Original subtitles

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I believe that you will find if you practice reading aloud,

in the mirror or to people, to actual human beings,

it will improve your comfort level when

speaking in front of people in the office

or in conversations with your friends and family.

It is the confidence that you gain with reading aloud

that will translate.

It will spill over into your everyday life.

Whether you're reading by yourself

or reading to an audience, having a place where

it's okay to experiment will absolutely

translate into your interactions that involve storytelling

or speaking in public.

In this case study, I'm going to read an excerpt from my book,

"Aftermath."

Then I'll give you some guidance on the practice

of reading out loud that will make

you more confident in your everyday communication.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

"Chapter 13.

Leon Cane stood in the window feeling the wind

upon his face--

cool, caressing, like the kiss of angels.

It whispered in his ears, sharing

with him secrets of faraway places and times long past.

He closed his eyes and imagined himself flying with the wind,

soaring like a bird up to the sun.

Soaring, soaring, soaring, never falling,

sweeping over mountains and deserts,

touching ancient temples and forgotten cities of stone.

His spirit passed beyond the reach of day

into the cool darkness of the night.

Following the path of dead kings,

he drank from sacred pools of water, which glowed

like jewels in the moonlight.

He sighed and opened his eyes.

Leon was on the 20th floor of the Atlanta Hilton and Towers,

looking out over what had once been the heart of Atlanta.

Most of the downtown area had been

destroyed during the riots, the once glittering high rises

looted and burned.

The remaining buildings had been pockmarked and scarred

by rocket and artillery attacks during the war.

But Leon hadn't climbed 20 flights of stairs and a burned

out hotel just to admire the view,

not that it was worth admiring.

He had come seeking peace for a troubled soul,

to rid himself of guilt and anguish.

He had come to join his family, again, forever.

His throat tightened as memories of his wife

floated through his mind, Vanessa

curled up on the sofa watching television,

a bottle of mineral water on the table beside her,

the smell of her hair, the feel of her flesh

when they made love, the whisper of her voice late

at night when she lay beside him and spoke of her dreams

for the two of them, and their daughter.

Tears slowly trickled down Leon's cheeks

as he thought of Anita, healing the emptiness that

lay within his heart.

There was no way to describe how badly he missed his daughter,

for it was beyond description.

Never again would he be able to hold his little girl

on his lap, hug her, listen to her laughter

when he playfully tickled her feet

or see her lower lip turn into a pout when she was mad.

Words alone could not begin to tell of the loss he felt

or the guilt.

It was his fault that his wife and daughter

had died, his and his alone.

Vanessa had begged him not to publish this article

about space launches affecting global weather patterns,

but he had refused to listen.

Leon thought he was doing something important,

looking out for the welfare of mankind.

Instead, he should have been thinking

about the safety of his family.

Because of that cursed article, his home had been firebombed,

and his family murdered.

The joys of being a husband and a father

had been taken away from him.

There would be no more quiet walks along

the beach, no more casual conversations

at the dinner table.

He and Vanessa would not grow old together.

Anita would not grow up, fall in love, and get married.

She would never even have a boyfriend or ride a bicycle.

Gone.

Gone.

All of it gone.

A world of hopes and dreams destroyed forever

in a fiery blaze, a blaze he had brought upon them."

[MUSIC PLAYING]

One of the things that I try to do when I'm reading aloud--

and I do this whether I'm reading for children

or adults--

I try and use the writer's road map.

And I play with it a little bit.

Like a period at the end of a sentence, or comma punctuation,

I tend to ignore--

[LAUGHS] --when I read aloud.

Because it needs-- the story needs to flow differently

when you're performing it than it will flow when

you are reading it yourself.

Let me give you an example of how a different rhythm--

a different attack, that's what we call it-- let me

just show you how in a sentence or two,

it really is a different experience when approached,

when attacked, in a different way.

"She would never even have a boyfriend or ride a bicycle.

Gone.

Gone.

All of it gone.

A world of hopes and dreams destroyed forever

in a fiery blaze, a blaze that he had brought upon them."

That's one approach.

"She would never even have a boyfriend or a bicycle.

Gone.

Gone.

All of it gone.

A world of hopes and dreams destroyed forever

in a fiery blaze, a blaze he had brought upon them."

So it's just a matter of interpretation.

You're interpreting the writer's words,

and you get to choose the way you interpret it.

So having the freedom to play with the text,

in terms of how you deliver it, it's okay.

It's perfectly okay and really natural.

Because what you really want to do

is find a way to invest yourself in the story, right,

and have the story really hold your interest.

So avoiding the tendency to just do a verbatim reading that

can tend to become dry to the ear,

right, mix it up for yourself.

Keep yourself on your toes and entertain.

And that will be translated to the audience's experience.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Storytelling is such a human-driven activity.

And I think we respond well as human beings when

we are able to meet someone eye to eye.

Because the dynamics of hierarchy

don't necessarily lend themselves to storytelling,

unless it's a part of the story--

unless you want to feel removed or higher than the audience

and talking down to them.

In most cases, you want to be at eye level with your audience

as best as you're able, because it just, again, it

helps create that rapport and that sense of safety

for your audience member.

So in this particular case, being

on a higher stool to meet the eyes of the audience

is the right choice for me.

And, again, there are no hard and fast rules,

but these are just things that I have learned over time

that are successful for me.

Reading aloud is a gift that you're giving to people.

Everyone likes to be read to.

Right?

It hearkens back to the time when we were children,

and that was a regular occurrence in our lives.

People love to be read to.

So let go of whatever judgment you're bringing to the moment,

please, because you will enjoy it more,

and your audience will certainly enjoy it more.

So tips and takeaways for reading,

say, to an adult audience.

Don't be afraid to experiment, right?

Play with the rhythm, play with your tempo,

ignore the punctuation if you have a mind to, right?

Practice.

Practice.

Practice.

Do it in front of a mirror, do it in front of a pet or anyone.

The idea is to become comfortable and familiar

with the activity.

And that level of comfort and comfortability

will absolutely make its way into your performance.

I love today.

[LAUGHS]

This is awesome.

This I can do.