Week 44: 15th – 21st July
This week I attended some media training sessions organised by VOX coaching in an attempt to overcome my natural shyness of public speaking. The sessions ran over two days and covered presenting to camera, storytelling and effective networking. The company employs trained actors so a lot of the exercises focused on performance techniques, specifically ones which allowed the speaker to shift their focus away from themselves and towards the audience.
Success on camera
The first session considered how we approached the camera, including tips on stance, hand gestures and line of vision. Each person took it in turns to present a short introduction to camera before receiving feedback from the rest of the group. Although I was nervous at first I managed quite well with the task, despite a bit of fidgeting.
The audience reaction was generally favourable, however they did pick up on my descending intonation, a particularly British affliction, where the tone of voice goes down at the end of the sentence. Unfortunately, this can also contribute to the voice trailing off and losing authority. Thankfully, this can be counteracted to an extent by developing vocal strength through using simple breathing techniques.
Personal impact
The second session focused more on networking and the way we communicate. As researchers, we are learning to be experts in our field, that is, to be the voice of authority on our chosen topic. A large element of that role involves maximising the impact of our research, in other words how we share this knowledge and make people care about it. Unfortunately, the content that we are communicating only accounts for 7% of what our audience notices. The rest is divided between visual cues, including body language (55%) and vocal tone (38%).
This means that although the message is important, the way that the information is conveyed is even more so. Furthermore, when delivering research findings or facts, it is easy to slip into list based monologues which leave your audience uninspired. When structuring content therefore, it is useful to decide how you want your audience to feel as a result of your presentation, and select the content or style to suit that particular outcome.
Key points
The oveall aim of the sessions was to develop a performance toolkit which would be useful in 1-on-1 networking, presentation and/or media situations. My favourite tip however was the reminder of a basic, but often neglected, element of communication: the pause. Remembering to pause helps to break up your points to allow breathing space and for the audience to reflect on what you have said. A good exercise is to rehearse presentations out loud and force yourself to stop after each point.
Other ways to improve communication style include:
Variety: In the music of the voice and in the rhythm of gestures communicates passion
Relevance: What does your audience want to know and what do they need to know?
Keep it concrete: Avoid abstractions. Use accessible examples and strong visuals
Make it personal: Reveal a little of yourself
Engagement: Make contact a priority. Establish dialogue, keep it interactive
Tell a story: Stimulates the audience’s imagination and makes it memorable
Unlock your hands: This will allow your gestures to work without self-consciousness
Further Reading:
Franc Chamberlain, Michael Chekhov (Routledge: New York, 2004)
Patsy Rodenburg, The Right to Speak (Routledge: New York, 1992)
Katie Fox, Watching the English (Hodder: London, 2004)
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink (London: Penguin, 2005)
Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (London: Bloomsbury, 1996)
Ed Hooks, Acting for Animators(Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003
Keith Johnstone, Impro (Methuen: London, 1979)
