A Plate and a Painting
(Effective Body Language, Level 2-Presentation Mastery, Jan 30, 2020, Demo Meeting, Verizon Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Plaza D, Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest, Crescent Drive, Alabang. Evaluated by John Jucar)
(Effective Body Language, Level 2-Presentation Mastery, Jan 30, 2020, Demo Meeting, Verizon Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Plaza D, Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest, Crescent Drive, Alabang. Evaluated by John Jucar)
INTRODUCTION
Imagine this… You and I are in a time machine… We turn back the hands of time (dial of a 'time machine') and we’re in the year… 1883… in Madrid, Spain. We find an obscure Filipino painter laboring on a huge painting in a dimly-lit studio that is 3 times the (stretch arms) size of this room. The name of the Filipino painter is Juan Luna. Good afternoon, everyone.
BODY
STUDIO
One night, after an exhausting work on a huge painting, Juan Luna decided to give himself a special treat. He’s been working on the painting for several months and decided to go to an expensive restaurant in Madrid. After finishing his big dinner, Juan Luna reached for his pockets for his wallet (reach for front and back pockets) so he could pay.
But then he realized, he had left his wallet at the studio (point left). All he had at the restaurant (point right) was his big bag of brushes and paints. At the side (move right), was the Spanish waiter. He noticed Juan Luna and became suspicious. “Will this Indio be able to pay?”, he thought to himself.
(move left) After a few minutes of thinking and desperation, Juan Luna came up with a brilliant idea (snap finger). He didn’t want to make a scene and so he asked the Spanish waiter to come over. “Señor, un momento, por favor”, he said (beckoning gesture). The waiter comes over and with a raised eye brow (arrogant expression). Juan looks up to the waiter and said, “Quiero cerveza, una cerveza por favor?” And with that, the waiter, went to the kitchen (point right) to get a tall glass of beer for Juan Luna and then left him.
PAINTING
After being served the cerveza, Juan Luna put his big bag on the table. He positioned his big bag to hide what he was about to do (pause). He took a napkin and proceeded to wipe the dinner plate clean and dry (wiping motion). He then took some brushes and special paints from his bag. And then, while very slowly sipping on his beer(sipping gesture), Juan Luna started painting on the dinner plate (painting gesture).
And what would he paint on the dinner plate? Was it a portrait of a nearby beautiful lady? (point to lady in audience) No, no. A bunch of fruits/flowers on a counter? (point to a flower vase prop) No, no. He proceeded to paint money on the dinner plate. He painted setenta y cinco pesetas bank notes on the dinner plate. This represented the bill for his dinner plus a few more for tips!
How was he able to do this? Well, you must know that Juan Luna has been living in Madrid for 6 years. He had an eidetic memory (point to temple), which others call photographic memory, and was able to replicate those bank notes – just from memory and paint them on the plate.
By the time he finished sipping his beer, the paint had dried and his painting was done. When Juan Luna saw the waiter busy with the other tables, Juan Luna quickly slipped out the door (double hand point left). Now, in those days, it was quite customary to leave your payment on the table or on the dinner plate especially if you didn’t expect change.
(move right) Upon seeing Juan Luna leave, the waiter wanted to chase Juan! But then he saw money on the dinner plate (point to 'plate'). Or so, he thought! When he went over (move left) to collect the money, he was dumbfounded to see it was just a painting on the dinner plate (palm down). Juan Luna did come back the following day to settle his bill.
MADRID EXPOSITION
In the following year, in 1884, the huge painting that Juan Luna was laboring on for 8 months back at the studio was finished (point left). He entered it in the 1884 Madrid Exposition and won the Gold Medal. The Exposition at that time was like the Olympics for the Arts and Sciences. (pause) You’ve probably seen that painting in the National Museum.
That huge painting... was the Spoliarium. Measuring 4 meters high and 7 meters wide (stretch arms), it was an instant hit. It bested hundreds of entries from all over Europe (outstretched arms), notably the Spanish, French and Italian painters at the time.
CONCLUSION
Friends, even way back then, Filipinos have proven they can be the best on the global stage (palms to stage). Juan Luna won, despite all odds, including racial discrimination back then. And Juan Luna proved to the world that the indios could, despite their supposed “barbarian” race, were far better artists far better than the Spaniards who colonized them.
What about you, dear friends? How do you compete globally? Break the barriers of language by being better communicators, and you will (point to audience). Join Toastmasters now, and that will be your edge. Toastmaster of the Day.
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