3 Public Speaking Lessons from Duran Duran
Three public speaking lessons from Duran Duran? Have I lost my mind? Well, yes but that happened back in the 80s. I intend to persuade you, dear readers, that Duran Duran can teach speakers 3 valauble lessons about creating a speaking experience.
Lesson #1 – The Music of Language
When Simon LeBon joined Duran Duran, he had a book of poetry that shaped the music of the band. Mr. LeBon understood that language has a musicality to it. Consider these lyrics:
Shake up the picture with a lizard mixture
With your dance on the eventide
You've got me coming up with answers
All of which I deny
Ok. the lyrics don't make sense, but now read them out loud. Go ahead do it! I'll wait.
I'll never know what it means to shake up the picture with a lizard mixture, and I don't really care. There is a rhythm to the wording and an undeniably catchiness. As a speaker, I am always experimenting with how words sound and go together. I don't mean rhyming. I am looking for rhythm and cadence. Finding the music in the language we use; creates an unforgettable speaking experience.
Lesson #2 – Anybody Hungry for a Story?
When MTV launched in the early 1980s, they had a very limited selection of videos to choose from. Most of them consisted of Rod Stewart standing in front of his band signing about how sexy he is. Duran Duran transformed the music videos by treating them like a mini-movie. The band transported the viewer to exotic places. Simon LeBon running through the jungle chasing a beautiful tigress while his band mates searched for them.
There are characters, conflict, emotion and a memorable experience all set to music. Speakers can engage the audience in the same way. It might not be exotic or as escapist, but speakers should strive to develop a memorable story that has the basic elements of storytelling: characters, conflict, turning points and a cure.
Lesson #3 – All You Need is Now
Duran Duran latest album (Yes, they are still alive. Yes, they are still putting out music. Yes, they still have their hair – I think) reminds us that all we need is now. We need to stay in the moment because the present moment is all we have. When we are speaking, it is so important to be present with your audience. Don't think about your nerves or what an awesome speaker you are. Or even what is coming next in your presentation. Think about being present with the audience and building that relationship with them. When we create a speaking experience, All You Need is Now.
What do you think? What has Duran Duran or any other 80s icon taught you about speaking? Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter.
Good one Michelle, and even better because I know how much you love love Duran Duran.
Which leads me to answer your question — about 80’s bands — and I’d say not so much about speaking, but about living in the here and NOW — no surprise here — for me it is The Smiths!
Morrissey …
“You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way ?
I am Human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does.”
I could go on and on…but I will spare ya!
Tip #1 was my favorite. This is something hip-hop artists have mastered by sometimes making up words.
In terms of 80s icons with public speaking advice I’ve always liked Prince.
He has always done things his way an was never afraid to try something that was new for him and his audience. Prime examples of this are “When Doves Cry”, since he eliminated the bass line, and “Purple Rain” where he decided to write his own Bob Seger song.
I take your point about finding the pattern (I call it the music of the word)… not sure I’d use Duran Duran though…. *surely* there are better examples?!!? 😉
Actually, rather than music, I tend to use poetry to do the same sort of thing when I’m training presentation skills – with the added advantage (that I learned from Cissy Berry) that poetry tends to be ‘self contained’ and there have to make sense in and of itself, in it’s own world… whereas music lyrics often have social contexts that make them hard for people to ‘get’ if they don’t share those cultural norms etc.
Good post!
Come on Simon, I love Duran Duran! Heck aren’t you named after the lead singer? 🙂 (Ok, there are better examples….Like The Smiths).
Poetry is also another excellent source of inspiration for language. It is also a great way to practice delivery skills because you have to make sense of it for your audience in order to deliver it.