The BOLD (Wait, Wait…Say That Again)
A recent experience has me thinking about the role of scripted and impromptu communication in our lives. Sometimes we have the luxury of preparation. Sometimes, we must flow in the moment and rally our words to serve an opportunity that, once past, will not come again. How can we prepare to communicate effectively when there will not be time for dedicated preparation? Let’s see what lessons we can learn from a 21-year-old…radio program.
The Whisper (Just a Moment, Please)
Last week my husband and I enjoyed a trip to the Altria Theatre, here in Richmond, VA, to see a live recording of the NPR show Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me. This weekly news quiz comedy program is recorded each week in Chicago. Occasionally, they go on the road and record at remote locations.
We were in our seats for over two and a half hours (without an intermission…just saying). They took all that material and edited it down to 46 minutes of content which you can access here (Look for the November 16 episode with Senator Tim Kaine)
It was a fascinating peek into the masterful work of the team that produces this show. Some of the show is scripted. The hosts, Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtus, read a variety of prepared statements and questions that allow the panel of experts and the call-in contestants to show off their knowledge of current events. Between the scripted content, there are moments of pure, breath-stealing wit.
A few comments fell flat. These, of course, are edited out of the final show. At one point panelist Luke Burbank, acknowledging a lukewarm audience reaction to a quip, turned to us and said, “Hey, folks. They can’t all be winners.”
Panelist Maeve Higgins managed to break a show record and complete her lightening round without getting a single question correct. She did, however, manage to make her experience of failure very, very funny.
After the bulk of the program had been recorded in order, a segment was reserved for do-overs. Sagal, Kurtus and even some of the panelists were prompted to repeat portions of the show to produce cleaner recordings. In some cases, the speaker had stumbled over a word or left out a phrase. Some of the repeats involved rewording the content.
I have loved Wait, Wait for a very long time. As we do household chores or take long car trips, our family enjoys listening together, trying to outperform the participants and laughing at the abundant, clever humor. It never occurred to me before that the show we enjoy is not exactly the show that the live audience sees.
The program is a brilliant mix of scripted and impromptu content, of in-the-moment brilliance and edited do-overs. By managing this balance, the producers are able to deliver a show that benefits from polished structure yet still feels spontaneous.
Preparing to Be Prepared
What can we learn from this? Our lives are a series of scripted and impromptu communication opportunities.
In some situations, we have the luxury of preparation. We know that we will be delivering a speech or a presentation and we can craft our message, design our slides and practice our delivery. I will be addressing the skills that
More often, though, we are called upon in the moment to deliver an opinion, make a declaration, or respond to a prompt. We can prepare for those moments when we don’t have the time or opportunity for deliberate preparation.
Preparing for to Be Unprepared
Here are a few ways that we can prepare now to perform well in the future:
- Join Toastmasters—at Toastmasters meetings, members practice impromptu speaking with Table Topics. Participants are given 1-2 minutes to answer a question off the cuff. This valuable practice can really improve a speaker’s skills over time. You can prepare by finding time and occasions for deliberate practice.
- Be Present—Are you listening to what’s being said or are you planning your next comment? Stay in the flow of the conversation and invest yourself in what others are saying. Answers and responses that come from presence are more likely to be on topic.
- Remember your third-grade teacher—use basic structure to frame your point. Your teacher was right. Make a premise. Think of three points that support the premise. Draw a conclusion. It makes it easier to think about your topic and it makes it easier for your audience to follow your idea.
- Be Curious—learn, pay attention and delve into new subjects in order to have more fodder for great conversation.
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