ROUND TRIP
PURPOSE
To practice giving our words the weight they deserve . . . and the time.
OVERVIEW
A speaker delivers a sentence while traveling from point A to B, and back again.
TEXT
A single sentence, usually created by the speaker.
Round Trip
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Mark a speaking spot and ask the speaker to stand on it.
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Have the speaker deliver a sentence while walking across the room.
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Mark the spot where they stop.
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Now challenge the speaker to a round trip: “Say your sentence again, beginning on spot B, traveling to A, then returning to B, speaking only the words from their original sentence.”
Ask what the speaker did to extend the sentence? (Pauses? Elongating the vowels? etc.)
Invite the speaker to simply stand and deliver the sentence again, as effectively as possible. What changed from the first time?
If time allows...
TIP
The greater the distance between A and B, the more fun, and the more they’ll learn.
TIP
Emphasize the importance of ending on (not before) the spot.
Variation
To play this game with multiple speakers at once, predesignate a location for spots A and B. Have the speakers deliver their sentences simultaneously, first moving from their spot A to their spot B, then doing a round trip from B to A and back to B.