An astute reader of the this blog, David Meerman Scott, pinged me after Tuesday’s blog post and said, “Aren’t you going to provide examples?”  And that was such a sensible suggestion that I hasten to oblige.  So here is The Evolution of Public Speaking (and acting) Part 2.  I begin with the wonderful Sir Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet, the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy.

Olivier’s Hamlet

 

Now, here’s a modern actor, Ethan Hawke, doing the same soliloquy.  Note how much more conversational the speech is.  Same words, different delivery.
Hawke’s Hamlet

 

And here’s Sir Winston Churchill’s famous “Quisling” speech from 1941.
Churchill’s Quisling Speech

 

And finally, a great business speaker, David Meerman Scott, talking about the “New Rules of Marketing and PR.”  Again, note how much more conversational David’s style is compared to Churchill’s.
David Meerman Scott on The New Rules of Marketing and PR

 

Through these examples you can see the evolution of both acting and speaking to a more conversational, natural style.  It’s time for us all to catch up.