1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,150 Are you breaking the fourth wall as a 2 00:00:02,150 --> 00:00:04,700 speaker? Here's why you should do it and 3 00:00:04,700 --> 00:00:06,890 how. On this episode of the Speaking Your 4 00:00:06,890 --> 00:00:08,000 Brand podcast. 5 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,090 More and more women are making an impact by 6 00:00:14,090 --> 00:00:16,820 starting businesses, running for office, and 7 00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:18,830 speaking up for what matters. 8 00:00:18,860 --> 00:00:21,080 With my background as a TV political 9 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:23,930 analyst, entrepreneur, and speaker, I 10 00:00:23,930 --> 00:00:26,420 interview and coach purpose driven women to 11 00:00:26,420 --> 00:00:28,910 shape their brands, grow their companies, 12 00:00:28,910 --> 00:00:31,560 and become recognized as influencers in 13 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,920 their field. This is speaking your brand, 14 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,410 your place to learn how to persuasively 15 00:00:37,410 --> 00:00:40,800 communicate your message to your audience. 16 00:00:41,730 --> 00:00:43,350 Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your 17 00:00:43,350 --> 00:00:45,420 Brand podcast. I'm your host, Carol Cox. 18 00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:47,730 This is going to be a fun episode and 19 00:00:47,730 --> 00:00:50,250 hopefully get you thinking differently about 20 00:00:50,250 --> 00:00:52,860 the presentations and talks you give, no 21 00:00:52,860 --> 00:00:55,810 matter the topic, no matter the industry, no 22 00:00:55,810 --> 00:00:57,760 matter if you're speaking to audiences of 23 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,290 20, 50, 100, 500 people or more. 24 00:01:02,290 --> 00:01:05,410 So what exactly is this fourth wall and what 25 00:01:05,410 --> 00:01:06,670 does it mean to break it? 26 00:01:06,670 --> 00:01:09,220 And should you even do that as a speaker? 27 00:01:09,220 --> 00:01:10,810 And if so, what does that look like? 28 00:01:10,810 --> 00:01:13,600 Well, the fourth wall is the imaginary wall 29 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,270 at the front of the stage that separates the 30 00:01:16,270 --> 00:01:18,280 fictional world, which is the performance 31 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,520 that's happening on the stage from real 32 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,460 life, which is us as the audience sitting 33 00:01:23,460 --> 00:01:25,140 there in the theater. 34 00:01:25,170 --> 00:01:28,050 When you attend a play or even a movie, 35 00:01:28,050 --> 00:01:31,020 you're an outsider in the audience, watching 36 00:01:31,020 --> 00:01:34,260 the characters live their lives on the stage 37 00:01:34,260 --> 00:01:35,670 or on the screen. 38 00:01:35,670 --> 00:01:37,680 They don't know you exist. 39 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,110 And that's the way theater has been done, at 40 00:01:40,110 --> 00:01:42,300 least contemporary theater and contemporary 41 00:01:42,310 --> 00:01:44,440 movies for a long time. 42 00:01:44,470 --> 00:01:47,500 However, I've noticed recently that more and 43 00:01:47,500 --> 00:01:50,440 more plays, live performances, and even 44 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,590 movies are breaking this fourth wall between 45 00:01:53,590 --> 00:01:55,960 the fictional world of performers and us, 46 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:57,580 the audience in real life. 47 00:01:57,610 --> 00:02:00,730 I recently did a whirlwind ten day trip to 48 00:02:00,730 --> 00:02:02,830 Europe. We went to four cities in ten days. 49 00:02:02,830 --> 00:02:05,410 It was like our mini Amazing Race and we 50 00:02:05,410 --> 00:02:07,700 went to London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and 51 00:02:07,700 --> 00:02:09,320 Paris. And while we were there we went to 52 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:10,670 four different shows. 53 00:02:10,670 --> 00:02:12,740 So I'm going to talk about what I've noticed 54 00:02:12,740 --> 00:02:13,910 about these shows. 55 00:02:13,910 --> 00:02:15,710 Some of them broke the fourth wall and some 56 00:02:15,710 --> 00:02:18,320 of them didn't, and the impact that it had 57 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:19,670 on us as the audience. 58 00:02:19,670 --> 00:02:21,470 I'm also going to talk about the opening 59 00:02:21,470 --> 00:02:24,740 ceremony of the Paris Olympics, and the 60 00:02:24,740 --> 00:02:27,710 recent energy and enthusiasm for Kamala 61 00:02:27,710 --> 00:02:29,810 Harris's campaign for president. 62 00:02:29,810 --> 00:02:31,730 Now, you may be wondering, what do these 63 00:02:31,740 --> 00:02:33,990 shows and the Olympics opening ceremony and 64 00:02:33,990 --> 00:02:36,540 Kamala Harris's campaign have to do with you 65 00:02:36,540 --> 00:02:38,460 as a speaker? Well, that's exactly what 66 00:02:38,460 --> 00:02:40,260 we're going to talk about, because I want 67 00:02:40,260 --> 00:02:42,810 you to break the fourth wall in your 68 00:02:42,810 --> 00:02:44,700 presentations and talks, because that's how 69 00:02:44,700 --> 00:02:46,680 you're going to be a more impactful speaker 70 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,290 and a more memorable one, which will get you 71 00:02:49,290 --> 00:02:52,020 more leads for your business and referrals 72 00:02:52,020 --> 00:02:53,460 for more speaking opportunities. 