Top Hat and Tails

The Basics of Formal Protocol

By Mistress Norische

Protocol – a series of rules and behaviors that are deemed appropriate and expected for certain circumstances.

Formal Protocol – a rigorous series of structured behaviors that are used to focus attention and direct actions in a specific manner.

This form of protocol is normally reserved for formal or structured occasions; it is also frequently used in obedience training.

First and foremost one must understand why formal protocol is used before one may understand exactly what it is. A Master/Mistress will enact formal protocol when they desire a heightened level of focus, attention, and/or discipline from a slave/sub.

Focus, while under formal protocol a slave/sub must focus on everything they do, say, even think. They must focus on how they stand, what position to be in, how they talk, how they hold themselves, and how they react. They must focus on every movement, every word, and every thought going through their mind. It is one way of having absolute control of a person's entire being.

Attention, the slave/sub must pay absolute attention to the Master/Mistress at all times. They must not allow themselves to get distracted or preoccupied at any time. Some Masters/Mistresses refuse to speak to their slave/sub when they are under formal protocol, and use hand gestures to indicate what they wish their slave/sub to do or what position they want them to take, therefore they must pay constant attention to the Master/Mistress so that they do not miss a gesture or over look an instruction.

Discipline, a slave/sub must be very disciplined to be able to maintain formal protocol successfully. They must be patient, well trained and attentive in order to obtain this level of concentration. This level of protocol is not normally introduced into a BDSM relationship until the slave/sub has had quite a bit of experience.

When you enact formal protocol take into consideration how much experience and training a slave/sub has had. Do not put someone new to the lifestyle under full formal protocol; it is setting them up for failure. Full formal protocol involves, voice training, speech training, position training and obedience training. While there are several versions of formal protocol, none is more correct than any other. Each style of formal protocol is appropriate for the individuals involved. A Master/Mistress may adjust any regiment of formal protocol to fit a specific slave/sub or circumstance. Heath issues, safety issues, and public or private venue may be taken into consideration when formal protocol is enacted.

Normally a Master/Mistress will have more than one version of formal protocol.

Full Formal Protocol – this is the most restrictive form of protocol, an absolute set of directives with no margin of leeway.
Speech, position, action, attention and focus are all under very specific guidelines. This form of protocol is normally restricted to private use or BDSM functions.
Modified Formal Protocol – this is a personalized form of protocol that is specifically designed for an individual. For example my slave has had a total knee replacement and cannot kneel, therefore this position is not included in the modified regime of formal protocol that I have trained her in. These modifications may include positions, speech allowances, even behavior modification; the most important thing to remember about modified formal protocol is that it is individualized to the Master/Mistress and the slave/sub.
Relaxed Formal Protocol – this is a form of formal protocol that is still formal in all respects except it is normally adjusted for location. Specifically it is formal protocol that has certain negotiated adjustments to give some amount of leeway when an individual is in a public situation, or when they are at home, or when the Master/Mistress is preoccupied. When you have your slave/sub under formal protocol you must be just as attentive to them as they are to you, since their actions are modified they cannot come out and state "May I go to the restroom, Ma'am?" and they can't gesture or draw attention to themselves; therefore you must keep a close eye on your slave/sub just incase they require your attention. When under relaxed formal protocol the slave/sub has the right to make his or her presence known, either by position, or voice, and alert the Master/Mistress to their needs, or request permission to speak. This is also the form of formal protocol in which a slave/sub may answer the question of a Dominant (not their Master/Mistress) in brief, specifically structured answers without being reprimanded; under full formal protocol speech is restricted to their Master or Mistress only.

One thing I must stress, no matter how strict a Master/Mistress is, or how well disciplined a slave/sub is there is always exceptions to every rule. In emergency situations, formal protocol is dropped immediately. The slave must never fear to protect the Master/Mistress, him or herself, or another.

Now that you are with familiar what formal protocol is, why it is used and the different modified versions, let me give you some examples of behaviors that are normally expected within the realm of formal protocol.

Voice Training

Slave must speak in muted volume, and keep his or her voice at a respectable even tone. Some Masters/Mistresses desire to have the slave speak no louder than a whisper; others expect them to speak crisp clear tones, at a standard level (military style); each individual has their own preference in this area, again none is more or less correct than any other preference.
Slave must guard against showing emotion in his or her voice.
Laughter is not permitted; some Masters/Mistresses feel that this would show disrespect to the form of protocol that they are enacting.

