HOW, HOW CAN I DO THIS?
Above is the main question that comes to mind when most people think of how to solve an issue. People think on how they can accomplish a task, an idea that is basic human nature to most. The issue arises when they answer the question, but they do not do so in an effective manor. By not making something memorable, it can really hinder the effectiveness something has no matter how strong the solution created is. Think about it, if one goes to a show thats hours long, do they remember the beginning or the end. More often than not it is the finale, that’s because people are not memorable enough or do not stand out enough at the beginning.
Now, most are asking, how do I go about getting this attention? I feel that it is quite simple, just be true to what one believes. Most people go on stage and they put on a whole performance from a script. I’m not saying to wing it when delivering a speech; however, it is never a bad idea to try and go into depth on a topic rather than remembering lines. One way to go about this as well is to try and use emotion as the video says. One thing that can also make a speech memorable is HUMOR! Sims Wyeth writes,”Simply allow your natural sense of humor to be present in the moment, and when something comes to mind, allow your humor to reveal itself.”(Wyeth 3). Humor that can naturally flow is better than awkward laughs that appear from pre-rehearsed speech.
Another huge way in order to be more memorable is to actually listen when people talk. By listening, people surprisingly take kindly to that and it can create a more amicable relationship. One article I found provides the statement,”Listen, Listen, Listen. You not only become more likable, but you really start to understand the persons wants, needs and desires.”(20 Ways to Stand 2). If one thinks about it, the more someone listens to a person, the closer they feel and they feel like that person actually cares about them as they can take in their feelings.
One final thing that someone can do in order to be more memorable is to remember parts of the speech beforehand. I know I know… I’m going back on what I said earlier, but first listen to what I have to say. I don’t mean preplan all of a speech beforehand, what I mean is to create sections that can be spread out into greater topics and elaborated on. It can be done with a process that I found out about called Mind Mapping. Michael Esser says,”Mind mapping is a technique used to organize your brainstorming ideas. Usually the author starts out with a circle in the center of a blank page. In the middle of that circle, he writes his main idea or initial thought. Then the author branches off.” (Esser 1). I feel like by using Mind Mapping, not only can a topic and sub topics be formed, but other ideas can spring up from the map. Overall, I feel like being memorable is probably the most important aspects of any talk, speech, etc. People don’t remember the start of the punchline unless it has a good hook.
.https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/2934/story-ideas-how-to-hone-the-idea—article#:~:text=To%20expand%20your%20basic%20idea,Then%20the%20author%20branches%20off.
.https://www.leadersbeacon.com/20-ways-to-stand-out-and-be-more-memorable/
.https://www.inc.com/sims-wyeth/how-to-capture-and-hold-audience-attention.html
I thought that this blog did a very good job explaining the different points they were discussing. A few different parts that stood out to me were starting with a hook in the title. This shows that the writer is using skills from out chapter readings. Another part that I like was how the mind map image actually had a relation to the prior paragraph and wasn’t just a random picture. If I were to make an improvement in this blog it would be to add more hyperlinks as I only see one.
Humor is a great tool to make yourself or your speech memorable. I like how you explain the difference between planned humor and just being yourself. Obviously a few preplanned jokes could work sometimes. But being yourself on a stage can connect you to the audience and evoke emotion. The audience will begin to like you as a person, which in result will cause them to remember your speech. Expressing yourself in your writing is a great way to differentiate you from everyone else.
I never thought about using humor as a way to make a speech more memorable. I believe humor would build a more personable connection to the audience and will get them on their toes, and listen or read what you said. I know you bring up pre-rehearsal awkwardness as well, and sometimes jokes can be pre-rehearsed to meet a certain scenario. So what are your thoughts on pre-rehearsed humor for certain scenarios?