Community Reflection Etiquette

1. Prepare—Arrive at the podium prepared with a written manuscript and an awareness of the order in which each person will speak at your Community Reflection.  Almost no one is capable of speaking coherently without having previously written out their comments.
2. Practice—Read through your speech a minimum of 5-10 times out loud before your service. It helps a lot!
3. Speak Slowly – It takes longer for an audience to “hear” your words than it does for you to “read” them.  Slow down and allow brief pauses for people to comprehend your words.  As you pause, look up and make eye contact with the audience.
4. Introduce Yourself—Each speaker should begin their speech by giving their name, year in college, and any other appropriate information.  Not everyone knows who you are or why you are speaking.
5. Dress Appropriately—While you are not required to dressed formally, remember that your physical appearance is a signal to the seriousness of the topic you are discussing. If you look slovenly or chew gum, people will assume you aren’t very serious about the topic you are discussing.
6. Bring Everything You Need with You—Once you are on stage, be committed to staying there and delivering your message. Don’t leave the podium to grab paper, a glass of water, or anything else.
7. Relax – Have fun with this opportunity.  Often, public speaking makes people VERY nervous.  Instead of tensing up, remember that everyone in the audience wants you to do well and will give you the benefit of the doubt. 
8. Be Funny –  Humor is almost always welcomed.
9. Don’t Swear – It is rarely appropriate to use curse words in a public speaking setting.  If you are quoting a source with a curse word, it is generally considered polite to warn the audience of impending poor language.
10. Think Outside of the Box – The best community reflections are ones that use music, theatre, speech, and silence to foster reflection.  While you may want the majority of your reflection to be spoken word, you may want to consider bolstering your message with songs, discussions, mixed media activities, etc.  The Chapel intern assigned to your rehearsal can help you implement your good ideas.