Enhancing public speaking skills using improvisation techniques
This post is a resource for the MRE session Enhancing public speaking skills using improvisation techniques. I will outline the main points and exercises covered in the live sessions, so if you are unable to attend you won’t miss out!
I’d like to start by introducing myself; I am Jess Napthine-Hodgkinson and for the past 12 years I have taught improvisation (which often gets shortened to impro or improv) to a variety of groups.
When I joined the Library in the Research Data Management team, I saw an opportunity to apply skills and techniques from improvisation to help students and staff become more confident public speakers. Over the past 12 months, I have developed this session following feedback from attendees to ensure that it is relevant to our staff and students.
The fear of public speaking
Does the thought of standing in front of an audience to deliver a presentation bring you out in a cold sweat? If so, you are not alone; it is estimated that 75% of all people experience some degree of nervousness or anxiety when engaging in public speaking. 10% of these people suffer from an extreme fear of public speaking called glossophobia. There are some notable glossophobes: Abraham Lincoln dreaded speaking to an audience and Mahatma Gandhi once got ten words into one of his speeches and had to get an aide to finish it for him. Despite this fear, they managed to deliver speeches that changed the world so I hope that, using improvisation techniques, I can help you to do the same.
What is improvisation?
Improvisation, or improv, is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters and dialogue are made up in the moment. The most popular form is known as short-form improv and consists of fast-paced, comedic games. This is the style used in Whose Line Is It Anyway?, an improvisation-based television show popular in the UK and US. Improvisation can also be long-form which involves longer scenes with more story development and can even be done in a variety of styles such as film noir, musical and Shakespearean. But the aspect of improvisation that makes it so useful for public speaking is its focus on communication skills.
How can improvisation help with public speaking?
Get warmed up
You wouldn’t run a marathon without warming up, yet people often embark on public speaking without any kind of physical preparation. You will be using your voice for longer and with a greater instensity than usual so taking a few minutes to prepare will make you feel more comfortable and reduce the likelihood of straining your voice. Here are a few things you can do when you are getting ready to deliver a speech or presentation:
Realise the power of positivity
One of the central tenets of improvisation is ‘Yes, and…’: approaching a new situation with a willingness to accept it and contribute positively. Adopting this approach can help you to write your presentation or speech by encouraging you to develop your ideas rather than listening to your internal critic. Accepting new situations with a positive outlook also helps you to engage more fully with your audience when delivering a presentation or speech. You will start to see questions from the audience not as a critique on the presentation you have just delivered but as an opportunity to explore the subject further and share knowledge.
Connect and feel comfortable with others
Improvisation provides a safe space to try out new things in front of an audience that will support and encourage you. It also encourages you to form connections with others. This may be engaging with a large audience by ensuring you make eye contact or making one-to-one connections by using listening skills to be a great participant at a webinar or online event.
How to be a great participant:
• Do your homework! Look up speakers in advance and read their recent blogs or papers to generate ideas about what you might want to ask them
• Use social media to engage with the host and speakers before and after the session. They may retweet you which may help you connect with more people
• Make notes as you listen and jot down any questions
• Your question is valid and welcome — the speaker will be glad that you have engaged with them and the chances are that someone else in the room also has the same question
• Practise being a facilitator in breakout rooms when doing groupwork — rephrasing the question or activity will prompt your peers to start speaking and give you some thinking time
• Follow up on new connections — if you are interested in talking further with someone, ask them for their details and email or tweet them after the event to continue the conversation
Become more concise in your speech
To be an effective public speaker you need to make it clear to your audience what the key points of your speech are and deliver these in a memorable way. One exercise to help with this is:
Exercise: Say More With Less
- Practise a section of your speech or presentation that is 5 minutes in length
- Rework it to fit into 3 minutes, then 1 minute, then 30 seconds, then 10 seconds
- Try not to speed up your delivery — the final round should just have key words
This will help you to identify what is important, what can be left out and get you more comfortable with adapting your delivery.
Show your passion and enthusiasm
I don’t believe there is a right or wrong way to do public speaking. There are techniques that can make you more effective at conveying your message but we are aiming for authenticity rather than perfection. Improvisation techniques can help you find the style of delivery that works best for you because ultimately your audience is there to listen to YOU. So, why not show them your passion and enthusiasm through your voice, facial expressions and body language? This exercise will help you find your groove:
Exercise: Commit To The Bit
• Practise delivering your speech in different ways — vary the pace and volume of your voice
• Try delivering it in different emotions e.g. excited, angry, telling someone a secret
• Try performing your speech in different styles e.g. Shakespearean, gangster, musical
• You will get more comfortable with performing and find where to put the emphasis in your speech
Overcome the fear of looking silly
You might have got the sense by now that Enhancing public speaking skills using improvisation techniques is a little different from the presentation skills sessions you might have been to in the past. Improvisation is all about playfulness and embracing failure as an opportunity for learning and growth. In fact, I was going to call the session ‘Fail Spectacularly!’. Perhaps you avoid public speaking because you are afraid you will ‘get it wrong’ or ‘look silly’. Practising improvisation techniques will help you to get used to responding to new situations without second guessing yourself and show you that sometimes ‘getting it wrong’ is a bit more fun than getting it right. The more you practice doing the thing that scares you, the less scary it seems.