73 00:02:53,460 --> 00:02:55,620 Now, strategies like breaking the fourth wall 74 00:02:55,620 --> 00:02:57,920 are just one example of how we work with you 75 00:02:57,920 --> 00:02:59,990 to uplevel your speaking skills. 76 00:02:59,990 --> 00:03:01,610 Whether it's in our online Thought Leader 77 00:03:01,610 --> 00:03:05,030 Academy or in our in-person workshops. 78 00:03:05,030 --> 00:03:06,950 Right now, we're enrolling for our Thought 79 00:03:06,950 --> 00:03:08,030 Leader Academy. 80 00:03:08,030 --> 00:03:10,640 You work with us to get clarity on all of 81 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,620 your ideas, to develop your thought 82 00:03:12,620 --> 00:03:14,600 leadership message, and to get your 83 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,190 signature talk created. 84 00:03:16,190 --> 00:03:17,570 We guarantee it. 85 00:03:17,570 --> 00:03:19,460 We do the work with you. 86 00:03:19,460 --> 00:03:22,050 You're not left to do it by yourself. 87 00:03:22,050 --> 00:03:24,150 And we know that you have a lot going on, 88 00:03:24,150 --> 00:03:27,000 which is why you do the work with us in that 89 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,040 one on one VIP day, where we sit down 90 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,560 together for three hours on zoom, and we 91 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:33,660 create your talk from beginning to end using 92 00:03:33,660 --> 00:03:34,740 our proven framework. 93 00:03:34,740 --> 00:03:37,350 And during those weekly group calls where 94 00:03:37,350 --> 00:03:38,970 you're with the other women who are in the 95 00:03:38,970 --> 00:03:42,000 program so that you do the work during all 96 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,060 of those calls. So expect to spend about 1 97 00:03:44,060 --> 00:03:45,430 to 2 hours per week. 98 00:03:45,430 --> 00:03:47,290 Again, we know that you have a lot going on, 99 00:03:47,290 --> 00:03:49,570 which is why we have really streamlined and 100 00:03:49,570 --> 00:03:51,760 accelerated the process to get you the 101 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,530 results that you want. 102 00:03:53,530 --> 00:03:55,840 Here's a couple of examples of women who've 103 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:57,700 graduated from our Thought Leader Academy. 104 00:03:57,700 --> 00:03:59,620 One of them is Karen Keen, who was on the 105 00:03:59,620 --> 00:04:03,040 podcast last summer, and she said that I 106 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,350 know first hand how well Carol and Diane 107 00:04:05,350 --> 00:04:07,660 helped women tell their stories on the big 108 00:04:07,660 --> 00:04:09,770 stage with confidence, clarity and 109 00:04:09,770 --> 00:04:11,150 meaningful impact. 110 00:04:11,180 --> 00:04:12,950 Last year, I worked with them in the Thought 111 00:04:12,950 --> 00:04:15,320 Leader Academy to develop my keynote speech, 112 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,080 and I received a standing ovation. 113 00:04:18,110 --> 00:04:19,760 Here's what one of our other Thought Leader 114 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,980 Academy grads, Angela Crawford, said. 115 00:04:21,980 --> 00:04:24,230 She said that our signature talk framework 116 00:04:24,230 --> 00:04:26,720 is incredibly powerful going through this 117 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:28,460 process, and the Thought Leader Academy 118 00:04:28,460 --> 00:04:30,710 helped me create my own framework and 119 00:04:30,710 --> 00:04:33,170 signature talk to share my message in an 120 00:04:33,170 --> 00:04:35,230 engaging and impactful way. 121 00:04:35,260 --> 00:04:37,600 Carol and Diane teach and model how to go 122 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,420 beyond sharing information to creating 123 00:04:40,420 --> 00:04:43,360 transformation. This is what we want for you 124 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,190 too. You can get all the details about our 125 00:04:45,190 --> 00:04:47,350 Thought Leader Academy, and you can schedule 126 00:04:47,350 --> 00:04:49,240 a zoom call with us by going to speaking 127 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,460 your brand.com/academy. 128 00:04:51,490 --> 00:04:52,390 Again, that's speaking your 129 00:04:52,390 --> 00:04:55,900 brand.com/academy. Now let's get on with the 130 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:59,360 show. Let's dig in to what this fourth wall 131 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:01,580 is, and why it's important for you as a 132 00:05:01,580 --> 00:05:04,220 speaker to break it with your audiences. 133 00:05:04,220 --> 00:05:06,860 The fourth wall is that imaginary wall 134 00:05:06,860 --> 00:05:08,780 that's at the front of the stage that 135 00:05:08,780 --> 00:05:10,370 separates the fictional world. 136 00:05:10,370 --> 00:05:12,230 So that's the performers who are on the 137 00:05:12,230 --> 00:05:14,930 stage or on the screen from real life, which 138 00:05:14,930 --> 00:05:16,670 is all of us in the audience. 139 00:05:16,670 --> 00:05:18,920 When you attend a play or performance or 140 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,320 you're watching a movie as the audience, 141 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,850 you're an outsider watching the characters 142 00:05:23,850 --> 00:05:25,080 live their lives. 