What I Learned About Public Speaking from Flamenco
Earlier this year, I took some time off from work and spent a month in Spain. I traveled through Malaga, Cordoba and Barcelona eating jamon, drinking wine and soaking up the sun. It was an experience that I would cherish forever. During my trip I had the opportunity to enjoy three Flamenco performances, one in each of the cities I had visited. Flamenco, for those of you who are new to it, is an art form that includes music, song and dance. It is from the Andalucia region of Spain and is said to have influence from Arab and Indian arts. This video on YouTube is a pretty good sample of what a Flamenco performance is like.
The setting of each performance was very different. In Malaga, the show was in a basement with a small stage and an audience of may be 100. The group of performers included a singer, a guitar player and two dancers. In Cordoba, the show was outside in a large patio held on a warm evening. While the audience were of about the same size as the first show, the stage was bigger as was the group of performers.
In Barcelona, the venue was Palau de Música Catalana, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most impressive concert halls I have ever been to. I was in the audience with about 500 other people. Everything about this performance was grand — the venue, the audience and the performing group.
All three performances were fascinating. I was enthralled by the soulful music and graceful dance movements. As much as I wanted to capture these moments in pictures and videos, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the stage long enough to do it. The three shows couldn’t have been more different in their settings and in their style. As I watched the various artists — men and women of different ages, shapes and sizes perform, a few things stood out to me. As an enthusiastic public speaker, I couldn’t help drawing the parallels between Flamenco performances and public speaking. Here are five lessons from Flamenco that we can apply to public speaking:
The setting and the costumes in Malaga were somewhat basic, still beautiful, but simple. In Cordoba and Barcelona, the costumes were elaborate and eye catching. However, in the end, what mattered the most was the dancing itself. The dancers who seemed driven by the music, who had sharp and well-defined movement were the ones who got the loudest applause from the audience, regardless of what they were wearing and where they were performing.
The same holds true of public speaking. You can have professionally done PowerPoint slides, and humorous stories, but what captures the audience is your conviction. The audience needs to be convinced that you care about the topic you are presenting.
If you have the choice, pick a topic you truly care about. Forget about what’s hot and trendy. Talk about something that touches you, that you feel strongly about. By picking a topic that you are passionate about, you would have won half the battle. However, we don’t always have the luxury to choose what we talk about, especially at work. For such presentations, try to incorporate your point of view, your opinion to the extent you can. Opinions convey conviction, and in combination with the right facts, they will help you win over your audience. So whatever topic you are presenting on, make sure it truly represents your point of view.
There were dancers on the stage who seemed really lost in the dancing. They did not seem aware of the audience around them. Watching them from the audience felt like spying on them during a private moment. And there were others, who displayed great showmanship. They made eye contact with the people in the audience, and smiled and winked at them. They engaged us with wild gestures asking us to clap louder. Both type of performers were equally mesmerizing. Some performers drew us in with the intensity of their performance, and others by making us part of it.
The same applies to public speaking. There is no one correct style. I have been equally captivated by loud and dramatic public speakers, as by those who seem to be telling a story over coffee. If you watch two of the most popular TED talks — one by Ken Robinson and the second by Amy Cuddy, you will see that they have very different styles, and yet both the talks are equally effective.
The key is to find what works for you, what you are comfortable with. Toastmasters and other similar organizations do a great job of teaching us the basics like making eye contact with the audience and organizing our content effectively. However, it is up to us to build on this foundation and develop our own style. This requires some self-awareness — what parts of your style are most effective? What do you enjoy the most about public-speaking? What comes naturally to you? For example, after many years of public speaking, I have learned how to do big, grand gestures. However, I have also learned that I prefer smaller, more subtle gestures. I am more comfortable with them and they work for me. As you develop as a public speaker, learn from other effective speakers and develop your own style.
One of the things that was common across all three performances was that even though some of the acts were solo, it was overall a group performance. At times, when a dancer was not performing, they would stay on the stage and shout encouragements to those who were performing like ole and asi se baila (That’s the way to dance!). As audience it made the overall experience even more enjoyable. We were seeing a team in action. The performers did not just care about how they did, they cared about the whole group, they cared about the art.
We can bring the same attitude to our group presentations. A group presentation is bigger than you — it is about the success of the whole group. It is about whether your message as a group is effective or not. And when you present a single cohesive message as a team, your audience will also get more out of it.
When preparing for a group presentation, make sure that your main message is reflected and supported by each speaker’s material. Each speaker brings their own style to the presentation which is great, however, the content should still support the overall message. During the presentation, stay engaged for the whole time your group is presenting. Sometimes people tend to deliver their part and then tune out. Instead, pay attention when others are presenting and join in for the hearty applause when they are done.
The show in Cordoba started on a rather low note and peaked about half way with a brilliant performance by a male dancer who took our breath away with his footwork. The audience went wild after this performance. Chorus of “bravos” went on for a while even after the performer had left the stage. Had the show ended with his performance, everyone would have gone home with this upbeat energy the performance had created. However, the show continued and the performances that came after it couldn’t match this one. I could feel the energy in the room going down. The climax or the end of the show felt like a let down.
You might have seen presentations with the same cadence related issues, presentations that peak before they are over, or those that start out really well but then fizzle out. This takes away from the effectiveness of these presentations. The audience might have already moved on before you are done.
You need a strong beginning so that the audience have enough incentive to continue paying attention. And more importantly, you need a strong ending so that the audience remember you. Your conclusion is the last chance to leave an impression on the audience. Don’t waste it with “I hope you enjoyed my talk.” or a weak “thank you”. Instead, use your most passionate appeal — remind your audience why they should care, remind them what the world would look like if your idea was implemented. Bring everything you have to the conclusion of your speech.
The venue in Barcelona seemed very alive even during the performance. People were coming in late. There just seemed a lot of movement among audience that was distracting. However, the dancers continued as if completely oblivious to it. During one of the performances, the manton (Spanish shawl) that the dancer was using got stuck in the flower in her hair. She continued her footwork while using her hands to disentangle the manton. Later, her headgear became lose. Again, without losing a step, she took it off and threw it to the side of the stage.
I have yet attend a conference that is free of technical issues. Invariably, the projector would stop working or the speaker would realize that their latest slides are not up there. And I can tell you, this is when even the most inattentive audience wakes up. They start paying attention because now something unexpected is happening. The unpredictability adds drama. As a speaker, how you handle the situation is now part of your speech or presentation. You audience will remember you for fumbling or for firing through.
As a speaker, you owe it to yourself to be prepared for when things go wrong. Always have a copy of your slides on a flash disk. Be prepared to give your speech without the slides if necessary. If there is a disruption during your presentation, pause, let it pass and then continue. If you can, incorporate it in your presentation by acknowledging it and may be making a joke about it. These disruptions are an opportunity for you to showcase your maturity and courage as a speaker. Don’t let them disrupt you. Instead, use them to your advantage.
Public speaking, like Flamenco, is an art that benefits from finer details. Take the time to understand your passions and then talk about them. Find your presentation style, and then practice it. Find a team and find ways to make it look good. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
None of the performers had been born with their exceptional Flamenco skills. They worked at it for years, practiced for hours and hours and got there. The same is true for public speaking. Start where you are today, and you can become an excellent speaker with passion, learning and practice.
What I Learned About Public Speaking from Flamenco
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