Here’s the point: your job as a speaker is the same as an actor’s—get the audience INVOLVED. The worst sin for a speaker, and you’ve seen it happen many, many times, is to be BORING! Avoiding putting an audience to sleep can be done with acting techniques I teach my clients because I have 40 years experience as an actor, much of it professionally. 

I was trained at the Actors Studio in LA and my doctoral work is in Theatre Arts. I’ve studied with Bettye Zoller, the “Its Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature!” lady from the Chiffon Margarine commercial back in the ’70.  I’ve worked with the stars who paid their dues on their way to the top. See my partial list of credits... I know what I’m talking about.

Here two techniques you can refer to now. You get the rest when you download publications that will be available on this site or my blog and when you hire me to coach you. This is only a teaser. (See how theatrical I am?)

IMPROVISE

Use improv to free up your creativity and discover your comfort level with your script; i.e. your speech. Try different ways of structuring your talk, for example. Do you have a signature story? A signature story example comes from my talk “Chewing through the Straps” when I was told by a patient suffering from schizophrenia “you are crazy!”

I have a friend in ProToasties , John Harrison, who practices his scripted stories with improvised words-he does in gibberish to discover the language and mode of delivery that feels most comfortable. You can clean up your timing by delivering your speech at twice the normal speed, too.

99% of your actual speech is IMPROVISED based on the MOOD AND REACTIONS OF YOUR AUDIENCE.

Improvisation gives you the space to be creative and spontaneous.

Personalize your stories

Do NOT memorize the words—memorize the EXPERIENCE. Actors do this with “method acting.” That’s how Tony Hopkins (notice my use of his nickname? I know people who know him, actually) pulled off the psychopathic serial killer Hannibal Lecture in Silence of the Lambs and collected another Oscar! Tony just thought of the last time he was very mad at someone. Oh my God, look at those eyes! His stare will make a cannibal's mouth water all the way to Fiji!
 

As a speaker, personalizing means bringing you into the speech. As one of my mentors, Patricia Fripp says, “if you can't see it, the audience won't." Get the audience involved by reliving the experience with them.

Fripp calls herself a “shameless self-promoter” and so am I. Like what you’ve read so far and want to know more about using acting techniques as a speaker? Write to me and I’ll sell you my publication (it will cost only a finger, not an arm and a leg) or you can hire me to be your executive coach or teach your company presentation skills (first come gets the best deal!). My calendar is filling.

Email: tom@4clearcommunication.com