SPEECH 💬 (this class is for beginners only)
Being a Ventriloquist is also being in the field of communication, so your speaking voice or voices are very important. when you speak you are communicating with others, you are delivering a message, you are delivering information to people 🧠 brains. When you speak your words may or will return a counter reaction or have a emotional response from the listener. When you speak choose your words wisely or unwisely, my advice is to give your Ventriloquist character the unwisely words but it's your career not mind so you can make that decision on your own. When you speak, speak loudly don't speak under your breath, lift your chin up so that you do not choke the air flow of your words..before going on stage I used to do gargling with peppermint candy and water this would help me with dry mouth and smooth air flow maybe you can try it out, water and peppermint candy, don't swallow it, it's only for gargling so spit it out.. It is better to know what you are going to communicate to your audience about ahead of time this way you have an exact idea on the subject matter or situation. You can write your own speech and speak it word from word but when you read a speech in front of a audience the audience is also reading the speech inside their own minds so be very careful not to make too many mistakes while reading your speech live in front of an audience...
Speaking is a language, so when you talk you are speaking a language. a language is a form of communication using words.. using language as a ventriloquist can be a very good career opportunity, this means that you the Ventriloquist can perform for many different audiences besides your native tongue. Speaking two different languages can also be a very funny Ventriloquist comedy act when the Ventriloquist can't understand what the Ventriloquist character is talking about but the audience understands what the Ventriloquist character is talking about...
When you speak in front of a microphone, you do not need to shout or scream unless that is part of your Ventriloquist skit screaming and shouting in to the microphone but other than that you can speak at a normal voice level and the microphone will pick up the sound to carry it out of the speaker box. If you have a low natural speaking voice just turn the volume up on the 🎤 microphone and your listeners will hear you loud and clear. I want to mention that you do not need to use a microphone for a small room, a small room is up close audiences, but if you would like to use a microphone make sure the volume is not turned up too high for the small room audience,if the volume is up too high for a audience in a small room you may scare them unless that is part of your Ventriloquist act scaring the crap out your audience...
When you are speaking use facial expressions to express emotions with your words, when you are speaking use hand gestures to describe your message towards your audience. When you speak stand up straight and your body language is very important also, so stand up straight with eleglance let your body movement be smooth and gentle like a tree 🌴 in a gentle breeze.
As you speak your lines from your very own written Ventriloquist dialogue your voice, your mannerisms is of kindness no matter the mood of your Ventriloquist character, the Ventriloquist character may rant and rage but you are as smooth and gentle like a tree in a gentle breeze, oh! but the Ventriloquist character is yelling from the top of their lungs but you the Ventriloquist are soft spoken with a facial expressions of kindness, then the Ventriloquist character begins to kick and jump up and down but you the Ventriloquist show the gesture of love and support, and in doing all This we are still speaking and communicating with our audience.what ever the Ventriloquist character was going through in the above example skit the message communicated that the Ventriloquist and character were very good friends, we all have bad days so a friend in need is a friend in deed. The Ventriloquist should always be the sound and mind of the act and the characters should trust the Ventriloquist as a wise guidance...
is silence speaking, yes and further more silence is a sound.
on this lesson of speech we are learning to communicate, this speech lesson is a subject on communication as a ventriloquist. We study ways to communicate in speech with the art of ventriloquism...is silence speaking yes silence is speech, have you heard of giving someone the silent treatment, well the silent treatment is communicating with out speaking to the person and one thing about humans they hate silent so as a ventriloquist you need to practice silence for a weapon, when I was a beginner Ventriloquist if my mother made me upset or angry about something I would give her the silent treatment and if I had to speak during my silent treatment my mother would need to talk to one of my Ventriloquist characters instead of me, there she was my mother a professional educated woman asking my Ventriloquist character what I wanted to eat for dinner or did I take out the trash, eventually my mother began to apologize to me for hurting my feelings or what ever she has done to make me upset when both of us me and my Ventriloquist character started giving her the silent treatment...
being a Ventriloquist is like being Clark Kent, Clark Kent in the real world has to pretend to be just a normal person but underneath he has super powers. So remember to speak well, present yourself well knowing that you have super powers in the art of ventriloquism and knowing that you do have a voice, a voice that is powerful in silence, a voice that can be heard loud and clear around the 🌎 globe, a voice of many. Standup straight, stand proud with a message to deliver for all to hear...