143 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,300 They don't know that you exist. 144 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:29,370 And that's really been the premise of 145 00:05:29,370 --> 00:05:31,650 theaters and movies for a long time. 146 00:05:31,650 --> 00:05:33,480 However, as I said in the intro, I've 147 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:35,070 noticed that more and more plays, 148 00:05:35,070 --> 00:05:37,290 performances, and movies are breaking the 149 00:05:37,290 --> 00:05:39,450 fourth wall. So let me give you an example 150 00:05:39,450 --> 00:05:40,920 and then why they're doing this. 151 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,500 If you watch the Barbie movie that came out 152 00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:45,960 last summer, there's a part in the movie 153 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,010 where the narrator, who's played by Helen 154 00:05:48,010 --> 00:05:50,980 Mirren, makes an aside to the filmmakers 155 00:05:50,980 --> 00:05:53,950 about their choice to cast Margot Robbie as 156 00:05:53,950 --> 00:05:56,560 Barbie. There's a scene where Barbie is 157 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:58,600 crying, and she says something to the effect 158 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:00,520 of, I'm not that pretty. 159 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,950 I don't look like a stereotypical Barbie. 160 00:06:02,980 --> 00:06:05,470 Now, you know when Margot Robbie looks like, 161 00:06:05,470 --> 00:06:07,510 especially in the Barbie movie, she looks 162 00:06:07,510 --> 00:06:09,820 exactly like a stereotypical Barbie. 163 00:06:09,820 --> 00:06:13,190 So us as the film goers, the audience, we're 164 00:06:13,190 --> 00:06:15,710 probably thinking to ourselves, ah, really, 165 00:06:15,710 --> 00:06:17,720 you are beautiful and you look just like a 166 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:18,920 stereotypical Barbie. 167 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,820 So Helen Mirren cuts in on that scene as a 168 00:06:22,820 --> 00:06:25,940 narrator and says, note to the filmmakers, 169 00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:28,160 Margot Robbie is not the person you would 170 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,770 cast. If you want to make this point, not 171 00:06:30,770 --> 00:06:33,800 only is it funny, but also it lets us, the 172 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:35,780 audience, know that they get it like they 173 00:06:35,780 --> 00:06:38,160 understand how ridiculous it is for Margot 174 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,260 Robbie playing Barbie to have said that 175 00:06:40,260 --> 00:06:43,140 line. So why are performances and movies 176 00:06:43,140 --> 00:06:46,260 doing this? My hunch is that first, 177 00:06:46,260 --> 00:06:48,720 audiences desire more interactivity. 178 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:50,790 We want to be more involved in the 179 00:06:50,790 --> 00:06:53,130 experience. Think about social media. 180 00:06:53,130 --> 00:06:56,640 We are co-creators of so much of what we see 181 00:06:56,670 --> 00:07:00,210 online. It's also fun to feel in the know. 182 00:07:00,210 --> 00:07:01,970 Like that example from the Barbie movie 183 00:07:01,970 --> 00:07:03,620 where we're watching it. We're like, uh, of 184 00:07:03,620 --> 00:07:05,720 course, uh, Margot Robbie looks like a 185 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:07,070 stereotypical Barbie. 186 00:07:07,070 --> 00:07:08,960 And if they had an addressed it, it would 187 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,510 have felt, well, weird and incongruent. 188 00:07:11,510 --> 00:07:13,520 But when they do address it, it makes us 189 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,230 feel like we're in the know. 190 00:07:15,260 --> 00:07:17,960 Audiences are much more sophisticated 191 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:19,940 nowadays than they ever have been. 192 00:07:19,940 --> 00:07:22,220 So what does this have to do with you as a 193 00:07:22,220 --> 00:07:25,690 speaker? Your audiences are also more 194 00:07:25,690 --> 00:07:27,910 sophisticated than they have been in the 195 00:07:27,910 --> 00:07:30,490 past. They want acknowledgement of what they 196 00:07:30,490 --> 00:07:32,860 already know, and they want acknowledgement 197 00:07:32,860 --> 00:07:35,740 of what they're already thinking, and they 198 00:07:35,740 --> 00:07:38,050 want to be part of the experience. 199 00:07:38,050 --> 00:07:40,090 I'm going to share with you examples of what 200 00:07:40,090 --> 00:07:42,580 I've noticed recently, and what we can take 201 00:07:42,580 --> 00:07:44,620 away from them as speakers. 202 00:07:44,620 --> 00:07:47,170 So specific strategies you can do. 203 00:07:47,650 --> 00:07:50,440 First, let's talk about Kamala Harris. 204 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,930 Wow, what a turn of events. 205 00:07:52,930 --> 00:07:55,960 It feels like a year of news happened in a 206 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,740 week, and I am so excited to see how much 207 00:07:59,740 --> 00:08:03,190 energy and enthusiasm has sprung up on the 208 00:08:03,190 --> 00:08:05,110 internet, but also in real life. 209 00:08:05,110 --> 00:08:08,170 So many of us just took a big sigh of relief. 