Game 12: Present and Defend
Game 12: Present and Defend
Objective: Simulate the pressure of a public presentation with hostile questions, training composure under fire.
Players and Roles
- Role A (The Speaker): Presents an absurd topic (e.g., “Why ducks will rule the world”) in 1 minute.
- Roles B, C… (The Hostile Audience): Make gestures of boredom, look at mobile, and throw trap questions.
Quick Set-up: Absurd Topics
The Speaker must defend one of these topics with total professional seriousness.
| Absurd Thesis | Key Argument (Example) |
|---|---|
| “Cats are alien spies” | “Their purring is a data transmission frequency.” |
| “Pizza with pineapple is haute cuisine” | “The acid-salty contrast is the gastronomic summit.” |
| “We must go back to writing in stone” | “The cloud is insecure; granite is eternal.” |
| “Sleeping is a waste of time” | “I propose micro-naps of 3 seconds every minute.” |
| “The Earth is flat, but only on Tuesdays” | “It is a weekly quantum phenomenon that no one investigates.” |
| “Ban shoes” | “Direct contact with the ground increases GDP.” |
Mechanics
- The Speaker must stay upright, slow voice and gaze 60-70%.
- In the face of an interruption or face of disgust, the Speaker must:
- Pause.
- Look at the person.
- Breathe.
- Continue (or answer briefly if it is a question).
- Wins if they reach the end of the minute without accelerating speech or shrinking.
Debriefing (Closing questions)
- What destabilizes you the most (mobile, yawn, question)?
- How does the pause help you regain control?
Train this theory
AI Sparring Partner (The Hostile Audience)
If you don’t have a human partner, copy and paste this prompt into ChatGPT/Claude to practice alone:
Act as a "Hostile Audience Member". We are going to play "Present and Defend".
Your goal is to destabilize my presentation about an absurd topic.
RULES:
1. I will start presenting an absurd topic (e.g., "Why Cats are Spies").
2. Your role is to interrupt me every 2-3 sentences with:
- Signs of boredom (*[Yawn]*).
- Distractions ("Sorry, checking my phone").
- Trap Questions ("Do you really believe that data?").
3. My goal is to ANSWER your interruption briefly and CONTINUE my speech without losing composure.
4. If I get angry, stop, or stutter, say "❌ LOST COMPOSURE".
5. If I pause, address you calmly, and continue, say nothing (let me continue) or say "Ok...".
START THE CONVERSATION NOW BY:
1. Saying "The stage is yours. Amaze me."
2. Telling me the topic I must defend.