Breaking the Fourth Wall

In theatre parlance the ‘fourth wall’ is the imaginary wall on the fourth side of a proscenium theatre - (the typical stage that we are familiar with) between the stage and the audience. The concept of the fourth was highlighted in the era of modern realistic theatre to separate fiction on stage from the reality (the audience watching the performance). The implication of this convention is that when actors are playing out a fictitious scene on stage, they perform and live the scenes as if there is an invisible wall between them and the audience. Hence there is no breaking out of the scene and interacting with an audience.

Later theatre conventions challenged this and ‘broke the fourth wall’and now all forms of interactive theatre break this fourth wall. As an actor under training at the National School of Drama, I also practised breaking the fourth wall in performances to highlight for the audience certain issues or emotions.

To me a boardroom presentation is not very different from a theatrical performance- both are live spontaneous mediums meant to influence the audience. Breaking the fourth wall is a very useful convention for presenters to know for making impactful presentations.

Frequently low impact presentations I have observed are the ones where the presenter creates a strong fourth wall between themselves and the audience. This happens commonly by talking non-stop through the presentation, looking through the audience as they are being lectured, having  a set presentation script in the head or being unwilling to change the flow based on audiences reaction. What is the impact?  There is a high probability of the audience switching off or worse still, falling asleep!

So how can a presenter break the fourth wall consciously to deliver an impactful presentation? Here are a few simple tips:

1.    Begin with your body language – simple eye contact with every member of the room can make a huge difference. And hold eye contact. This means engaging with one person as you complete one sentence at least, instead of the fleeting glance.

2.    Use the space – Don’t hide behind the laptop or the podium. Step forward and as close as possible to your audience.

3.    The slides on your laptop are not your shield- Get rid of excess text on your slides. And don’t keep looking at the slides – remember it takes away from the eye contact!

4.    Involve the audience – Save your questions for the end of your presentation and you instantly remind the audience about their chemistry teacher from school! Instead ask for questions or comments during the presentation. Get the audience to connect to the content with their own experiences.

5.    Respond to the here and now-You see a frown on one of the participants  face- connect with them and ask them what they have on their mind.

6.    Don’t be afraid to take the risk to change the flow of some parts of your presentation to make it relevant for the audience.

So presenters go ahead and break through that fourth wall in your presentation and enthral your audiences

with a class performance. Break a leg!

Contributed by Madhu Shukla. Madhu is a Navgati trainer. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Arts from the National School of Drama, New Delhi. Madhu has always been passionate about theatre and its potential to bring about personal transformation. She brings  unique understanding of theatre to enhance the effectiveness of Navgati programmes  She also acts as a central resource to enhance the use of theatre-based techniques across all our programs.