Should speakers swear on stage? I’m pondering this question after having attended a Billie Eilish concert recently. I was surrounded by fifteen-year-olds, screaming out the words to her songs, along with the singer, indicating a high level of fandom amongst the 20,000 or so people there. Indeed, it turns out that a Billie Eilish concert is a group participation event to a surprising extent. She brought her fans in to sing the lyrics for many of the songs, so if you were attending expecting to hear Spotify-like versions of her big numbers, you would have been disappointed.
With the young audience, the mass participation, and the vibe Eilish established of a warm circle of safety and love for all, it was surprising to hear her drop f-bombs and mother-f-bombs from time to time, in a casual way that indicated it was no big deal for her or her fans.
I started thinking about the current state of swearing in public speaking as a result. When I began in the business, 25 years ago, swearing — any of the famous seven verboten words — was a career-ender. It wasn’t until Gary Vaynerchuk came along that the floodgates of profanity opened. Gary was popular enough, and indiscriminate enough with his swearing, that he almost single-handedly changed the rules.
He seemed honest and fresh, frankly, and as a result other speakers began to sound a…