210 00:08:08,170 --> 00:08:12,070 We were allowed to like, exhale and feel 211 00:08:12,070 --> 00:08:15,410 hope. We could feel hope once again. 212 00:08:15,410 --> 00:08:17,840 And all these Kamala memes that are going 213 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,510 around, people doing TikTok match ups of 214 00:08:20,510 --> 00:08:23,960 coconut trees and Charli Xcx's Bratz song. 215 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:25,070 It's been fun. 216 00:08:25,070 --> 00:08:26,870 I think that's what we've been longing for 217 00:08:26,870 --> 00:08:28,490 for so many years. 218 00:08:28,490 --> 00:08:31,310 We just want to be able to have fun. 219 00:08:31,310 --> 00:08:33,980 And also there's this feeling of collective 220 00:08:33,980 --> 00:08:36,620 effervescence. Collective effervescence is 221 00:08:36,620 --> 00:08:38,890 when people come together and they start 222 00:08:38,890 --> 00:08:40,930 synchronizing like they start getting in 223 00:08:40,930 --> 00:08:43,000 sync. You see this at concerts when people 224 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:44,920 are dancing and singing together. 225 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:46,630 And that's why I think Taylor Swift's 226 00:08:46,630 --> 00:08:48,580 concerts have also been so successful. 227 00:08:48,580 --> 00:08:50,440 People are longing for this sense of 228 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,120 collective effervescence. 229 00:08:52,330 --> 00:08:54,700 Just in the week since, Kamala Harris has 230 00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:56,740 become the presumptive Democratic nominee 231 00:08:56,740 --> 00:08:59,830 for president, her campaign has raised over 232 00:08:59,830 --> 00:09:02,740 $200 million. 233 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,280 Unbelievable. Tens of thousands of 234 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,880 volunteers have signed up, so clearly this 235 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:10,920 energy and enthusiasm has been there. 236 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,230 It's just been waiting to have an outlet. 237 00:09:13,410 --> 00:09:16,260 Also, if you think about these Kamala memes 238 00:09:16,260 --> 00:09:19,350 like the coconut trees and her love of Venn 239 00:09:19,380 --> 00:09:22,800 diagrams, it's really about people embracing 240 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,410 her authenticity, but also about Kamala 241 00:09:25,410 --> 00:09:28,320 Harris being willing to be authentic, being 242 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:30,540 willing to be a little quirky, and to 243 00:09:30,540 --> 00:09:32,820 embrace those quirky aspects of her 244 00:09:32,820 --> 00:09:35,220 personality. And I have more on this idea of 245 00:09:35,220 --> 00:09:37,590 authenticity coming up in an episode in a 246 00:09:37,590 --> 00:09:40,020 couple of weeks. The next example is that 247 00:09:40,020 --> 00:09:41,790 when we were in Amsterdam, we went to see 248 00:09:41,790 --> 00:09:43,320 pink in concert. 249 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:45,390 I have been following pink probably since 250 00:09:45,390 --> 00:09:46,470 the mid 2000. 251 00:09:46,470 --> 00:09:48,120 I love so many of her songs. 252 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,190 We happen to be in Amsterdam the same time 253 00:09:50,190 --> 00:09:52,330 that she was holding her concert. 254 00:09:52,330 --> 00:09:54,280 So we said, okay, sure, let's go ahead and 255 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,770 go. It was in one of their football arenas 256 00:09:56,770 --> 00:09:57,850 and it was so much fun. 257 00:09:57,850 --> 00:10:00,100 So of course it's an incredible show. 258 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:01,690 Dancers and acrobats. 259 00:10:01,690 --> 00:10:04,750 And she does acrobatic moves herself. 260 00:10:04,750 --> 00:10:05,890 And she's been doing that for a number of 261 00:10:05,890 --> 00:10:07,600 years. But she and she still does them and 262 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:08,890 it's so impressive. 263 00:10:08,890 --> 00:10:10,540 And it's just and talk about fun. 264 00:10:10,540 --> 00:10:12,220 It was just a lot of fun. It's called Summer 265 00:10:12,220 --> 00:10:13,960 Carnival. That's the concert tour she's 266 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:15,490 doing right now, and it's a lot of fun. 267 00:10:15,490 --> 00:10:17,790 But what's great about pink is that she's so 268 00:10:17,790 --> 00:10:21,210 real, she's so authentic, she's so relatable 269 00:10:21,210 --> 00:10:23,860 that during a couple of parts of the two 270 00:10:23,860 --> 00:10:26,730 hour plus show, there was there was one part 271 00:10:26,730 --> 00:10:29,520 where she came back out after a costume 272 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:31,980 change, and she basically came out and said, 273 00:10:31,980 --> 00:10:35,610 okay, my costume is not snapped all the way 274 00:10:35,610 --> 00:10:37,380 because we couldn't get it to snap in time 275 00:10:37,380 --> 00:10:38,760 before I had to come back out here. 276 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:41,470 So I'm feeling a little weird right now and 277 00:10:41,470 --> 00:10:42,520 it was just so funny. 