5 Steps to Presenting Like a Rock Star! Part V

The fifth step to presenting like a Rock Star is to provide pattern disruption.
Pattern disruption is exactly what it says it is... the disruption of a pattern.

How do Rock Stars do this?
There are a bunch of ways:

• Inserting a 'bridge' in the song - When Bruce sings, "Beyond the palace, hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard..." the music changes dramatically. This is a one time change to add some variety to the song.
• Putting a solo in the song - You'd be surprised how many great songs don't have guitar solos (Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" jumps to mind, along with many early Beatles songs), but many other songs provide solos to break the verse/refrain/verse/refrain pattern. The saxophone solo by Clarence Clemons in "Jungleland" is a spectacular example.
• Silence - Occasionally, you hear a song come to a complete stop, like "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac. A pause is great pattern disruption.
• Change in Volume - Slow songs that suddenly get loud like "Stairway to Heaven" & loud songs that get quiet, like "Shout!" are demonstrations of pattern disruption.
• A Change in Key - Probably the hokiest of the methods for music, this is often used by schlock-meisters like Barry Manilow, in "Mandy".
• And more - changes in rhythm (the Police did this all the time, switching from 3/4 to 4/4), changes in instrumentation (the Beatles were masters, throwing every possible instrument into the mix), and shifting from singing to rapping (Faith No More) or talking (Kiss' "Christine Sixteen") are other ways.

So how can you do this in a speech?
It's pretty easy... just plan a change up.

• If you're loud, do one section soft
• If you're quite, do one section loud
• Sit down (if you're standing) or stand up (if you're sitting) for part of your speech.
• Turn off your slides (if you're using them) or use visuals (if you're not)
• Plan an audience participation section into your speech
• Pull out a prop (Steve Jobs is awesome at this)
• If you're giving a data presentation, tell one story or example
• Pause

There are many more ways.
Watch great presenters and see how they vary their patterns.

Just like Rock Stars, this pattern disruption is usually planned for 2/3's of the way through the speech.
The speech has to establish a pattern, before you can disrupt it.

There you go... 5 steps to presenting like a Rock Star.
Now, just get on a stage and rock that crowd!