Speech Training

Slave is prohibited to speak.
1. Normally a slave/sub is prohibited to speak. (Except of course to the Master/Mistress)
2. When prohibited to speak the slave must not gesture, this would include nodding when asked a question, or smiling a greeting, or pointing to something or someone when asked a question. (Except of course to the Master/Mistress). One thing that is quite common amongst Dominants, if they know that someone is under formal protocol and they are familiar with the individual then they love to see if they can get the slave/sub to break protocol in some manner.
3. If speech is prohibited then the slave is also prohibited to acknowledge other individuals, their entire world must consist only of their Master/Mistress and themselves. In other words if you come up to someone and want to shake their hand and they simply stand there staring at the floor, chances are they are under formal protocol.
Slave is permitted to speak.
1. If speech is permitted, slave is restricted to answering with simple, and direct answers, for example… "Sir, Yes Sir." Or "Sir, No Sir." Each individual has a different manner in which they prefer their slave to speak as well as the title or formality they wish the slave/sub to use. Many individuals prefer the formal military style as above; others prefer their slave to use their title such as "Master, Yes, Master".
2. If a slave is permitted to speak, he or she may be restricted to speak only when spoken too.
3. Some slaves are restricted to third person speech; this is actually quite common with most forms of protocol. Again this is a form of discipline, most individuals will request a drink by simply saying, "May I have a drink please?". Under third person speech such a question would be expressed in a different manner entirely for example
  1. "Sir, Do you wish your slave to have a drink, Sir?"
  2. "Sir, May your slave have a drink?"
  3. "Sir, with permission, may this creature get itself a drink, Sir?"
  4. "Master? Please pardon this intrusion, would Master be so gracious as to allow this worthless creature to get itself a drink, thank you for being so generous, Master."
4. Slave must remember to show respect at all times; especially under formal protocol one must remember that he or she is a representative of his or her Master or Mistress.

Position Training

There are a wide variety of positions that are used in formal protocol; each school of training has a unique series of positions that they train their slaves to present. Within each school of training the positions may be adapted to suit the individual. There are some general standards that are maintained throughout all schools.

Arms are never allowed to be crosses over the body unless the Master/Mistress instructs otherwise. Arms crossed or closed over the body are considered closing oneself off or a sign of defiance.
Hands should be kept open, a closed hand or fist is a sign of defiance, and an open hand is a sign of surrender or openness.
Never tilt your head to where you are looking down at another individual, this is a sign of arrogance, not of humility.
The slave's head must be turned toward the Master/Mistress when speaking or listening, this shows that he or she is paying attention.
The back is always kept straight but not stiff, slouching or poor posture is a sign that one is bored, or that one has low self- esteem.
If one is smiling or laughing they must maintain eye contact, for the slave to have his or her eyes lowered and be smiling may be viewed as mockery or some inside joke at Master/Mistresses expense.
If you begin a position with eyes cast down then they should remain down during the entire position, to alternate between eye contact and eyes cast down shows carelessness and lack of forethought.
Fidgeting is a sign of nervousness and fear, this is not the air one wishes to present during formal protocol, therefore keep unnecessary movement to a minimum.

One thing to keep in mind when choosing a series of positions to retain as formal protocol is that some positions are painful if maintained for longer periods of time. One does not wish to do injury to the slave/sub or restrict them from being useful later on.

It is normal in some positions for the slave to get stiff when holding the position, so monitor the amount of time that a slave may maintain each position without any extended discomfort.

The positions I use vary according to individual, however I have chosen a standard regiment of positions that I have found work for my purposes.