278 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:44,650 It was so relatable that at one point she 279 00:10:44,650 --> 00:10:45,910 was really sweaty and she's like, can 280 00:10:45,910 --> 00:10:47,050 someone please get me a towel? 281 00:10:47,050 --> 00:10:48,640 So when you know, someone on the side of the 282 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,680 stage got her a towel, right? 283 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:52,960 And it's like, that is real life. 284 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,660 Like real life is not perfect and airbrushed 285 00:10:55,660 --> 00:10:58,300 and not everything goes off exactly like you 286 00:10:58,300 --> 00:11:00,310 want it to, like. Stuff happens. 287 00:11:00,310 --> 00:11:01,420 It makes me love her. 288 00:11:01,420 --> 00:11:03,520 And that experience, being at that concert 289 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,730 even more, she also interacted with people 290 00:11:05,730 --> 00:11:07,470 in the audience and the gifts that they have 291 00:11:07,470 --> 00:11:08,970 brought with her. So she would see that they 292 00:11:08,970 --> 00:11:11,010 were holding up gifts and she would go, and 293 00:11:11,010 --> 00:11:13,110 now she wouldn't just take the gift and then 294 00:11:13,110 --> 00:11:14,340 just kind of put it on the side of the 295 00:11:14,340 --> 00:11:15,900 stage. She would actually start having a 296 00:11:15,900 --> 00:11:19,530 conversation with them about their gift and 297 00:11:19,530 --> 00:11:21,090 all this stuff. So it was just it was a lot 298 00:11:21,090 --> 00:11:23,130 of fun. I know lots of other artists do this 299 00:11:23,130 --> 00:11:25,890 too, and I feel like the reason they do this 300 00:11:25,890 --> 00:11:28,080 is because audience are expecting to feel 301 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:30,030 more a part of the experience. 302 00:11:30,030 --> 00:11:32,340 When we were in London, we went to see a 303 00:11:32,340 --> 00:11:35,100 Shakespeare play at the globe, which is the 304 00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:37,440 reproduction of the original Globe Theatre 305 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:40,260 that Shakespeare actually performed in way 306 00:11:40,260 --> 00:11:42,090 back circa 1600. 307 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,520 The play that was on was Much Ado About 308 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:46,440 Nothing. It is so playful. 309 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:47,520 It is so fun. 310 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,050 It is so funny. 311 00:11:49,050 --> 00:11:51,600 And I think a lot of times when we were in 312 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:53,670 school and we had to study Shakespeare and 313 00:11:53,670 --> 00:11:55,910 we just had to read it on the page, 314 00:11:55,940 --> 00:11:58,460 obviously the language feels really odd. 315 00:11:58,460 --> 00:12:00,320 It feels dense because it's not the way that 316 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,110 we talk nowadays, and a lot of the humor 317 00:12:03,110 --> 00:12:05,360 doesn't come across for some of for his 318 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,640 comedies. But this production of a 319 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,040 Shakespeare play was the best we've ever 320 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,800 seen, and we have seen a lot over the years. 321 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,380 We've probably seen at least 30 Shakespeare 322 00:12:15,410 --> 00:12:18,350 productions, and this by far was the best 323 00:12:18,350 --> 00:12:20,780 actors were coming through the different 324 00:12:20,780 --> 00:12:23,090 kind of floor part of the audience with, 325 00:12:23,090 --> 00:12:24,110 with, uh, props. 326 00:12:24,110 --> 00:12:26,360 As they were coming up onto the stage, they 327 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,300 were interacting directly with people in the 328 00:12:29,300 --> 00:12:31,730 audience. They were singing, there was 329 00:12:31,730 --> 00:12:33,530 dancing. It was so fun. 330 00:12:33,530 --> 00:12:34,970 Again. It was so funny. 331 00:12:34,970 --> 00:12:36,950 It really felt like how it was when 332 00:12:36,950 --> 00:12:38,960 Shakespeare was alive and people would go 333 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:41,480 see the plays. Then I feel like we've lost 334 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,390 so much of that authentic audience 335 00:12:43,390 --> 00:12:45,940 engagement. When we were in London, we also 336 00:12:45,940 --> 00:12:48,010 went to the opening night of the musical 337 00:12:48,010 --> 00:12:50,170 hello, Dolly! In the Western Theatre 338 00:12:50,170 --> 00:12:53,230 District, the star is Imelda Staunton, who 339 00:12:53,230 --> 00:12:55,630 played the Queen in the last few seasons of 340 00:12:55,630 --> 00:12:58,420 The Crown. So extraordinary actor and singer 341 00:12:58,420 --> 00:13:01,300 and performer now, this musical was 342 00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:03,130 technically perfect. 343 00:13:03,130 --> 00:13:05,440 Impressive stage production. 