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SPEAKER SEE, SPEAKER DO
I have to make a presentation at a conference this summer and I want to make my delivery more interesting (one of my speaking anxieties is that the audience will think I’m boring). Do you think it is okay to imitate famous speakers in terms of their speaking styles, gestures, jokes, etc. For example, Bill Clinton throws expressions into his speeches all the time and I think this makes them more interesting. Thanks for this forum—RT
Dear RT,
As long as it feels natural, matches your presentation type, and doesn’t rip off someone else’s work, incorporating aspects of other speaker’s styles into your talks is more than okay—it’s smart.
I recall Mr. Clinton using the Southern U.S. expression, “That dog won’t hunt,” in one of his speeches to say that something wouldn’t work. Since Clinton was born and raised in the Southern U.S., this saying sounded perfectly natural coming out of his mouth. The same cliché uttered by Arnold Schwarzenegger, however, may feel awkward to Arnold and his audience unless it’s connected in some way to Clinton’s remark.
By presentation type, I mean an address to Fortune 500 CEOs about stock market trends vs. a talk to 3rd graders about the magic of animation. You may admire the late Martin Luther King, Jr.’s soaring preacher style, but it’s hard to imagine a talk on share prices or Charlotte’s Web going over well if delivered like his “I Have A Dream” speech.
When you’re watching other speakers, think about what makes their message interesting, memorable, entertaining and maybe inspiring. Like you said, it could be gestures and joke-telling, and it might also be voice volume, speaking pace, use and emphasis of words, sentence construction, eye contact, pauses, posture and more. Take one or two presentation particulars that you think will work for you and your talk, and try them this summer. Keep that list around and go back to it for future speech stylizing. By the way, YouTube is a great place to watch speeches of all kinds.
Don’t forget about these other audience boredom prevention strategies:
- Tell stories
- Interview your audience
- Use visuals (but don’t read them word-for-word)
- Get participants talking to each other
- Keep it simple and on schedule
You’re planning ahead and thinking about how to improve your effectiveness—these are good signs that your dog will hunt this summer.
Les
6/07
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