[Callers] Head Mikes and Mike Heads

Martha Wild <mawild(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: I don't know what kind of voice training you have had. It certainly is possible to learn how increase your volume without causing additional stress on your voice. That, however, misses the whole point. Volume is just one tool we can use as masters-of-ceremony, but it is a poor substitute for learning how to earn and hold the attention of a crowd. Learning how to earn and hold attention is a core calling skill. Cranking up the volume and bludgeoning the crowd into submission with higher decibels is all too common at all kinds of events using a PA system. On its own this tactic naturally results in a much higher noise level in the room and increased stress for everyone. This kind of thing can make you tired just by being in the room. Fortunately, most good callers have learned that this tactic has major pitfalls. Those with naturally loud voices are usually the worst offenders because they have learned to shout down competition and dominate the sound space. This is a poor communication strategy. It can be effective in the moment but over the course of the evening the caller loses the respect of the dancers. Excellent callers know how to manage the communication process. Who are you competing with for attention and why? Is there some way to accommodate the other communication processes going on? How do you pace the evening to give everyone a chance to communicate easily? A large part of the reason people attend social events is to talk, and isn't it the caller's job to accommodate that? Do you provide cues and time to allow dancers to transition gracefully from social talking to a walk-through? Do you work with the band to provide clear transitions to gather folks into the hall or to switch from socializing to listening? Does the band understand when to remain quiet themselves? Do you start with instructions that require physical movement of the dancers? Is it clear to the dancers that listening to the caller is the quickest and most effective way that they can achieve their own personal goals? Is the information you're giving out essential? Do you choose your words carefully, articulate well, and speak slowly and clearly? A first-timers orientation session is problematic for numerous reasons. If the session is held in the main hall, using the PA system violates the first rule of microphone etiquette because you are speaking to a smaller group over the mike. (Always speak to the entire hall when when using a microphone!) Consequently you are training everyone else in the room to ignore your voice--a questionable strategy for a caller on its face. If you attempt to teach any dance figures in your session you will face the additional problem created by spreading the listeners into a line, which makes it more difficult to speak without a mike. (This is one of many reasons I recommend *not *teaching any figures during the optional first-timer's orientation.) It is much more effective to teach the basics of walking and giving weight in a small circle where you can communicate without a mike and keep the session under 10-15 minutes. We spend a lot of time here talking about sound engineering issues, microphones, and monitor speakers. It might be more productive to discuss how the caller can manage their own communication as well as the entire hall. When used appropriately an unamplified whisper can be much more effective than shouting through an expensive PA system. It's not the volume. -Greg McKenzie (who has a degree in Speech Communication and sometimes obsesses about these things)