344 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:07,720 There is parts of the stage that removing 345 00:13:07,730 --> 00:13:10,580 every actor was perfectly choreographed and 346 00:13:10,580 --> 00:13:13,520 exactly the spot that they needed to be in, 347 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,580 and again, it was technically perfect, but 348 00:13:16,580 --> 00:13:19,940 it lacked, to me at least, heart and soul. 349 00:13:19,940 --> 00:13:21,860 It felt sterile. 350 00:13:21,860 --> 00:13:23,540 So even though I was impressed with their 351 00:13:23,540 --> 00:13:26,720 performances and the acting and the singing 352 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:28,730 and the dancing and all of the technical 353 00:13:28,730 --> 00:13:31,040 wizardry, we might as well have been 354 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,180 watching a film on a screen now. 355 00:13:33,180 --> 00:13:35,190 I still love theatre and plays, and I like 356 00:13:35,190 --> 00:13:36,660 being in the audience. And there is 357 00:13:36,660 --> 00:13:38,340 something different about being at a live 358 00:13:38,340 --> 00:13:40,800 performance versus watching a film. 359 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:42,150 But I just feel like there was so much 360 00:13:42,150 --> 00:13:44,340 distance, like there was the lack of 361 00:13:44,340 --> 00:13:46,920 intimacy between us as the audience and what 362 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:48,270 was going on on the stage. 363 00:13:48,270 --> 00:13:50,850 Now contrast this with the musical called 364 00:13:50,850 --> 00:13:53,970 And Julia that I saw on Broadway in New York 365 00:13:53,970 --> 00:13:56,370 last year. It's a take on the Romeo and 366 00:13:56,380 --> 00:13:59,470 Juliet storyline, except Julia is the center 367 00:13:59,470 --> 00:14:01,930 character instead of Romeo, and it's really 368 00:14:01,930 --> 00:14:04,180 done a lot of it from her perspective. 369 00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:05,830 And at the very beginning of that 370 00:14:05,830 --> 00:14:08,920 performance, the performers addressed the 371 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:10,480 audience directly. 372 00:14:10,540 --> 00:14:12,760 They actually talked to us as the audience 373 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,550 to let us know that they know that we exist, 374 00:14:15,550 --> 00:14:18,070 and we're all in on this together. 375 00:14:18,070 --> 00:14:19,900 So again, as I mentioned, this idea of the 376 00:14:19,900 --> 00:14:22,110 fourth wall is that there's the fictional 377 00:14:22,110 --> 00:14:23,130 world on the stage. 378 00:14:23,130 --> 00:14:25,380 There's us, the audience in real life, but 379 00:14:25,380 --> 00:14:26,880 neither the twain shall meet. 380 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:28,710 So the performers on the stage never 381 00:14:28,710 --> 00:14:29,790 acknowledge the audience. 382 00:14:29,790 --> 00:14:31,590 But you're starting to see that they're 383 00:14:31,590 --> 00:14:33,510 doing that now. Again, I think it's because, 384 00:14:33,510 --> 00:14:35,550 number one, audiences really want this 385 00:14:35,550 --> 00:14:37,350 interactivity. But number two, because they 386 00:14:37,350 --> 00:14:39,840 know audiences are sophisticated and they 387 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:41,580 want to be acknowledged that they're there. 388 00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:43,260 The last example that I want to mention 389 00:14:43,260 --> 00:14:45,330 before we get into specific strategies you 390 00:14:45,330 --> 00:14:49,030 can use is the opening ceremony of the Paris 391 00:14:49,030 --> 00:14:51,130 Olympics. Now, I was just in Paris for 392 00:14:51,130 --> 00:14:53,890 Bastille Day, July 14th, which I absolutely 393 00:14:53,890 --> 00:14:55,960 love. My master's degree, my PhD 394 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,300 dissertation are in French history. 395 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:00,070 I've been to Paris four times now. 396 00:15:00,070 --> 00:15:01,090 I love the city. 397 00:15:01,090 --> 00:15:02,950 I love walking around the city. 398 00:15:02,950 --> 00:15:04,510 I was really rooting for them. 399 00:15:04,510 --> 00:15:06,910 For the opening ceremony, there was a behind 400 00:15:06,910 --> 00:15:09,070 the scenes documentary that I had watched 401 00:15:09,070 --> 00:15:11,600 about everything that was being put together 402 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,840 for the opening ceremony, and I loved that 403 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:16,910 the organizing committee wanted to be 404 00:15:16,910 --> 00:15:19,700 creative and different and use the river 405 00:15:19,700 --> 00:15:22,940 scene to showcase the beautiful architecture 406 00:15:22,940 --> 00:15:25,160 and art and history of Paris. 