SPEECH is your middle finger, speech is wagging your index finger, speech is rolling your eyes, speech is fanning your nose, speech is shaking your fist, speech is pretending yawning, speech is a smile, speech is a frown, speech is tears, speech is a gentle hand shake, speech is a closing of the eyes then reopening with a gentle nod of the head, speech is a soft fist bump, speech is pointing a finger with a expression of laughing, speech is a frown expression with the eyes going up and down, speech is the thrusting of the hips.. as you can see there are many many many ways of speech and as a ventriloquist you will need to learn to use all that are mentioned plus more, yes even the thrusting of the hips, you as a ventriloquist should not be thrusting your hips in front of an audience, the thrusting of the hips is for the Ventriloquist character to learn to do, and no you the Ventriloquist should not be giving any one the middle finger but the Ventriloquist character should learn how to raise their middle finger just in case he or she needs too! The fist bump can be done with a high five from the Ventriloquist character with audience members, pointing the finger with the expression of laughing is done by the Ventriloquist character or the Ventriloquist towards the Ventriloquist character, when the Ventriloquist character is misbehaving the Ventriloquist can have his or her finger wagging to communicate with the audience that the Ventriloquist do not agree with the ventriloquist character behavior but continues to let the character run wild with the behavior, when you get to the frown and the eyes going up and down this movement of speech can be done by the Ventriloquist now let us truly understand the communication of this one, it might be used after the character thrusting of the hips but surely the audience will get the message, the rolling eyes should be done by the Ventriloquist but the character can roll their eyes too either way the communication to the audience will be understandable, the closing of the eyes then reopening with a gentle nod of the head is done by the Ventriloquist it is communicating to the character that I am pleased or in agreement, in some acts characters are strong leads so this conversation would be for a strong lead Ventriloquist character where the Ventriloquist communicate with I agree or my pleasure or I accept, the eyes closing and reopening with a gentle nod of the head is a very powerful communication with out words so as the character is speaking the audience will understand that the Ventriloquist is in agreement with the character, the Ventriloquist character putting his hand over it's mouth pretending yawning is communicating to the audience, the shaking of the fist is for sure of a frustrated Ventriloquist sure some of our Ventriloquist characters behavior are like babies going through the terrible twos, no matter how frustrating our Ventriloquist characters may make us, we must remember to smile to communicate to the audience that everything is fine...
A little baby 🍼 can not talk using words but the little baby speak with sound or facial expressions. When a little baby cry the parents attention is directed to the baby matters, perhaps the baby is hungry, perhaps the baby is afraid, perhaps the baby has gas, the baby crying is to communicate, when the baby is smiling it is communicating also, some babies play quietly that is another way of communication by saying leave me alone don't bother me...
speech is a Ventriloquist career but not the main subject, Ventriloquists do much much more than just talk. I would like for you to remember that speech is not only with words but also with silence.
hand language is speech, speech for the none hearing impaired, as a ventriloquist it would be good to learn a few signals of the hand 👌 ✋ language for your Ventriloquist act, I use the I love you hand signal language very much. You can use a 👎 or 👍 a thumbs up or thumbs down as a very simple hand signal language when communicating with your audience, you can also 👋 clapping your hands together to communicate to your audience, two fingers up with thunb out is I love you 🤘, two fingers crossed is good luck or wishful🤞, two fingers up like rabbit ears is peace or you mean no harm ✌️, okay or do you agree 👌 or I agree with you or acknowledgement, ✋ a waving 👋 hand is hello or hi or greeting and the opposite when exiting to say goodbye 👋 good night, folding of the four fingers repeatedly 🤌 into the palm of the extended hand towards a person means come forward or move forward or move closer, a stretch out arm with the palm of the ✋ hand face forward is 🛑 stop, 👉 pointing one finger is a direction of a person place or thing or aiming specifically at a person place or thing. Learning theses hand signals will help you communicate as a Ventriloquist, these hand signals will help you communicate with out using your vocal cords, theses hand signals will give your voice box a rest during show time, even some dogs understand hand signals so take advantage of communication of hand signals, most of these hand signals can be done with one hand so that you can hold your Ventriloquist character with one hand and use one hand signals to communicate with the other hand. The clapping of your hands together 👏 will take both of your hands so using this communication is to let your audience know to welcome your Ventriloquist character to the stage after your introduction or maybe you are welcoming someone else to come on the stage with you, it's asking the audience for a warm greeting by applauding...
