By Allison Goldberg
Most people can relate to the experience of telling the same story over and over again, whether it’s describing one’s role, giving status updates, presenting in front of large audiences, or being on either side of an interview. (Or first date.) Unfortunately, while practice can make perfect, it can also make autopilot take over. How does one strike the balance between rehearsed and… over-rehearsed? Below are five tips to avoid sounding like a robot. (Until they take over, in which case, sounding like a robot will be all the rage.)
If it’s good enough for Beyonce…
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Practice using alter egos.
Beyonce has Sasha Fierce. Lady Gaga’s real name is Stefani Germanotta. But it’s not just pop stars – there are many jobs where people step into a role and behave a certain way. For example, do reporters speak with that distinct cadence on their own time? Hopefully not. Alter egos help many professionals take action, but there’s also value in simply practicing with different ones, which can help reignite stale material and find new qualities to bring to the table. As an exercise, try retelling a mission statement like it’s a children’s story, and see what words and intonation naturally invade. Then try the same material as though it’s a story over drinks, followed by performing it as a Disney character (yes, really), and then as a football coach. No one needs to see these versions – in fact, it’s probably best if they don’t! – but they will breathe new life, ideas, and tactics into tired text.
It’s fairly standard for actors to assign verbs to blocks of text.
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Use active verbs.
It’s fascinating how often people profess to be in a room to “explain” a product or service, to “inform” colleagues of new developments, or even simply to “present”. While technically true, these verbs will not ignite delivery. Traditional theater principles demonstrate that a verb that is both physical (think: is it charades-able?) and emotionally affects the listener will influence performance. Therefore, if one is sounding robotic, apply new, active verbs to the text and let them take over. Take a few sentences and try them with the verb “excite” in the back of your mind. Then try the same sentences again with “warn”, and then again with “welcome”. Don’t say the active verbs out loud; let them influence delivery of the text – which will dramatically change just by keeping them in mind.
Typing notes can help; writing out a word-for-word script can be counterproductive.
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Use bullets, not a script.
Scripting can be hugely beneficial, but scripts can also trip up even seasoned pros. The reason why is that nerves kick in and presenters are essentially “reading” the script in their mind, and listeners can tell that they’re not present in the room. Furthermore, when people are too rehearsed, missing even a word or two can throw them off tremendously, forgetting that their audience doesn’t know which word they “meant” to say. If this resonates, practice with general notes, never getting too beholden to a particular turn of phrase. This way, when it comes time to present, one can move between thoughts and ideas, rather than between specific, inconsequential word choices.
Embrace the moment.
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Ignore those bullets.
Yes, this article just advised using bullets. Rehearse with them, then forget about them and focus on connecting with your audience. In Zoomland, it’s easy to over-rely on notes, since it’s so simple to have them pulled up while presenting. Ultimately though, this puts one at risk for reading and not naturally leaning into thoughts and ideas, as per the above. Plus, offices will hopefully re-open one day, and it would be nice to be prepared for real-life human conversation without filters.
It’s okay to say nothing at all (for a moment).
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Don’t be afraid to pause.
Finally, embrace the power of the pause. Many people enter robot-mode because they’re simply so worried about either silence or “messing up” that they race through their material without taking a moment to breathe, be present, and connect with the listener. To practice, listen to speeches from pro presenters and note not the words, but the space in between them. Beginning to listen to the empty space will demonstrate how integral it is to the presentation as a whole and will normalize embracing intentional moments of silence, no matter how brief. And remember: a pause that feels like an eternity, sounds like a second to the audience.
For more tips, visit goldjamcreative.com.
