Great business lessons don't always come from business people. Learn from an amazing performer with 5 attributes you should emulate: comedian Richard Pryor.
As a public speaker, you could do worse than emulate an outrageous performer who was perhaps the funniest stand-up comic in history: Richard Pryor. At least that's the opinion of Rolling Stone magazine ("Rolling Stone's '50 Best Stand-Ups of All Time' as of Feb. 14, 2017").
Pryor had a personal and professional reputation as a flawed human being who mined his own tumultuous life for his material. He was a loose, daring, foul-mouthed, and wildly creative comedian who seemed to have more fun on stage than any one performer should. And as far afield as his act may seem to the type of public speaking most of us practice, there is much in his performance persona we can learn from.
Whether you're doing stand-up or a conference keynote, a key characteristic you need is focus. Discover 10 theatrical techniques for reliably presenting with the level of energy, enjoyment, and excitement you need. Be a speaker who commands attention! Download my essential cheat sheet, "10 Ways to Stay Fully Focused when Speaking."
Here are five attributes Pryor embodied as a stand-up comic that you'd do well to remember in your own speaking performances.
Flexibility: A Key Public Speaking Attribute
Pryor was a specimen of mental and physical flexibility on stage, in a way that surpassed other stand-up comics. Watch a clip of any of his appearances and you'll see it immediately. Tall and skinny, he used full-body expression in an extraordinary way that took hilarious material and raised it to a new visual level. Speeches become rigid when we conceive them entirely in terms of content, forgetting that our job is to react to what audiences give us—just as comedians and actors do. Speaking of physical performance, click here for some great body language tips for being a more expressive speaker.
Enjoyment: A Trait Shared by Speakers and Audiences
Watching Richard Pryor in action is to see the sheer joy of performing to a crowd. There's no mistaking it. Suddenly, we're the aunts and uncles sitting in the parlor, watching the child who just can't resist acting out all the parts of the story he's telling us. For audiences to enjoy your talks, they need to see that you're having fun, not grimly delivering that serious presentation. They'll see it first and foremost in your face—so practice with that mirror if facial expression isn't your strong suit.
Adaptability: An Essential Public Speaking Tool
Stand-up comics need an arsenal of come-backs to resistant audiences, hecklers, and just plain quiet crowds. Pryor had all the tools and used them fluidly (though I don't believe there were any quiet crowds when he performed.) There's a clip of him reacting to a photographer taking flash photos at the edge of the stage that shows how loose he can be, even in an unexpected development. Anxious speakers tend to plan every last sentence, to help prevent anything going wrong. But adaptability as you respond moment-by-moment to your audience shows you're truly in command. Here are two exercises concerning how to think on your feet when you're under pressure.
Creativity: What Are You Waiting For?
No one surpassed Richard Pryor in taking the raw material of an often turbulent life and turning it into material audiences of all races and social classes could identify with. That talent alone makes his career noteworthy. But we don't need event-filled lives like those of a Pryor or Mark Twain to use creativity in our own in-person performances. In fact, we desperately need to do so. Audiences are deadened by by-the-numbers presentations that show no spark of creativity. Like Pryor, ask yourself what events in your personal or private life can be brought into your talks. There is probably much more of it than you think. For both you and your audiences, the personal is universal. Use it to give a pulse to presentations that often sorely need it.
Fearlessness: You Have Everything to Win
If you require a paradigm of fearlessness when speaking in public, you have one in Richard Pryor. From painful personal experiences came a confessional brand of comedy that pulled no punches. We may not be at this level of either transgression or bravery; but we can certainly incorporate a little more fearlessness in our own public speaking. For we have nothing to lose! The nature of an audience is to respond to what a performer gives them. Demand the level of attention and respect you desire, and you will get more of it than you think. Make the commitment to act like the type of speaker you want to be, not just think about it. Commit to winning, and you'll be a lot closer to doing so.
If speech anxiety is an issue for you, take a look at my book Fearless Speaking, which features 50 exercises for being a more confident and successful speaker.
Hey, notice I didn't say anything about being funny in your presentations?
