6 Tips on Spoken Word Poetry

6/19/2014

Spoken Word Poetry Tips

Spoken word poetry is an art form where stage performance gives life to the authored words of a written poem.

It allows even the most ordinary of poems to transcend to a higher level of understanding and impact through dramatic presentation.

Spoken word poets are encouraged to use body language and gestures alongside spot-on diction, inflection and intonation to deliver a captivating message or story.

The competitions where performance poets gather for judgement of their work are most commonly known as poetry slams.

If you're newer to spoken word, these tips will help you raise your abilities to the next level.

If you're a seasoned slam poet just looking to up your game, then hopefully these tips allow you to get back to some basics and inject some new life into your pieces.

Tip #1: Spoken Word Artists Must Be Fearless Authors

When architecting a spoken word poem, don't be afraid; don't hold back.

Slam poetry is a forum where you can share things that you wouldn't normally talk about in public.

It's an opportunity to breach tough topics and dig into the pent up emotion and opinions you might normally deem as unacceptable.

Keep in mind that you're not writing an election speech. You're conveying a message - a clear, concise and powerful message; your message.

You can support the way you feel about certain issues by peppering in real-life examples, and whether the audience agrees or not, if you position it right then you're using spoken word as its intended - in their face!

TIP #2: SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS MUST BE storytellers

The best spoken word poets are really strong storytellers.

To be a true storyteller, you first have to develop interesting concepts and put them in logical sequence to create the story. This means that it all starts as soon as you begin writing your poem.

Infuse the right descriptions and details that grab attention while developing characters and/or concepts.

Usually this takes some brainstorming before you even begin writing your poem so you can build out all of your ideas and extend them to reach beyond the surface.

Once your story's ideas are nailed down, you need to choose a voice and tone to tell your story in - pick something that coincides with your theme or topic - or, if you want to get a little funky, pick something that is the exact opposite (e.g. tell a story of death with a hint of comedy)

TIP #3: SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS know when and how to use rhythm and rhyme in their poem

The poem you compose is meant to dazzle crowds when read out loud.

Make sure audible aestheticism is threaded throughout your piece.

If you want some help on finding and using the best tools to add flair to your slam poem, check out this page on poetic devices.

Something that always helps me is reading the poem back over and over to better understand where and where not to use certain poetic tools.

Rhyme is something that is great when use appropriately. My best advice is this: Don't chase rhymes! In other words, get your poem and your message down first, rather than just writing words that rhyme and assuming they fit into your story.

TIP #4: SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS refine their poems many times before they are stage ready

A spoken word piece is almost never fully written in one session.

If you're intense and passionate, its likely that after-thoughts and other ideas will cross your mind for hours and days to come - don't be afraid to revisit your piece and change or update it.

You may want to hone in on one verse at a time while you are polishing the finished product, but be sure to also look from a birds-eye view at the overall story and connectivity to be sure your poem is perfect (to you!).

If you have to sharpen up certain parts, do it; if you have to remove clutter, do it.

Keep enhancing it and testing things until you have a product that suffices and you're happy with.

My advice is also to not touch it, look at it or (try not to) think about it for a full week. Then revisit it again to see how it makes you feel.

Sometimes my poems are living and breathing they change so much!

TIP #5: SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS transform themselves

When you take the stage, you're a poet.

You're not you.

You're the messenger, the one delivering the story.

Let that responsibility take hold of you and cease that moment. You can tell the audience and the world your tale with as much power, emphasis and impact as you like and need - in some cases, that means transforming yourself and letting the character take control of your mind and soul.

When you can release like that, your performance will climb to new levels.

Attitude is also a huge part of this - and it ties into overall stage presence.

One hint is to read about and study actors - the good ones have mastered the art of becoming someone they are not.

TIP #5: SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS rehearse like crazy

Once your slam poem is complete (or so you think), its time to learn and know it better than you know your own name.

Memorization can be tricky, but there are a number of tips and tricks to help you out.

When you really have it memorized, work on the enunciation and intonation of certain parts of it. Throw your voice, change volumes, look in different directions - all of these things bring your words to life.

If you want to create the best memories for your audience and yourself, then come to the stage prepared. Be a pro. Nothing can throw you off your game because you straight up own your piece. That comes from rehearsing hundreds of times until you get it just right.

If you follow these tips as well as the basic guidelines of writing and performing spoken word, you'll have a fantastic foundation.

Once that foundation is in place, the sky is the limit. You can begin to adopt your own style and that uniqueness will help you hypnotize audiences and leave them breathless, wanting more!

Spoken word is an amazing outlet for feelings, emotion, stories and whatever message you want to convey. If you have even the slightest interest, give it a try!

Is slam poetry different than spoken word?

As a side note, people often ask "What's the difference between slam poetry, spoken word and performance poetry?"

Not much.

'Performance poetry' tends to incorporate music or dance (think 'performing arts').

Spoken word poetry is the art form of bringing page to stage, and slam poetry is when that spoken word piece is performed in front of an audience.

They are essentially interchangeable terms.

All three of these terms differ than traditional poetry in that they can be categorized as "in your face" types of poetry.