Attention – Feet are together, toes pointing forward. Hands are at the sides, cupped (cup hands so thumbs rest along the first joint of the forefinger with palms facing the legs), arms should be straight alongside the body with wrists straight with the body. Body is erect with hips level, chest lifted, shoulders are square and even. Legs are straight, but knees are not locked. Eyes straight ahead.
Rest – Hands should be behind the body in the small of the back, with right hand holding on to left wrist, left hand may be relaxed but not closed. Eyes should be forward and level, head straight, chest out, shoulders relaxed but not slumped
Present Rest – Feet should be approximately shoulder width apart; legs should be kept straight but not stiff, same standard position as Rest with the exception that the hands are clasped behind the neck, fingers interlaced, arms are to be spread wide, forming a modified "T" shape with the body, chest should be forward, and head straight, eyes should be forward and level.
Down – Go from Present Rest to Present Kneel, starting with the right leg, this movement should be done smoothly and quietly.
Present Kneel – Knees should be approximately shoulder width apart, hands should be clasped behind the neck, fingers interlaced, arms should be spread wide, chest should be forward, head straight and level, eyes should be forward and level.
Kneel Rest – Same basic position as Present Kneel, however the hands should be clasped behind the body in the small of the back, with the right hand holding on to the left wrist, the left hand my be relaxed but not closed. Eyes should be forward and level, head straight, chest out, shoulders relaxed but not slumped.
Kneel Down – This is the same basic position as Kneel Rest with the exception that the buttocks are resting on the ankles/feet, in this position the head should be lowered slightly, and the eyes cast at the ground, individual should not raise eyes until ordered to do so.
Sit Up – Sitting cross-legged, back straight, but sitting comfortably.
Kneel Over – Going from a kneeling position, individual should kneel down until head is touching the floor, he or she should place hands under their head with the right hand clasping the left. Forehead should be pressed against the back of the right hand, back should be curved, knees should be spread wide, but ankles should be crossed, (may be altered to have ankles remain uncrossed, depending on the individual).
Over – From a standing position, spread the legs so that they are shoulder width apart, feet facing forward, then bend over and grab your ankles (may be altered to have palms of hands rest on knees and bow back slightly, keeping head up).
Supine – Laying flat on back, legs should be shoulder width apart; arms should be relaxed at the side of the body, palms up.
Prone – Laying flat on the stomach, legs should be shoulder width apart; arms should be down to the side with palms up.
Heel – Slave/sub will assume a position two steps behind Master/Mistress and to the right. This position is highly controversial, some prefer their slave to be in front so they may keep an eye on them, or have them open doors for the Master/Mistress. Others prefer them to follow behind but on the left side. Others still prefer to have the slave/sub stand beside them within arms reach and remain within peripheral line of sight. I prefer to have my slave follow, simply because I know where I wish to go, I do not mind opening my own doors, and I like him or her to be on my right side, primarily because I am right handed and it makes it easier on me if I wish them to hand me something.
Show Yourself – When given this command the slave/sub should remove all clothing, including shoes and underclothing, hair adornments, and jewelry (body piercings or chastity devices may remain in place). Then the slave will take the Present Rest stance, the slave will hold this position for 5 seconds; the slave will then take the Over position, with hands on ankles, the slave will hold this position for 5 seconds; the slave will then take the Present Kneel position, slave should remain in this position until told to otherwise.

The positions I have included are by no means all the positions out there. In fact, when I began to review positions I noticed that there were literally hundreds of positions out there, most of them were variances of one style or another. Some of the names I have noticed have been used for multiple positions, it seems as if there are ten different ways to Present and twice that many for Kneel.

As I stated these are the positions that I have found work for me, they are a combination of my training, as well as adaptations that I have found to be more suitable to my purpose. I do not wish anyone to assume that since these are the positions that I use for Formal Protocol that this is the absolute right way and only way to perform said positions. This is merely how I train my slaves/subs, and I have found that these positions are simple, straight forward and easy to remember.

Obedience Training

Obedience training is a time period used to familiarize an individual with positions and expectations, it also involves testing the individual to see how quickly and accurately the individual follows commands. A command must not only be done accurately but it must also be done with grace and ease.

This is a general summary of Formal Protocol; each individual will adapt their style to meet their needs. I cannot stress enough that for each individual there are variations that are completely correct and entirely acceptable. Just because someone does something differently than you, does not mean that either method is incorrect, it is merely different.

As with everything this is my opinion, take what you will and leave the rest. If you wish to contact me, my email address is Norisch1@mchsi.com. If you wish to see more of my work you may find a complete listing of all my writings at... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Norisches_Quill/?yguid=99788111 in the files section.