between breathing breaks. This is another one which requires some practice, but it’s pretty quiet and you can practice anywhere. The more you practice, the better you'll get, because you will slowly increase your lung capacity!
- Practice this: take several deep, complete breaths. Alternatively, try announcing something before and after you've taken the deep breaths, to compare your vocal range and distance.
3. Don’t walk while talking. This is especially true if you are the person crying a camp, where you have to jog from section to section to make announcements of import (such as court starting in ten minutes). Get to your announcement spot, then stop. Do your breaths, and make sure you aren’t out of breath before speaking. Then and only then, begin to
speak. Turning is alright, and will sometimes help you reach farther corners of the area you’re announcing in, but walking will take away from your clarity and volume. Note: some people say that you should not move at all when crying a camp, and that turning will only make your voice less identifiable to people who are behind you. I disagree; if you are projecting adequately, no one will have any difficulty hearing you. Trust me on this.
- Practice this: take a quick lap around the room/area, then cry an announcement. Then relax for a minute, deep breathe, then announce again. Experience the difference!
4. Enunciate. If you were in elementary school plays or chorus, you probably have memories of a "Professor McGonagall" type woman telling you to speak clearly and exaggerate some of your letters when on stage. She was right, you know! Make certain you use smaller, easy to understand words where at all possible. Don’t use one large word where two smaller
ones will make do. Think about what will sound better when spoken loudly, and when competing with crying children, bacon frying, axes hitting shields, and people sneezing. Avoid alliteration always, as alliteration abjures accuracy. Or, more clearly, simple words are less likely to be misunderstood and non-repetitive sounds are easier to hear accurately. Also, avoid contractions. It’s easy to miss the final sound in them, especially if people are at their camps, distracted by life going on around them. Rather than “won’t” say “will not”.
- Practice this: Try enunciating a variety of words. You can even give your own name a whirl, as if you were processing yourself into court: All rise, for [your name], King/Queen of the East! (Note: don't do this at an event or you will find people panicking as they try to figure out where Their Majesties are...)
5. Speak to the back of the room. When you start talking or announcing, pick someone in the very back of the room and modulate your voice to reach them. They’ll appreciate that you’re noticing “people in the cheap seats”, and you’ll be assured that everyone in the room or area will hear you clearly.
- Practice this: First, talk to someone close to you. Just talk conversationally, but take note of the volume and tone you use. Then, have them walk several feet away or sit in the back of a large room. Talk to them again, and be aware of how differently you project your voice, how loud it is, and how your speech patterns change. If you find you aren't loud enough, place a hand on your belly where your diaphragm is, and press lightly to remind yourself to talk from your belly rather than your chest.
6. Write things down. Even if you’re not prone to stage fright, it’s inevitable that if you don’t write things down, you will forget something, and it will matter. Carry a clip board with notes, or if you’re wanting something a bit more period, make a scroll and slide your notes into it and read from that. Point form notes are your friends, and you should use them frequently. It’s actually better to go with point forms than to write out a whole speech, because it will sound more natural and you won't find yourself staring at the page. Knowing what you need to say will also help with nerves.
- Be aware that you will, at some point, make a mistake. Or several mistakes. Don't panic! Everyone does, and you are surrounded by friends who will understand, and offer ideas to help with next time. Every Herald has mangled a name at some point, has made a wrong announcement, or some other error. We're human, and it's important that we keep in mind that this is, in the end, a game. Make it fun!
7. Be consistent. If you’re crying the camp, say basically the same thing, in the same order, at every stop. This means that when people meet up with each other, they’ll have the same memories of what you said, and can help each other remember the important details. If you’re announcing in Their Excellencies, use the same style each time, providing a consistency to the sound of the words. This gives people in the audience verbal clues on when to settle down and be quiet, and when it’s important to listen. Also, especially if crying the camp, follow the same pattern for walking the physical space each time. Start at Gate (where you'll oftentimes be getting your information to announce!) and then make your way to the Newcomer Area (because they NEED those announcements, and will appreciate you making them your first stop), and then on to the rest of the camp. Campers will hear you making your way toward them, and will stop what they're doing so they can pay attention.
- Practice this: Talk to your Baronial Herald or the Site Herald, and find out how they prefer to have you cry the camp. You may be working with several other Heralds, especially at large events like Pennsic, so you will need to coordinate. Generally, announcements start with crying "Oyez" to get people's attention. You can practice privately for a few moments before going out to cry the camp or do general announcements, and you can practice your area's "standard" cries at home.
8. Write down names phonetically. Some of the names that people have are definitely not easy to pronounce. Sometimes, they’re not even written in letters we recognize: Лев Николаевич Толстой (Lev Nikolayevhich Tolstoy)! If you’re able to meet with the person whose name you will be reading, ask them to very slowly pronounce it for you, and then write it down as you need to say it. Then repeat it back to them three or four times. Trust me – they will appreciate your taking the time and making the effort. If you’re reading from scrolls in front of a court, you’ll usually get a
flysheet that comes with the scroll, with an easy to read typed version of what’s on it. You can write phonetic names on these sheets, making it easier for you to not stumble over them. If you can’t speak to the person directly, ask someone who is a friend or knows the person (which also means the friend will make sure they're AT court, and that important people such as spouses and children are also in attendance).
