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One of the annual traditions the Royal Canadian Legion carries on is the practice of Church Parade held the Sunday prior to Remembrance Day. At one time attendance at religious services was mandatory in the military and units would parade together to church. 

For the Legion, it is a time to come together in a service of remembrance leading up to Remembrance Day. 

When I first joined the Legion some fourty years ago, there were still many WW1, WW2 and Korea war veterans. They took the tradition very seriously and even in this small community, we would form up with a pipe band leading us to and from the church. 

At a Church Parade during one of my early terms as Branch President I was very impressed with the sermon the minister delivered. It was a thoughtful talk about the importance of remembrance and honouring the losses of yesterday in our modern world. 

When the following Remembrance Day rolled around I invited this minister to be our speaker at our Veterans dinner. I suggested ten minutes was an appropriate length. When he delivered his talk it was one of the most incoherent rambling speeches I’d ever heard. I was shocked. 

After the dinner was over and we were chatting in the clubroom I made a comment to him that it must have been an interesting process writing the talk he gave this evening. I was trying to be polite. 

He drew himself up peacock like and informed me, “I write sermons but I NEVER write speeches. I am an extemporaneous speaker!” I was flummoxed. The only response I could muster as I picked up my drink was, “I see”. A double might have been a good idea

I also made a mental note to remember, a good sermon does not a public speaker make.

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I don’t write sermons. When called upon to speak for any more than a couple of minutes, I usually prefer to have written my comments beforehand. 

The introvert in me kicks in when I try to speak extemporaneously. I either loose all coherent thought or my speech delivery center kicks into the double speed setting. 

When called upon to speak off the cuff, I usually try to keep it as brief and succinct as possible. I’ve received many good natured ribbings about that over the years. To me, that is infinitely preferable to being known as long-winded. 

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Our Parliamentary tradition of the past demanded parliamentarians deliver speeches extemporaneously as debate was supposed to evolve through civil discourse, listening and responding back and forth. 

These days, talking points are more common then truly listening and responding. It is little wonder our public discourse lacks civility and depth these days. Partisan sparring has replaced thoughtful debate. 

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Ad-libbing over the years has produced some interesting entertainment. When a performer ad-libs they divert from the expected script to deliver an unexpected line. The comedian Red Skelton was famous for his ad-libbing during his shows. While frustrating to his producers, they became part of his charm. 

Some ad-libs ended up becoming iconic memories. 
- Humphrey Bogart’s “Here’s looking at you , kid” as a goodbye to Ingrid Bergman in **Casablanca**. (1942)
- Jack Nicholson in **The Shining** took an axe to the bathroom door and said, “Here’s Johnny” (1990)
- In **A Few Good Men** Nicholson was at it again when he delivered “You can’t handle the truth” instead of the scripted line “You already have the truth” (1992)
- Robert De Niro in **Taxi Driver** delivered “You talkin to me?” as he talked to himself in the mirror (1976) 
- Dustin Hoffman in **Midnight Cowboy** yelled at a cabbie unexpectedly driving into the scene “”Hey, I’m walking here!”

Quick thinking, off the cuff delivery is a beautiful art to behold. Just don’t be the minister unless you truly have the gift of extemporaneous oratory. 

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