A Blog Designed to Help You Become a Better Speaker
Elevating Your Speech by Utilizing Focal Points in Storytelling
Want to be a better speaker?
When you give a speech, you can share a story OR you can invite the audience IN to the story.
I don’t mean having them help tell the story with audience participation or communicating with them directly.
It is more about “setting the stage” to invite the audience into the story so they are feeling and experiencing it at as you share. Much like a movie.
A simple way to start is to utilize something called “focal points”. Focal points are where you look when you’re speaking.
As an actor, you are never to look directly into the eyes of an audience member unless it something stylized. If you look an audience member in the eyes, that person may feel put on the spot. Some people LOVE this. I experience that performing in comedy clubs. However, most people don’t. I’m one who not only doesn’t like it – but is terrified of it. You’ll never see me in the front row of a comedy...
Should I Move When I do Public Speaking
Yes, yes and maybe.
We’ve all experienced it. That cozy safe podium that separates us from the audience. Nice little microphone and what feels like a wall to protect our bodies from THEM (the audience).
We’ve also all experienced the dreary drudgery of trying to pay attention to a speaker who stands behind a podium for an hour and doesn’t move. For us visual learners who can’t learn just by hearing – we lose interest almost immediately.
On the opposite end, we’ve seen the speaker who acts like they’re on crack rushing to all edges of the stage frantically pacing, moving and causing us in the audience – anxiety.
YES, YOU SHOULD MOVE…but only with a purpose.
First, get out from behind the podium. I know it’s safe back there. Especially if your pants don’t fit, but it’s a barrier between you and the audience. It’s a physical barrier, visual barrier and emotional barrier. Time to get naked...
