Saying Less Makes You More Compelling
Let the silence happen
Last year, Ian and I were practicing our two-prov show. Our coach Craig Cackowski noticed we were each relying a lot on our words. That’s a diplomatic description. We were talking a ton, just making huge speeches each time we spoke. So Craig had us try an exercise: do scenes and no one can say more than eight words at a time.
I was stunned how hard it was. I had become used to speaking in long paragraphs.
Restricting myself to eight words maximum made me choose my words more carefully. And I noticed I was listening better.
So I’ve started using the exercise in rehearsals. It’s a challenge, but indeed it makes students choose their words more carefully.
Enjoy The Silence
But perhaps more importantly, it creates a lot of silence in the scenes.
Silence makes things funny. It gives your words importance.
Compare these two piece of dialogue:
“Hi, I’m here to pick up my son.”
with
“Hi. I’m here to pick up my……. son.”
This next example is harder to describe. But imagine long pauses IN BETWEEN each of these lines.
“Excuse me do you sell hammers.”
“We do. Would you like one?”
“Yes.”
And in so many improv shows, no one ever really stops talking. Each person goes until someone else interrupts them. The hum of conversation becomes a bit like an air conditioner running - you just tune everything out.
If someone dares to let a silence happen, the next line will have greater impact.
I actually think I almost always laugh when someone pauses before speaking.
Ever hear of a “change up” pitch in baseball? It’s when a pitcher makes it look they’re gonna throw a fastball, but at the last second throws it more slowly. It can fool the batters in to swinging way early.
It’s also unintentionally funny?
I’m a Red Sox fan so maybe this is much more entertaining to me. But a batter swinging at a change-up pitch almost looks like slapstick!
Anyway. If you put pauses into your delivery, I think it makes you more interesting and funnier.
Please let me know if you think of full of baloney!
Plugs
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Agree! And silences make for way better interviews, too!
However, I watched that baseball clip four times and yeah that part's a you thing.
Thanks for this. I feel like this gives your partner an opportunity to provide a justification and/or it calls a player off the wall. "I'm here to pick up my .... Son."