Impressions Dispatch from General Grant: Living Historians Should Use the Microphone

lelliott19

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Dr. Curt Fields, who regularly portrays General Ulysses S Grant, addressed the Cadets at West Point on January 11, 2019. The following weekend, he made a visit to the Jackson County (AL) Historical Society in Scottsboro, Alabama, where he spoke before a group of 100+/- in the old train depot. At West Point USMA and at Scottsboro, AL, "General Grant" used the microphone - in spite of his desire that his impression be period correct.

Here is the latest dispatch, directly from General Grant himself, explaining why a microphone should be used, whenever one is available.

From Headquarters:
I wish to make a Policy Statement for myself and a recommendation to my fellow Living Historians re this photo. I was formerly in the camp of thought that using a microphone, as shown in this photo, was out of character and detrimental to an accurate portrayal. I no longer hold that belief, and am now firmly in the camp of thought that if a microphone is available to USE IT!

There are too many people who have hearing deficits and cannot easily hear a person speaking, or at all, if they don't use some amplification. Declining to use a hand-held microphone is declining all of your audience hearing all (or, for some, ANY) of what you have to say. To decline use of a hand-held microphone because it is 'out of character' is placing too many of your audience OUT OF HEARING and that is tragic. It really is presentational arrogance.

This particular venue is a pre-civil war railroad station. There were 100 people in attendance and on a very cold day.
After the talk, that ran about an hour, I was told many times, "I heard every word you said!" and "Thank you, for using the microphone. It was wonderful to hear every word clearly and without straining!" Not one person said, "Well, General Grant never used a microphone!" or "You were believable until you started using that microphone, then your credibility went out the window!" or "If only you had not used that microphone!"

I understand the feeling that "I can project so all the audience can hear me. I don't need to hold a microphone!" I have felt that way myself. However, when one 'projects' enough to fill a room full of people, a few things happen (or don't):

* your voice is destroyed because of the volume/demand on your vocal chords for 45 minutes to an hour;​
* You cannot 'project' consistently throughout all of your talk to all of your audience (reference my earlier comments re people with hearing deficits/loss) and some people will miss some, or all, of what you say (this irritates people and no, it doesn't work to ask "Does anyone have a problem hearing me?" NO ONE is going to acknowledge that they have a PROBLEM with their hearing!​
* When you are 'projecting', you lose any change/drop in nuance or voice inflection/intonation which add to your presentation and your character. When you have a microphone, you TALK with your audience, not SHOUT at them.​
Our audiences often have older people (although age has no exclusive claim on hearing loss/deficits) and when people come to an event, they want to CLEARLY HEAR what is said. We shouldn't deny the people who have made the effort to come to our event, particularly when they could be somewhere else, to hear what they came for.
So, before anyone should make a comment about lack of authenticity or character, think about being considerate of our audiences. Think of how to make their experience when they hear you speak as a Living Historian the best it can be.

USG
****
— at Jackson County, Alabama, Historical Society, Scottsboro, Alabama.

From General Grant's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217991467322078&set=pob.1347395712&type=3&theater
I posted about the West Point address here https://civilwartalk.com/threads/reenactor-addresses-cadets-at-west-point-military-academy.154584
 
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I don't think Grant liked to speak publicly at all, so this guy's definitely 'out of character' :laugh:

His young son Jesse once greeted crowds waiting in the street from a balcony and addressed them because his father wouldn't. Jesse had tried to get Dad to speak a couple of times, and when it became obvious the General would not come out, Jesse did the job for him, his speech as told in Julia Dent Grant's memoirs consisting of the beginnings of "The boy stood on the burning deck ..." :D
 
First things first. I think this gentleman does a great job of representing my favourite General and I am glad to see him take on the task of not only doing that, but encouraging others in doing what will 'work'. There's no point in giving a talk if you're not going to be heard. And, of course, the hard of hearing will also appreciate the effort made on their behalf.

Then, there is the issue of acoustics. In some places you may be more easily heard, but as @Belle Montgomery points out being heard over the noise of troops practicing their art of re-enactment could be a little difficult. Way to go, Belle!

Finally, I could not help but be reminded of the Monty Python scene where we have Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount! "Blessed are the Cheesemakers" indeed. Imagine being misheard in the context of having something important to say? That could cause all kinds of problems, as it did in that hilarious clip ... "what's so special about the Cheesemakers?" :laugh: (Apologies to any who may be reading!)
 
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I agree with Curt on using microphones. I coordinate programs at a historic site with anywhere from 30-150 in attendance. Some presenters resist the microphone and many folks complain afterwards they had trouble hearing the speaker despite them "projecting." For small groups of 10-20 within ten feet of the speaker projecting may work, otherwise the mic is necessary. One thing I'm rather surprised with is the lack of small clip on wireless microphones. They are not that expensive. It is something we use at the historic site, especially for period portrayals, and other than some outdoor wind issues it allows more freedom of motion and is much less conspicuous.

It all gives me pause to wonder how Lincoln was ever heard at either of his inaugurations, not even counting the previous debates.
There is a certain amount of asininity to being over-correct.
Lubliner.

Presidents were typically not heard by a majority of the inaugural crowd but it was an event to attend and that was enough. They would get the printed version in the next days paper anyhow.
 
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I agree with Curt on using microphones. I coordinate programs at a historic site with anywhere from 30-150 in attendance. Some presenters resist the microphone and many folks complain afterwards they had trouble hearing the speaker despite them "projecting." For small groups of 10-20 within ten feet of the speaker projecting may work, otherwise the mic is necessary. One thing I'm rather surprised with is the lack of small clip on wireless microphones. They are not that expensive. It is something we use at the historic site, especially for period portrayals, and other than some outdoor wind issues it allows more freedom of motion and is much less conspicuous.



Presidents were typically not heard by a majority of the inaugural crowd but it was an event to attend and that was enough. They would get the printed version in the next days paper anyhow.
Have you heard the story of one single debate between Lincoln and Douglass, I do not remember which one. It has been said that Lincoln mesmerized the crowd to the point the reporters did not take down verbatim notes. It is, I believe the only speech he gave that we have no copy to. Just a bit of trivia, and of course you know the tree-climbers!
 
I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr, Fields last year, and I think he makes some good points here about trying to make yourself more available to the audience.

Personally, though, I’ll continue to speak without a mike unless I really, really need it. I have naturally loud speaking voice, apparently (it sounds normal to me, but whatever). So I’ve found when handed a mike, either I deafen the audience or I hold it too far away from myself for it to make a difference. Also quite often you get handed a mike that doesn’t work! I’ve seen and been at so many conventions, talks, ect where the mike might as well have been a prop. I’ll definitely be more open to it in the future, especially if it saves ones voice, but I often find after a day of talking at any volume it gets pretty tired. Oddly, I keep wishing there were more throat mikes out there to eliminate so much of the problems with conventional microphones. If it worked I’m WW2 for tank commanders, why can’t it work for us?

Prehaps we all ought to give our speeches through naval bullhorns?
 
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