Out of all the
suggested topics for this week, I immediately knew I wanted to talk
about a public speaker I admire. I didn't know who I wanted to talk
about but Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln
came to mind. Each of them has had at least one famous speech which
have all made their own impact on history, however I felt most people
already know a fair bit
about them. I was also pretty close to choosing to talk about
Socrates and his "Apology" as I really admire his resolve
to stick with his beliefs despite facing execution for them. In the
end I chose someone who might seem out of place when mentioned in the
same sentence as the previous speakers however he has in his own way
also made an impact on society:
Chris Rock
Yes, the comedian.
He has worked extremely hard to reach where he is today by constantly
improving himself and stepping out of his comfort zone. These are
talents I see as being quite rare in a society where most people will
avoid doing anything which might shine a spotlight on them and bring
potential judgement from their peers.
To prepare for a big
show, Chris will visit many many small comedy clubs and practice new
material. A lot of the time this ends with no laughs or the audience
laughing at him for his failures. For the majority of the population,
being laughed at by our peers can seem like a nightmare. After all,
public speaking is one of the top phobias in the world. However these
failures are actually part of the way which he develops his act. He
takes small risks which may result in an uncomfortable situation but
instead of being discouraged, he pays attention to the audience to
see what works and what he can improve on the next time he performs.
Another interesting
part of his writing process is that after a big tour, he will refrain
from writing jokes and instead go out and just focus on experiencing
life. This approach allows him to find new material without worrying
about finding humour in it until months later when he wants to write
a new act. I think a lot of writers try to go out and find a story or
a joke and by looking for it, they'll end up missing it when it
finally shows up as they'll distracted by the search.
To me, the way that
Chris Rock approaches his act is interesting and shows a great
ability to brush off criticism, find positive aspects of a situation
and use these to create something brilliant. He is a public speaker I
admire greatly and a person who everyone could learn a thing or two
from.
4 comments:
Chris rock sounds like a good example to learn from. I think it is good always trying to better ourselves and getting out of our comfort zones is a good way to do this. People dont like challenge because its too uncomfortable. The only way we get better is through practice and doing things we aern't necessarily used to doing.
Totally so many amazing people in the world to look up to, great choice.
I wish I had a bit of that in me as well, perhaps not caring so much about what others think and using it to improve, instead most of us just loose confidence, so definitely a thing or two to learn from him, thanks for sharing.
Unique choice in speakers – I thought you would’ve chosen someone like at the start of your post. I don’t know a lot about Chris Rock, but it’s really cool how he’s able to not be discouraged by his failures, but instead use them to become a better speaker.
Good point about taking public speaking tips from a comedian. I didn't think of that. If you ever watch Mitch Hedburg you can see he's terrified of public speaking, but he still had a pretty lucrative career.
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