PUBLIC SPEAKING v SCREENWRITING
I recently listened to Communication Professor and Communication Coach Alex Lyon talk about how to be an effective public speaker and I was fascinated to discover what I think is a direct correlation between what it takes to be an effective screenwriter and an effective public speaker.
From the YouTube Channel, Communication Coach Alex Lyon
Both the Public Speaker and the Screenwriter are storytellers that need to perform in certain ways to be effective.The first standout for me was on the subject of STORY DESIGN. Is this not just another way to describe the classic three-act structure?
PUBLIC SPEAKING STORY DESIGN:
Forecast The Point of The Story
Tell the Story
Explain the Moral of The Story
Next, was his list of 7 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING. See how many of these directly translate for you ass well:
Do Not Ramble
Be Concise
Keep it Simple
Speak Confidently
Make Eye Contact
Plant Your Feet
Use Your Hands to Help Articulate
1-3 The first three are immediately applicable without translation.
4 For screenwriters, “speaking confidently” could simply be about finding your voice and telling bold stories that only you can tell.
5 “Making eye contact” doesn't seem applicable, but in my opinion, this is about doing all you can to be certain you are connecting with your audience. It's the difference between telling stories for an audience and not simply for your own amusement.
6 “Plant your feet” also seems irrelevant to screenwriting, but I'm interpreting this to be about GENRE and making certain you stay on course and don't wander around, muddying the experience for your audience. Make it crystal clear what the audience experience is that you are trying to achieve.
7 Finally, “using your hands” is not a literal screenwriter's issue either, but PAGECRAFT is and I think the two actually equate pretty well. For public speakers, knowing what to do with your hands is a cliched joke, but if you use them well, you can elevate a story very effectively. If you don't, you can kill a good story BY LOOKING AWKWARD. Pagecraft can have the very same positive and negative effects. It’s something to learn and leverage and not simply gripe about. When you really understand how and why pagecraft works, you can make your stories work more effectively for the reader.
Summary:
Ultimately, the Public Speaker and the Screenwriter share much more in common than you might initially think. Both are storytellers that need to learn a craft and hone their skills to be effective.
But... what do you think?