- Practice this: Ask your friends what their SCA names are, and write them down both properly and phonetically. Work on creating a system of notation that lets you see how to properly pronounce any word. You will want to note not just the verbalization, but the emphasis of names. For example, Laoghaire is pronounced "leery", but it could be LEEry or leh-REY depending on the person. You can use all-caps, underline the emphasis, or whatever else makes sense to you.
9. Be organized. It might take you a few minutes more to get everything ready, but it’s worth it to write down the order in which announcements or awards will be given. Make sure that both you and Their Excellencies (or Their Majesties!) have a copy of the order you’ll be handing them things (in Stonemarche, Their Excellencies decide on the order, and will let you know - you may or may not be permitted to make suggestions), and be prepared to change that order at Their whim. For
more information on court heraldry in particular, please check out the EK Heraldic University class.
- For more information: check out The Atlantian College of Heralds "court heraldry" page, and of course the SCA Court Heraldry page.
10. Be flexible. We get asked to do odd things at odd times, in heraldry. That is probably also true of those involved in the Bardic Arts as well. You can be asked to speak for the local Royals at any moment. It is important to be flexible, willing to work with whatever the Baron and Baronessa, or King and Queen throw at you. Most of the time, it’s not difficult, but being prepared is important.
11. Know who you’re talking about. It might seem like a little thing, but taking a few minutes to learn something about a person who’s being announced or who is getting an award can make a huge difference. It’s the difference between, “Three cheers for Lady Whatsitz, getting her Laurel!” to “For her research into, tireless effort in teaching others, and her skill in underwater basket weaving, to Lady Whatsitz we say ‘Vivat!’” Knowing that tiny bit will make your announcements much more interesting, and will also inform the audience, who may be unable to hear what occurs up on the dais where the award is being granted.
- Practice this: Pick a friend or talk to your local Herald, and find out a bit about them. Then, practice announcing them as if they were getting an award of some type. You can practice on your children, too!
12. Speak like a herald. Heralds of old were the newspapers, the radios, the televisions of medieval times. Avoid using obtrusively modern slang, phrases, or ideas. If you’re not sure how to put together something more appropriate, take a look at Shakespeare and Chaucer. Both have a vast library of words you can learn and borrow from. This goes for Bardic skills as well – poetry, stories, and songs should “sound old”. Emulate the era which your persona is from.
- Practice this: Speak “forsoothly”. Make your words sound like they are from the medieval era. If you're not the type to make up things on the spot, pick up a bit of classical literature and read aloud!
13. Wear comfortable shoes. No, really, this is a rule. I’ve found that it doesn’t matter what kind of heraldry or bardic you’ll be doing. They all require standing or walking. A lot. Investing in a single pair of good walking shoes will pay for itself after one turn of crying the camp. Don't stress over whether those shoes are "period" or not. At some events (like Great North Eastern War), you may be asked to walk literally several miles over the course of a day of announcements. Runners might not be pretty, but you'll still be a functional human being at the end of the day, and that is MUCH more important than looking pretty.
14. Accept criticism gracefully and gratefully. It can be tough, hearing that you could have done something better, but it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. We rarely get things right the first time we do something, and you’ll make mistakes. Most everyone will be very patient as you grow into whatever position you’ve taken (teacher, bard, herald, etc.). Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from people with more experience. Usually people enjoy helping out the up-and-coming new people!
- Practice this: Ask for constructive criticism. Don't be afraid to ask people for feedback. Apply what you hear to your practices as you move forward. Remember that someone who is taking the time to give you feedback is showing interest in you! In the SCA, if you don't have an interest in someone, you just ignore them, so if you're hearing about improvements you can make, that means you are catching the attention of people who can help you go from good to great.
If you want to learn general public speaking skills, Toastmasters is a great place to go. There are probably meetings near your home or work, or even AT your work, that you can attend and learn at. Being able to speak well, both coherently and loudly enough for everyone to hear, is something each of us can learn. It takes no special talent; anyone can learn with practice and diligence!
It’s not easy being the one standing up in front of the crowd. Even the most experienced of bards and heralds occasionally has a bout of stage fright or discomfort. If this is where you want to be, though, up at the front of a class or a court, or on the battlefield announcing the winners, then there are plenty of places to learn the skills. Keep these rules in mind and you’ll slowly improve and become a fantastic public speaker.
Web Links for Information on Heraldry
The SCA - The site that leads to all the other links is heraldry.sca.org. There’s so much information there! The lessons themselves are worth the electrons they’re printed on.
The EK Heraldic University – If you want to learn the ins and outs of heraldry, this is THE place to go. These are YouTube video courses from classes a few years old. The information is phenomenal!
Silent Heraldry is for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many people find having a Silent Herald signing at court is very helpful, even those with no hearing loss at all. It’s something that the SCA has been promoting for a while. If you have any skill at ASL or CASE, this may be of interest to you!
The West Kingdom’s Herald’s Handbook – This is another great resource. Not every rule is the same when comparing East and West, but the basics are definitely comparable!
Florilegium article by Heather Nieto – Court and Field Heraldry requires a lot of practice, and Ms. Nieto offers some great tips!
Modar University offers a great article on different kinds of heraldry, including how to do announcing. The article also has a list of common honorifics for the various “pointy hats” that might be attending court or battle.
Speaking Forsoothly - Learning to “speak forsoothly” is actually rather important if you’re doing any kind of announcing
or writing from within your persona. Here’s a great article that touches on how to do so, and where to find more information on how to say what you want to say.