Public speaking is a common activity for authors. We go out and speak to our peers, members of civic organizations, corporate employees, church groups, writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 club members and others gathered at offices, rented halls, libraries, schools and even private homes. Our goal is to inform and\/or entertain\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6oh yes, and sell books. <\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been speaking to authors and hopeful authors fairly often, lately. For the most part, I just wing it. Well, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been talking about publishing for so long that it kind of comes natural. The problem with that arises when there is a strict time element. I can go on and on and on about publishing, book promotion, writing a book proposal, etc. And just try to stop me from talking when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s question and answer time. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not happy until I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve answered every writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s question and quelled every publishing curiosity. <\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently working on a one-hour speech to present at the Spring Book Show in Atlanta March 29 and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give it again at Borders in Nashville a few days later. Check out my calendar of activities and events for details: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/activities.htm<\/a> It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my favorite speech on the two steps to publishing success. So if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my favorite speech, why am I working on it? I have a problem using the same speech over and over again. I always change, tweak, tickle, modify and adjust the speech before the next event and then I do a lot of improvising\u00e2\u20ac\u201dmaking me wonder why I even bothered writing and rehearsing it.<\/p>\n Everyone prepares for a public speaking gig in different ways. I know one woman who writes the speech down after learning it. She creates it in her mind and begins practicing it before she commits it to paper. I typically write the speech and then I print it out and take it with me on my daily walks. I go over and over it in an attempt to familiarize myself with the content and the order. Each day for a couple of weeks, I come home and revise the speech. Once the speech is set, I create a skeleton from it. I remove all but the first 6 or 8 words of each line, for example. I work with the speech in this form for a week or so (depending on how much time I have before the event). And then I bring in the index cards.<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at this point that I reduce the speech to a barebones outline form that will fit on a few small index cards and this is what I carry with me on my walks. My goal is to recite the speech without using the index card prompts and within the time allotment for at least 10 days before the event. Of course, while the speech travels along the same path every time, it comes out sounding a little different. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not exactly a canned speech and it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound like one. <\/p>\n At the moment of delivery in front of my audience, the thoroughly prepared speech and all of that rehearsal might go right out the window. Once I meet my audience and, in some cases, find out something about them, I may lean my speech in a direction slightly different than I had planned. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really matter. The rehearsal was not for naught. At that point, my planned speech becomes a crutch that I can use if I need\/want to and discard if I so choose.<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also presenting a 3-hour seminar in Atlanta. But I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be stressing my brain by attempting to memorize it. Oh no. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written a lesson plan, but the seminar will be pretty much student directed. I have the information and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve created some great opportunities for audience participation. But the students will set the pace for the seminar. My job is to make sure they get everything they came for. <\/p>\n Have you gone out to speak about your marvelous book, lately? For help developing public speaking skills, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>, pages 260-263. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> And go out and join a local Toastmasters Club today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Public speaking is a common activity for authors. We go out and speak to our peers, members of civic organizations, corporate employees, church groups, writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 club members and others gathered at offices, rented halls, libraries, schools and even private homes. Our goal is to inform and\/or entertain\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6oh yes, and sell books. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been speaking to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t