7 things comedians can teach you about public speaking
TRANSCRIPT
T H I N G SC O M E D I A N S C A N
T E A C H Y O U
A B O U T P U B L I C S P E A K I N G
7
ARTICLE BYMIKE MICHALOWICZ
SUMMARIZED BY
They have to h o l d a na u d i e n c e ' s a t t e n t i o n f o ra n h o u r o r mo re .
They don ’ t ge t a b reak
du r i ng t he i r ta l k s
and they don ’ t ge t to
lean on t he aud ience fo r
Q&A.
He r e a r e t h e i r s e c r e t s .
Comedians know that the secret tokeeping an audience engaged isfollowing the commandments of
powerful public speaking.
Comedians often open up their acts by
sharing a humbling or even humiliating story.
Not only is it funny, but it shows the
audience that they are just a regular Joe.
And regular Joes get support from the
audience.
Comedians know that the best
pictures are the ones that you draw in
people’s minds.
Comedians use detailed descriptions,
storytell ing, body movement, voice
tonality and props.
It is hard for people to see the minor
expressions, so comedians make BIG
movements.
Every body movement and facial
expression is exaggerated so even the
person with the worst seats in the
house can see it clearly.
Comedians know that engaged audiences
need to have a release (laughter)
and a recovery (a moment of calmness)
before the next release (laughing again).
It keeps them
connected and opens them up for you to
deliver your knowledge and lessons.
The lectern is nothing but a
big fat crutch.
Avoid it l ike the plague,
unless you use it as a prop.
A great speech is a prepared speech.
If you take your eyes off of your
audience, they wil l take their eyes off
you.
And that creates a disastrous speaking
situation.
Comedians wrap up their routines
by referencing some jokes from
earlier on in their routine.
In the closing of your speech,
make sure your refer back to the
core content they just learned.