407 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,420 So I loved all that. 408 00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:29,510 But as I was watching the opening ceremony, 409 00:15:29,510 --> 00:15:32,870 it felt like a film production, which is 410 00:15:32,870 --> 00:15:35,370 fine, but that's not really what an opening 411 00:15:35,370 --> 00:15:37,740 ceremony of the Olympics is supposed to be. 412 00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:39,300 Now, of course, the rain did not help. 413 00:15:39,300 --> 00:15:41,880 I felt so bad for them, but it was more than 414 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:43,860 that. What makes the Olympics, especially 415 00:15:43,860 --> 00:15:46,140 that opening ceremony so special, is the 416 00:15:46,140 --> 00:15:48,450 interaction and integration of everyone who 417 00:15:48,450 --> 00:15:50,730 is there, the athletes as well as the 418 00:15:50,730 --> 00:15:53,310 audience. It's supposed to be a big party, 419 00:15:53,310 --> 00:15:56,160 plus a concert, plus a welcome to the 420 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,500 athletes. So what was missing from this 421 00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:00,820 opening ceremony was that collective 422 00:16:00,820 --> 00:16:03,580 effervescence of all the athletes from all 423 00:16:03,580 --> 00:16:06,310 of the countries together being in the same 424 00:16:06,310 --> 00:16:09,160 physical space, cheering each other on and 425 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:11,440 just having that sense of the collective. 426 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:13,390 So now that I've given you these varied 427 00:16:13,390 --> 00:16:16,720 examples of performances and plays and 428 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:18,760 movies that have broken the fourth wall, 429 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:20,410 plus what it looks like when they don't, 430 00:16:20,410 --> 00:16:22,840 here are some specific things you can do in 431 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:24,750 your presentations and your talks. 432 00:16:24,780 --> 00:16:27,720 Number one, bring humor and fun. 433 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,090 Your audiences are longing to laugh and to 434 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:31,470 bond with each other. 435 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,200 No matter your topic, there is always a 436 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:36,060 place for appropriate humor. 437 00:16:36,060 --> 00:16:38,100 And this is one of the key things that we 438 00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:39,390 work with our clients on. 439 00:16:39,660 --> 00:16:43,200 Number two, bring yourself to your talks, 440 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,260 your personality, your quirkiness, your 441 00:16:46,260 --> 00:16:48,010 sayings, your stories. 442 00:16:48,010 --> 00:16:50,920 If you have a saying or a story about 443 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,050 falling out of a coconut tree like Kamala 444 00:16:53,050 --> 00:16:55,900 Harris does, put that into your talks. 445 00:16:56,140 --> 00:16:59,080 Number three, make your presentations and 446 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,380 talks even more interactive than you already 447 00:17:02,380 --> 00:17:04,450 are. I know you know about audience 448 00:17:04,450 --> 00:17:06,700 engagement and audience questions and asking 449 00:17:06,700 --> 00:17:08,230 for show of hands questions. 450 00:17:08,230 --> 00:17:11,170 I want you to go even further than that. 451 00:17:11,530 --> 00:17:13,640 And number four, say out loud what your 452 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,190 audience is thinking. Acknowledge where they 453 00:17:16,190 --> 00:17:18,800 are. Oftentimes when I'm working with a 454 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,530 client in our VIP day, they'll say something 455 00:17:21,530 --> 00:17:24,050 to me like, well, if I say X, what if the 456 00:17:24,050 --> 00:17:25,670 audience takes it the wrong way? 457 00:17:25,670 --> 00:17:28,100 Or what if they're thinking Z instead? 458 00:17:28,100 --> 00:17:30,440 And what I say back to them is, well, say 459 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:32,750 out loud, well, your audience is thinking in 460 00:17:32,750 --> 00:17:34,820 their head. Address it directly. 461 00:17:34,820 --> 00:17:37,590 Let them know that you know and understand. 462 00:17:37,590 --> 00:17:40,140 This will create more trust and connection 463 00:17:40,140 --> 00:17:42,090 and empathy with your audience. 464 00:17:42,090 --> 00:17:45,270 Just recently, I did a breakout session at a 465 00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:47,460 conference called Teaching and Learning with 466 00:17:47,460 --> 00:17:50,040 AI, where I share some of the ways that I'm 467 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,530 integrating AI with my students in the 468 00:17:52,530 --> 00:17:54,540 business and marketing classes that I teach 469 00:17:54,540 --> 00:17:55,860 at a university. 470 00:17:55,860 --> 00:17:58,590 I was the speaker right before lunchtime, so 471 00:17:58,590 --> 00:18:00,990 my session started at 12 noon and lunch was 472 00:18:00,990 --> 00:18:02,410 at 12:30 p.m. 473 00:18:02,410 --> 00:18:04,540 and this was on day two of the three day 474 00:18:04,540 --> 00:18:06,910 conference. So about half way through the 475 00:18:06,910 --> 00:18:08,980 the conference. So as we were getting warmed 476 00:18:08,980 --> 00:18:10,870 up, I still had a minute or two before the 477 00:18:10,870 --> 00:18:12,010 clock hit 12 noon. 478 00:18:12,010 --> 00:18:13,630 I asked some questions about where people 479 00:18:13,630 --> 00:18:15,400 were from and who was from the furthest 480 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:16,900 state away. And there actually was someone 481 00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:19,300 from Alaska, and this conference was in 482 00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:20,410 Orlando, Florida. 