Public Speaking Lessons from New/Digital Media

Digital Media.  New Media.  I find the terms confusing but I love learning about this concept.

Wayne State University has a minor in New Media and here's a short description of the coursework from their website:

Interested in new/emerging media and technology? The new media minor may be perfect for you. The Department of Communication created the minor in new/emerging media for the consideration of all students at Wayne State. Expertise in new and emerging media enhances any major. Expand your comprehension of contemporary communication practices — including digital, mobile and social media — while learning some of the most effective ways to interact in this continuously evolving environment. Focus on both critical and creative tools across disciplines to build upon your specific goals and interests.

How does this relate to Good 'Ol Public Speaking?  At the very least, it seems that we are much more likely to rely on new media to obtain information than in attending a live public presentation.  On the other hand, new media gives us access to live public presentations from all around the world either live or shortly thereafter.  In turn, if we pull off a smashing public presentation we now have the capabilities to self publish that online and it could even go viral.

So when Jason Kristufek, a digital editor at the Post and Courier in Charleston, was available to speak to my class, I jumped at it.  Yes, he works at a newspaper.   But it seems that when he looks at stories for publication, he looks at them the same way I do when I look at a presentation topic.  He asks himself:  how can we get the audience to interact with this story?  He talked with us about the importance of story telling and of finding a variety of ways for our audience to interact with our stories. In other words, it's all about making the story relevant and compelling to the audience.  While he may consider whether that's through an online documentary or a podcast, I pester my students to find ways to make their live, spoken words come alive for their audiences.

If a digital storyteller is thinking of ways to interact with the audience, shouldn't a live and in person storyteller do the same?  Many times presenters shy away from asking for a show of hands.  Or requesting a volunteer from the audience.  Or inviting someone to offer an example.  But if audiences can have more interaction on a digital platform than in a live setting, do we run the risk that audiences will stop showing up?

Communication is as old as time.  But whether writing on a cave wall, standing on a box in the town square, delivering newspapers door to door,  or scrolling through your Facebook, in many ways it hasn't changed much at all:  the audience wants to be involved and to feel relevant.

Storytelling

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing a story from Shannon Cason on the stage of the Detroit Film Theatre.   I have always wanted to attend a moth storytelling event but have never been able to carve out the time to do so.   I happened to be at the DFT last week to hear from documentary film makers and Cason's storytelling was an unexpected bonus on the program.

Unlike the process of including a story within a presentation, storytelling events feature only the story, on its own.  I have heard storytelling on public radio and on podcasts, but to hear one performed live in front of me in a large theater, was another experience entirely.

Cason's personal story is compelling and it involves robbery, gambling, addiction, love of family and redemption.  As I listened to him I found myself talking out loud in response to the suspense, saying things like, "Oh no!" and "No way!"  I was very much aware that I was part of an audience and it felt almost like I was on a roller coaster ride as I found myself being tossed and turned emotionally.

Storytelling like this involves careful planning and practice.  Every word has an impact.  Editing and rewriting is key.  And let's not forget about delivery - it needs to be genuine and yet peppered with vocal variety and dramatic pauses.

Storytelling can add drama to your next presentation and a good story will also make your message memorable.  I encourage you to make the time to see some real artists at work by checking out a live storytelling event.

The Power of a Story

Zonya Foco is a nutritionist and motivational speaker who can masterfully handle large crowds.  I have seen her speak in person a couple of times and have always been impressed.  It's not always easy to invite audience participation, as she does here with my daughter, but she is so skilled in what she does that it seems to always pay off for her without mishap.

Zonya's public speaking skills could be the subject of multiple blog posts, but I would like to mention today how she uses the power of a story to impart information about health and nutrition.

We've probably all heard about the importance of planning ahead when it comes to healthy eating.  But instead of just putting that advice on a list of tips, Zonya took the time to tell us about that through the use of a quick story.

She set the scene by telling us how she was visiting an old college friend and how they got caught up with each other's lives while sitting in her friend's kitchen on a school day afternoon.   Zonya told the story of how her friend was trying to prepare dinner for her busy household and her kids started coming through and asking about what they could eat until dinner.  Zonya's friend pulled out a beautiful glass plate from the fridge that was laden with cut up vegetables.  The kids were able to snack away while dinner was being prepared, thereby averting any unhealthy snacking.

Zonya told us how impressed she was with this and how she asked her friend about it.  Her friend told her that the dish was a family heirloom and she decided to use it more often and get joy from it.  She told Zonya that she simply kept it filled with washed and prepped veggies so that when the kids needed to eat and she needed to prepare dinner, it was ready to go into service.

The power of a story is that it allows the audience to create a visual and a scene while learning the information.  I have often wondered whether this is a true story or if it was crafted by a professional motivational speaker to effectively illustrate a point.  Does it matter?  What does matter is that the speaker is able to share information that will be remembered long after the presentation is over.

Thanks for the tip, Zonya!