A Blog Designed to Help You Become a Better Speaker
š The Unexpected Power ofā¦ an Apple? (Or, Why Props Make Your Speech 10x Better)
When I used to teach acting, my most "challenging" studentsāthe ones who overacted or couldn't quite connectāgot a very specific prop from me:Ā food.
Yep. Real food.
Why? BecauseĀ you canāt fake eat.
When youāve got a mouth full of chips or a slice of pizza in your hand, you stop performing. YouĀ just say the line. And suddenly, it's real. It's grounded. It's human.
I once had a student eat his way through an entire play. And every. Single. Line. Sounded authentic. Why? BecauseĀ the prop pulled the performance out of him, not the other way around.
And this technique? It works in the speaking world too.
One of the most powerful monologues I ever saw was just a man, a pocket knife, and an apple. He slowly sliced the fruit as he spoke. No theatrics. No gestures. Just... presence.
(Okay, donāt bring a knife on stageāIām not trying to get you tackled by TSA. š )
ButĀ the idea stands: AĀ personal propāsomething meaningful that connects to your messageācan elevate your storyĀ instantly.
š ...
If You Think You Are There to Educate An Audience -You're Wrong
The number one most boring speakers are those who think they are teaching us something. They drone on with points, information, graph filled slides and zero thought to the audiences emotional journey.
In acting, there is something called, "The Moment Before". This is a question you ask your self regarding your character the moment they before they come on the stage.
If the character enters the stage and has a line, "Hey, are you in here?" the line can read VERY differently I regards to what happened the moment before.
Here are some examples:Ā
*They just woke up from falling asleep on the lounge chair outside.
*They just ran 10 miles to get home after their car was stolen.
*They just won the lottery.
What happens the moment before makes the same line mean VERY different things.
I like to use this analogy, because your audience has a "moment before" you walk on the stage. They way they are feeling, or what they are thinking is VERY different which means your talk will go VERY dif...