483 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,380 And then I said, okay, I know I am standing 484 00:18:23,380 --> 00:18:26,040 between you and lunchtime, so we're going to 485 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,320 keep this as engaging and fun as we possibly 486 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,270 can. And then I said, how are you all 487 00:18:30,270 --> 00:18:31,380 enjoying the conference? 488 00:18:31,380 --> 00:18:32,670 Okay. Yes, you're loving it. 489 00:18:32,670 --> 00:18:34,380 And I said, you probably feel a little 490 00:18:34,380 --> 00:18:36,360 overwhelmed. There's a lot of ideas, a lot 491 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:37,800 of things that you've been shown. 492 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:39,570 And so what I'm going to show you today is a 493 00:18:39,570 --> 00:18:41,070 framework that you can use. 494 00:18:41,070 --> 00:18:42,570 So what did I just do? 495 00:18:43,140 --> 00:18:45,330 I acknowledged that I'm standing between 496 00:18:45,330 --> 00:18:46,560 them and lunchtime. So I'm going to make it 497 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:48,450 fun. I acknowledge that they're probably 498 00:18:48,450 --> 00:18:49,500 feeling overwhelmed. 499 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:51,940 And so I hoped that they would use my 500 00:18:51,940 --> 00:18:54,340 session in what I was going to present to 501 00:18:54,340 --> 00:18:57,880 them as a way to provide context with 502 00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:59,260 everything that they were learning. 503 00:18:59,260 --> 00:19:01,120 I integrated humor right at the very 504 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:02,890 beginning, with the second and third slides 505 00:19:02,890 --> 00:19:05,290 that I had, as well as about two thirds of 506 00:19:05,290 --> 00:19:08,410 the way in and the way that I use humor were 507 00:19:08,410 --> 00:19:09,970 kind of like inside jokes. 508 00:19:09,970 --> 00:19:12,460 I found some funny GIFs that I showed on the 509 00:19:12,460 --> 00:19:14,380 slides about that as teachers, how worried 510 00:19:14,380 --> 00:19:16,760 we were when ChatGPT launched, but then how 511 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,340 excited I was as a marketer to use it, and 512 00:19:19,340 --> 00:19:20,780 then a few more slides in. 513 00:19:20,780 --> 00:19:21,980 I made a comment about. 514 00:19:21,980 --> 00:19:23,840 I felt like I had outsmarted my students 515 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:25,220 until they outsmarted me. 516 00:19:25,220 --> 00:19:27,530 So I planted a little suspense, a little 517 00:19:27,530 --> 00:19:29,690 tease, and then I came back to that about 518 00:19:29,690 --> 00:19:30,830 two thirds of the way through the 519 00:19:30,830 --> 00:19:33,470 presentation and I said, okay, here's where 520 00:19:33,470 --> 00:19:35,600 now my students started outsmarting me with 521 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:39,110 AI, and I had this funny video of a dog 522 00:19:39,110 --> 00:19:41,010 where there had been someone had put a gate 523 00:19:41,010 --> 00:19:42,900 around the stairs so that the dog could not 524 00:19:42,900 --> 00:19:44,880 go up the stairs, but the dog very easily 525 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,400 found a way to get past the gate and go up 526 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:49,590 the stairs. The audience loved it. 527 00:19:49,590 --> 00:19:51,900 They laughed at all of those very corny 528 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:53,820 jokes. Because here's the thing people just 529 00:19:53,820 --> 00:19:56,010 want to laugh. Even if it's corny, they want 530 00:19:56,010 --> 00:19:59,400 to laugh. So use these techniques to break 531 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,040 the fourth wall with your audiences, and you 532 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:04,400 will be a much more impactful and memorable 533 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:06,980 as a speaker. If you would like to work with 534 00:20:06,980 --> 00:20:09,620 us to create your signature talk to tie all 535 00:20:09,620 --> 00:20:11,960 of your ideas together, to integrate your 536 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:13,730 stories, to develop your framework, to 537 00:20:13,730 --> 00:20:14,990 incorporate humor. 538 00:20:14,990 --> 00:20:17,060 This is the work that we do in our Thought 539 00:20:17,060 --> 00:20:19,400 Leader Academy. You can get all the details 540 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,490 and apply as speaking your Brand.com slash 541 00:20:22,490 --> 00:20:25,730 Academy. We also have a one day in-person 542 00:20:25,730 --> 00:20:28,170 workshop coming up in Orlando, Florida on 543 00:20:28,170 --> 00:20:29,430 October 10th. 544 00:20:29,460 --> 00:20:32,160 The focus is on storytelling, and your 545 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:34,530 delivery on stage is going to be so much 546 00:20:34,530 --> 00:20:37,110 fun. You can get those details as speaking 547 00:20:37,110 --> 00:20:39,390 your brand.com/workshop. 548 00:20:39,390 --> 00:20:40,260 Again, that's speaking your 549 00:20:40,260 --> 00:20:43,680 brand.com/workshop. Until next time. 550 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:44,820 Thanks for listening.