Public Speaking for Writers.
In today’s episode I am going to give hints and tips that will not only help you to become an effective public speaker but help you to raise your game if you are already a public speaker. You may be wondering why you would want to worry about this at all but if you are a confident and engagement in presentation then you are more likely to be invited to speak at conferences not only nationally, but internationally. Many of these are paid engagements and the networking opportunities are endless. So, it really is worth looking at public speaking and adding this to your writing and publishing portfolio.
1. My first tip is SMILE.
a. Relaxes the speaker
b. Builds rapport with audience
c. Will come across in your words
d. Sets the tone of the session
e. Makes you likeable
2. STAGE PRESENCE
a. Gesticulate and use your hands
b. Move away from the podium, especially if you are my size to put this into context, I am five foot tall. Most podiums will hide me or make me look insignificant. So, unless it can be lowered or I have something to stand on, I move around.
c. Raise and lower your voice.
d. Vary the speed of what you are saying.
e. Practice your speech
3. RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE
a. Tell a local joke
b. Refer to local football/American Football/ Rugby teams.
c. Are your audience
i. Authors
ii. Editors
iii. Publishers
iv. A Mixture of the above
d. Think about the relevancy of your talk for the audience.
4. TELL STORIES
a. Tell stories. Humans have resonated with stories since cavemen around campfires
b. Make your audience laugh
c. Tell local stories that are relevant to the audience
d. Make sure they are also relevant to your subject matter. I have numerous stories that I can use for crime writers, but I need to adjust that if the audience has writers of different genres – romance, fantasy etc.
5. FOCUS
a. Don’t try to pack too much in
b. Cover salient points at the end
c. Cover the key takeaways
6. LEARN FROM OTHERS
a. Study great speeches
b. What do they have in common
c. What resonates with you
d. Watch recordings of other speakers presentations on writing related subjects
7. TAKE A DEEP BREATH
a. Relaxes you
b. Gives you time to pause and gather your thoughts
c. Clears your head.
d. Makes you look more confident as you will stand up straighter.
8. USE SILENCES APPROPRAITELY
a. Gives the audience a chance to assimilate what has been said
b. Gives the audience a chance to breathe.
c. Emphasises certain points
d. Gives you a chance to gather your thoughts
9. VARY YOUR TONE
a. Higher
b. Lower
c. Faster
d. Slower
10. USE PICTURES
a. If you can
b. Use voice rather than putting points on slides
c. Vary your slides
d. Vary the words you use
e. Death by PowerPoint – this is where there are so many words on the slide that no one can read them, and the presenter just reads them out.
11. PRACTICE
a. Practice again
b. Practice again
c. If possible, practice in front of someone.
d. Make the someone appropriate.
12. RELAX
a. Everyone is here to hear your talk
b. By dint of the fact you have prepared you know more than your audience
13. HAVE FUN
a. Seriously?
b. Yes, seriously.
c. Make your session fun (if it is appropriate)
14. GIVE AN OVERVIEW
a. Smile
b. Move
c. Research your audience
d. Tell Stories
e. Focus
f. Learn from others
g. Take a deep breath
h. Vary your tone
i. Use images rather than text
j. Practice
k. Relax
l. Have fun