The Bristow Voice Method Blog

Video Example: How To Perform/Communicate and “Win” The Audience.

Posted on 08. Oct, 2007 by Per Bristow in Communication, Performance, Speaking

What do great performers have in common? How can you improve your performances? How do you "win " an audience? Let’s watch another video clip of a wonderful "performance", and see what we might discover. 

Maybe you saw the video clip in the last blog post of Mister Rogers testifying in the US Senate? I thought I’d follow up that clip with yet another fascinating speech by Fred Rogers. And I think you’ll agree that this applies just as much to the rock singer, lawyer or salesperson as it does to the speaker.

Growing up in Sweden, I never saw "Mister Rogers Neighborhood."  I’ve seen some programs here and there, since I moved to the U.S., but I never grew up following his programs. Too bad perhaps. After seeing the video of his 1969 speech in the Senate, which I addressed in the last blog post, my admiration for him has grown even more.  Not only for what he has done for childrens education, but also for his communication skills. If you haven’t read that post and watched the video of Mister Rogers speak to the senate, do so first.

So to follow up on that blog post, let’s address what is going on here, why he is so effective, and what we can learn from it – like I said, whether we are rock singers, negotiators, speakers, or any kind of communicator…

A comment from the last blog regarding him testifying in the Senate reflected on his voice.  (Great comment by the way.. thanks.. keep them coming).  My response is that is not about how someone sounds, it is about why someone sounds they way they sound. Is his voice restricted? Not really. Is it forced? Not really. Is it free? I would say so. Is he a great singer? Some would say not. I would say he is absolutely great for what he does. He speaks and sings just the way he does, with freedom.

As you watch Fred Rogers’ Lifetime Acheivement Award speech, notice what he does.  While many would speak of "I… I… I", he turns it into "you… you… you".  Everything he says is in regard to how it applies to others. Is it a trick? No, he is genuinly interested in other people – this was his life.  Watch how he relates to the child in the song, how his presence is all about communicating. His goal is not to "sing the song well", to hit pretty notes or show off his voice, His goal is to communicate with the child. And he succeeds fantastically well. Therefore, he is in my mind a great singer – perhaps one of the greatest in his genre. 

Even in his speech to the senate, he turns it into "you" and other people (the children in this case). He is undoubtedly deeply passionate about the subject matter. He is genuine and authentic and we get a sense of his knowledge and strength in children’s education. Yet, most of all what makes him so effective is that he relates to the Senator. He speaks to him – no, he speaks with him. 

In the first couple of sentences he relates to the senator  with "I trust you" in a completely non-threatening way. He doesn’t become distracted by the Senator’s questions, he welcomes them, takes them in and he feeds off them. He relates to the Senator’s goosebumps. He turns the Senator into his ally – his friendly neighbor if you will.

Next time you sing a song, recite a poem, deliver a speech or presentation, ask yourself:  "How does this relate to my listener?" -  "How does this relate to you – the audience?"

Here is Fred Rogers in his Lifetime Achievement Award speech

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