Public Speaking and Performance Coach | White Plains, NY

The Action

In his advice to the players, Hamlet tells them to “suit the action to the word, the word to the action.” Words are important, but we must drive our words with actions in order to deliver the ideas behind them and make sure they resonate with our audience. When you suit the action to the word, you naturally:

Use a wide variety of vocal tones
Actively engage the muscles in your face
Discover appropriate gestures.
Eliminate unintentional nervous gestures
Passionately deliver your ideas and thoughts
Connect with members of the audience in a meaningful way

WHAT IS AN ACTION?

An action is, quite simply, a verb. In life, we play actions all the time, and we naturally suit them to our words, without even thinking about it. “Can you please clean your room?” I might say to my daughter. Depending on the state of her room, my mood, how many times I’ve already asked her, whether we're having company, etc. those words might be matched with any number of actions:

To request
To reprimand
To beg
To tease
To scold

And, depending on which action I choose (consciously or not), my voice, face, and body will respond differently – IF I fully commit to that action. Scolding is very, very different than begging. And, most importantly, my daughter will receive the information and respond to me ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY depending on which action I use. Same exact words – but delivered one way, I will get a clean room. Delivered another, I will get a screaming teenager, and the mess will stay on the floor.

Actors use this technique when approaching a script. Our job as actors is “to hold...the mirror up to nature,” and so we replicate this act of using actions to drive the text and create truthful and compelling scenes on stage.

In order to deliver genuine and compelling speeches to an audience, the same technique may be employed. The audience becomes your scene partner, your speech becomes the script, and you become the actor, whose job is to find the personal connection to the text and the ideas that are driving it.

The Warmup

Now, it's go time!

Just like for actors, backstage time is very important for speakers. You use this time to get mentally and physically prepared - get in the zone for the work you are about to do on stage. During this time you:

Stretch and warm up your body. This releases tension and allows you to feel much more connected to your “instrument.” Gestures simply come more naturally to a warmed-up, relaxed body. Just before a public appearance, you are getting a rush of adrenaline. Doing a physical warm up allows you to do something with all that adrenaline, rather than keeping it bottled up in your body.

Warm up your voice. Giving a speech requires a resonant voice and clear diction. You want to avoid that awkward frog-in-your-throat when you start talking – a couple of vocal warm-ups will take care of that. A few diction exercises will warm up your articulators so that you don’t start your speech by tripping over your own words. You can have a brilliant speech, but if it gets trapped in sloppy diction or a voice nobody can hear, it doesn’t do you any good.

Create the moment before. Actors must bring an entire set of imagined circumstances on stage with them every time they enter. The audience must believe that the world of the play continues into the wings and that it lives on in the lives of the characters, even when they are not seen. We can borrow this idea when delivering a speech. If you enter the space in which you will deliver your speech already living in the world of your speech, you will be insisting that the audience enter your world. You will not need to go to them, they will come to you. Use the “backstage” time before your speech to create the moment before and enter with those circumstances already established.

Breathe. When we get nervous, we often unconsciously hold our breath. Take several deep, slow breaths that come from the belly. Your belly should expand, like a balloon, when air goes in and contract when air goes out. Your shoulders shouldn’t move. With each breath, oxygen goes to your brain, which keeps you thinking straight. Calm, deep breaths will also make your body feel more in control and less jittery. You will be better able to implement your work and preparations if you feel in control. Make sure you breathe throughout your speech, too!

"Jill is a fantastic partner for authors who need to promote a book - she expertly directed my book trailer and helped me prepare for media appearances. She truly GETS what is needed to enhance your intuitive style to suit your audience, offers spot-on recommendations and coaches with lightheartedness and deep savvy. Jill is a total pro!"

~ Michelle Brody, PhD, Author of Stop the Fight!

The Process

While Jill’s working process takes an individualized path with each speaker, helping to highlight personal strengths and unique qualities, she ascribes to certain foundational concepts for all her clients. These techniques are adapted from the theatre for the public speaking arena. Jill works with clients through the entire process of preparation, from content to delivery, through vocal and physical work. Here's a look at Jill's unique process:

The Script

When actors get a script, their first step is table work – analyzing the text and finding the ideas within. Scenes and monologues must be scored - broken down into beats. This is an important step for any speech that you will deliver. Each time there is a change in dynamic, emotion, purpose, or idea, there is a change in beat – and therefore a new action must be implemented. Each beat gets a new action. Having a variety of actions in your speech:

Keeps the audience engaged. Variety is interesting.
Means you will reach more people. While one action might inspire one member of the audience, another will reach someone else. Using a variety of actions, or tactics, means you will reach more people.
Keeps it real. We naturally have a variety of actions in life, so you want them in your speech, too.

A GOOD ACTOR IS ALWAYS PREPARED

An actor never goes on stage without rehearsal. Even improvisers rehearse the structure of the scene or game several times before going live before an audience and creating dialogue on the spot.

Some speakers work better if they have a word-for-word speech written out. Like an actor's script, the written speech provides the speaker with the comfort of knowing that they will hit every point and that each idea will be conveyed.

Some speakers prefer to work from bullet points and speak a bit more off the cuff. These speakers, like improvisers, have a basic structure, or beats, laid out, but they choose the exact words in the moment. Regardless of which way you prefer to present your speech, you still must prepare your speech with appropriate rehearsal time.

In order to be successful, speeches should be rehearsed

Out loud and at full volume
With full physical commitment
With intention – meaning, actions are being used to drive the text
Several times

In the theatre, actors always rehearse with a director, who provides feedback and guidance on every nuance of their performance before the audience arrives. Speakers who work with a coach gain an outside perspective of their performance before going live, making their rehearsal time exponentially more productive and their presentation more effective.