Long Speeches: beat by beat for variation
The great Russian director, Stanislavski, created the modern acting methodology while working with playwright Anton Chekhov. The two were interested in creating theater that was human, rather than performative. The Group Theater brought his method to the US, which quickly gave birth to the many schools of method acting, all of them still preeminent today: Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen’s HB Studio, and Sanford Meisner, to name a few.
Aside from giving us the “objective” or what I refer to as the Intention, Stanislavski gave us the “beat.” Lore has it that he was saying, “this little bit and then this little bit,” but to an American ear is sounded like, “this leetle beat and then this leetle beat.” Today, actors and directors use the term “beat” to signify a shift in the text. It’s a lovely mistake, mishearing “bit” for “beat!” To me, a beat is more organic, more human. Like a beating heart.
HOW TO USE BEATS IN PLAYS
In the theater, each character in a play has an overarching objective. As Masha in Chekhov’s Three Sisters, I chose, “to find love.” Then, each scene has its own objective. One of mine as Masha was “to keep my love here with me at all cost.”
Each scene can then be broken down into beats. Each beat has a smaller intention or action. These smaller intentions are like jewel facets, creating variety. For instance, if I want to find love, in a scene with the object of my affection, I might flirt, then cajole, then beg, then convince, then demand. In life, if something doesn’t work, we try something new. So in giving speeches, it behooves us to break up the text and play different, small intentions.
HOW TO USE BEATS IN LONG SPEECHES
It is vital to tease out the different beats so that we are not playing one intention the whole time. I worked with a speaker who was tasked with convincing a whole city to make an enormous effort and contribution for an international project. His spoke passionately, but played one intention, one note, for the entire 30-minute speech. The audience left feeling a bit battered rather than convinced. Or work centered on finding the natural beat changes, and giving each one a new action.
When we use beats, we make sure we are not playing one thing—one tone, pace, volume, emotion. When we use beats we invite in a vast array of pacing, emotions, vocal texture, rhythms, expressions, highs and lows. And in this way, our ideas sail out to an audience enticed by the unexpected, constantly shifting, almost conversational and extemporaneous quality of our talk. We wake up their ears.
HOW TO FIND BEATS
Usually, beats come when a new paragraph or idea starts. When you might take a breath. During transitions.
Here are examples of beats we might use in a speech:
To welcome (the audience)
To include (share background so all are on same page)
To share (new information and goals)
To elaborate (dig deeper into the content)
To wake up (to re-engage after getting into the weeds)
To give hope (re-asssure that this can be done)
To invite to join us (call to action)
Next time you have a long speech, anywhere from 10-45 minutes,* play with beats. I simply draw a horizontal line to remind me where to shift intentions and breathe.
* If anyone asks you to speak longer, say OK and end at 45 anyway.