However, while the three core tips he gave were incredibly valuable, I wanted to dive a little deeper into some other impactful things that I noticed while watching a master at work.
So, here they are.
8 key points that I picked up from our Rakugo special meeting on 30th September, 2021.
1) Eyes – How you use your eyes during a speech has a lot of impact.
This came up in two key points.
First, Kimochi-san always looked directly at the camera, which he had strategically placed directly in front of his screen. For an online presentation or performance, the impact of this can’t be understated.
When he looked at the camera, I felt like he was looking directly at me.
It made the delivery of his punchlines much more impactful and is something I hope to incorporate into my speeches as soon as possible.
But he also went one step further.
Since a Rakugoka can only use a fan and small towel to create the impression of anything (drawing a sword, eating ramen, etc), the eyes are imperative to ‘sell’ the idea.
Eye contact is something that we often talk about in our club, but rarely do we think about how to include them into our performance for the effect of creating suspense, telling stories, or improving the quality of our gestures.
2) Face – Connected with the use of your eyes, the micro-expressions we make with our face during a speech tell a story.
If we’re nervous or tense, this impacts not only the delivery of our words, but how enjoyable the speech is to listen to and how engaging it is to watch.
Watching Kimochi-san, his face was always relaxed but focussed, with a big smile – which created a great contrast to the characters he was portraying throughout his stories (who frequently had tighter, most stressed faced).
3) Props – I’ve already mentioned that Rakugo is limited to just two props; a fan and a small towel, but that’s still two more than I’ve every used in a speech.
Watching these props being used to incredible effect made me wonder how I could incorporate them into my own speeches.
Are there props that would clarify meaning, generate laughs, or even just help to bring more gestures and movement into an otherwise audio-centric speech?
I don’t have the answer to this yet, but it might be something for you to consider, too.
4) Intonation – Of course, nobody likes to hear a monotone speech with no vocal variety, but Kimochi-san showed that it can go much further than that.
By intentionally using your intonation you can really give deeper meanings to sentences.
Oftentimes, what isn’t said, but implied through intonation can lead to a deeper insight, connection with the audience, or comedic impact.
5) Space – Related to intonation in terms of control, use of pauses and space can be highly effective at the right times.
Often, I feel worried that if I leave a space, it will seem like I’ve forgotten what comes next in my speech.
Also, when giving a speech, a space of just a few seconds can feel like an eternity.
However, it can also give the listener some time to digest an important point, to take a moment of breath between two jokes, or even just an opportunity to connect with you more deeply before you move on to the next part of your speech.
6) Speed – Another huge tool to use to impact the audience, and something that I’ve always struggled with.
When you speak quickly it can create excitement, while speaking slowly can create impact.
Watching Kimochi-san speed up during a discussion between characters (both played by him, of course) and slow down when delivering key or fun information really helped the audience move along through the story smoothly with him.
7) Suspense – Connected with both the ideas of speed and space, suspense can be created by either.
However, I found that when they were combined, the rapid conversation built to a crescendo and then, ………
Silence.
Then, when the punchline came in, we were all on the edge of our seats, waiting for it to be delivered – and ready to take in every last word.
8) Flexibility – This one runs throughout all the others, and so might be the final skill of all.
To not just rely on any one of the above tools, but rather to be able to dip into your bag of tricks and pull out any one or combination of them.
This is where the true mastery lies (at least, from my novice eyes).
Kimochi-san, throughout the performance used a skillful combination of these tools, along with the core ideas he introduced to us in the workshop (which I highlighted in the report).
This created a very fun & entertaining performance that was at once soft & smooth and yet interactive, engaging, and frantic when needed.
All in all, a truly splendid night, and it’s given me plenty to think about and (to try to) apply to my speeches, both English and Japanese, going forward.