We are communicators day and night positive or negative, sound or silence we are messengers.
When you the Ventriloquist speak, speak clearly and make sure your words are understandable, your Ventriloquist character words should be understandable but not quite seriously as your words,that is because you are there as the Ventriloquist character guidance so when the character makes a mistake you're there to correct the mistake for you there is no one there to correct your mistake, it would be kind of odd for the audience to see the Ventriloquist character constantly correcting the Ventriloquist unless that is your soul based Ventriloquist act and I don't suggest that way being a soul based Ventriloquist act simply because that is a Ventriloquist act of the 🦯 blind 🦮 leading the blind, it's a Ventriloquist act with no leadership and the audience will get the that message, someone has to be in the driver's seat so a Ventriloquist act with the blind 🦯 leading the 🦮 blind is called a "train wreck waiting to happen" again a Ventriloquist character can have a leading role in the Ventriloquist act but never become the guide of the Ventriloquist act.
You the Ventriloquist should work on your speaking with your Ventriloquist character beside you or near you even during your monologue rehearsal your Ventriloquist character should be there with you at the monologue speech rehearsal and practice.
A monologue is a speech script of one person and a dialogue is a script speech of two people carrying on a pretend conversation. so if you are in rehearsal for poetry your Ventriloquist character should be there with you...I will tell you why.. when Spiderman put on his spider suit it reminds Peter Parker who he is and once was, your Ventriloquist character is there to remind you of your super powers, no matter what now you have a little helper to help you deliver your message.
Always complete your speech from beginning to end from starr to finish, never end your speech in the middle, or even at the beginning such as begining the speaking then decide to just shut down the speech...there are three parts are of speech, first the beginning called the topic or subject, second is the middle, the middle is the gathering of information to communicate and the third part is the ending of the subject or topic, the ending closing the middle, the ending can be happy or sad or serious or whatever the case of the middle might be.
It is very good to start your speech with a introduction, no matter if you are speaking to family and friends or a room full of strangers always start your Ventriloquist act with a introduction, I think no matter how famous or well known a Ventriloquist act might be the Ventriloquist should always be the first to speak, because it shows the audience or listener who's the leader. When the Ventriloquist character do the introduction of the Ventriloquist act the audience gets the idea that the Ventriloquist character is the leader and the Ventriloquist is the lesser partner of the Ventriloquist act and sure there's Ventriloquist characters with very strong leading roles in the Ventriloquist act but they should never become the leader of act. so keep in mind you the Ventriloquist are the boss so no matter how famous your Ventriloquist character becomes or how much the audience love your Ventriloquist character you the Ventriloquist are the one in charge and I just want to mention since we are on the subject of who is in charge of the Ventriloquist act, Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen had that exact thing with his Ventriloquist character Charlie McCarthy, the character was more famous than the Ventriloquist so as a beginner Ventriloquist keep that in mind that you are the boss and the leader and the guide of your Ventriloquist act.
I would like the beginner Ventriloquist to understand that being a Ventriloquist is being a jack of all trades. You the Ventriloquist are in a play and your Ventriloquist character or characters are actors that are carrying on a pretend conversation in the world of make believe called the "what if" imaginable. The Ventriloquist is a ✍️ writer that writes the words that the characters will speak, the Ventriloquist is a ✍️ writer that will write the songs the character will sing, the Ventriloquist has magical powers that will bring the character in the play that she or he has written to life creating the illusion of life, the Ventriloquist not only brings his character to life but also 👟 shoes and 🍔 hamburgers, with the ventriloquist everything is talking! and singing! and dancing!, the voice 🤳on the phone is Santa asking have you been naughty or nice, hey don't you hear the cat meowing in the box go let the cat 😺 out of the box oops! The box is empty, yes it's all done by the Ventriloquist the jack of all trades in a Ventriloquist act.
