Learn The Rules, Then Break Them. Carefully!
Knowing all the “rules” that
are laid out in this book, as well as in many other
great books about public speaking, is critically
important. It’s important to know these rules, in
order for you to follow them, but also in order for
you to break them!
Someone who has no training
or knowledge about how to speak in public
effectively will likely break every rule there is,
and their presentation will be a mess. However,
every now and then, we see amazing speakers who seem
to break the rules so effectively that they make a
huge impression.
At a conference in Atlanta,
Georgia, I witnessed a speaker who looked so
unpolished, and looked so rough around the edges,
that my first impression was, “Who the heck is this
character, and what’s he doing on the stage?” His
mastery of the stage was quickly apparent when he
began to speak, however. This guy was brilliant, but
he broke the rules of stage etiquette regularly, and
that’s what made him unique and memorable. He was
foul-mouthed, and he cracked offensive jokes, but he
was able to do it in such a way the audience just
loved him for it.
I don’t, for one second,
recommend that you try to pull that off! This
speaker was one of those rare individuals who could
just do it. He had everyone in the place laughing
hysterically, but when it came time to make his
serious points, he was as professional and powerful
as any speaker I’ve ever seen.
What worked for this speaker
won’t likely work for you, but there may be other
rules you can think of breaking. You must be
selective, and you must use caution in doing so, but
if you do so successfully, it will help make you a
little different than other speakers. As you review
this book, consider which of the principles don’t
resonate well with your personality. Then go right
ahead and break those principles. Be brave, be
creative, and be groundbreaking, but do so with the
objective of being a better speaker, not a lazy
speaker.
So, what’s the lesson? If
you’re going to break the rules, do it selectively
and with caution, as long as it improves your
performance.