A 30-minute session · three people
Speak. Listen. Revise. Rotate.
Give each participant a turn as speaker, listener, and timekeeper. The listener’s job is to reconstruct the argument and ask one fair question; the timekeeper watches the agreed limit and notes where the close began.
- 00–03 Choose a target.
Each person chooses a skill, such as a clearer central claim or a stronger second example. Agree that examples will be identified as factual or hypothetical.
- 03–24 Run three seven-minute rounds.
Prepare for one minute, speak for two, receive two minutes of feedback, and deliver a revised two-minute version. Rotate roles after each round.
- 24–30 Reflect and set the next attempt.
Each person names one strength to preserve and one observable change to practice. Agree on a next meeting or a new prompt.
Feedback that can be used
Let the listener state the central claim before the speaker explains what they intended. Ask where the connection between reason and conclusion became unclear. Offer one revision the speaker can try immediately; do not turn feedback into a competing speech.
- State the speaker’s central claim in your own words.
- Name the strongest reason or most useful example.
- Identify the first point where the reasoning became difficult to follow.
- Ask one fair question the speech left open.
- Suggest one specific change for the next attempt.
Add challenge after the basics are stable
Introduce an unfamiliar audience, shorten preparation, or allow one live question. Change one constraint at a time so the group can see what it affects. For a constitutional explanation, ask a listener to identify where source text ended and interpretation began. For a proposal, ask which finding would change the recommendation.
Open the practice room