I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m traveling a lot this year. And everywhere I go, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m required to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153speak for my supper.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m leaving for soggy Honolulu this week to give a workshop at the Pen Women Conference there. They want to know how to prepare a book proposal. April 6, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give a brief talk at the Book Publicists of Southern California monthly meeting on how to work a book festival so it works for you. April 29\/30 is the huge Los Angeles Times Book Festival at UCLA. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be there in the SPAWN booth. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). In June, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing a 3-week workshop in Ventura, CA for Focus on the Masters. I might also do a writing workshop for a group of local home-schooled kids. In July, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m scheduled to give a presentation at a writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 event in Seattle. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be in Wisconsin talking to writers in September and I am hoping to be invited back to St. Louis in October.<\/p>\n
My biggest gig this year is in May. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been invited to give the keynote speech before a group of 1,000 Toastmasters in Dubai. Yes, that magnificent city in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Do speaking engagements sell books? Absolutely. And I encourage you to hone your speaking skills, boost your courage and get out there and speak for your supper, too.
\nYou get to experience new places and meet lovely new people. I love collecting memories from the various places where I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve presented workshops. I was wined and dined quite extravagantly in Jacksonville, Florida a few years ago. I had a great time meeting women writers in Arlington, TX when I spoke before the National Association of Women Writers. I have made some wonderful friends in St. Louis, MO. In fact, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost too much fun to be considered work.<\/p>\n
Today, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to offer you some suggestions for honing your speaking skills so you will feel more comfortable applying for the many speaking gigs there are out there, accepting those that come your way and creating new opportunities to speak in public as a way to promote your book.<\/p>\n
If public speaking gives you noodle knees and sweaty palms, I recommend:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tJoin a Toastmasters Club. Go to www.toastmasters.org or call, 800-993-7732 for the one nearest you.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tJoin an organization of your choice and gain speaking experience by participating in meetings.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tGet involved with a storytelling group.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tHire a voice coach. (Generally listed under music teachers)
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tObserve other speakers. Note what techniques work and which ones don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tTake on leadership roles at work.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tFind a mentor\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsomeone who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s speaking abilities you admire.<\/p>\n
Here are some specific tips to get your started:\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Be prepared. You will be more at ease if you know what to expect. Find out if there will be a podium or microphone, for example. How many people do they expect? How will the room be set up? Also, have your props or notes organized so there will be no annoying fumbling during your presentation. <\/p>\n
Know your audience. Gear your speech to the needs and interests of this particular audience. <\/p>\n
Speak out. Many inexperienced orators speak too softly or they allow their voices to drop toward the end of their sentences. Practice speaking up and speaking out. Whether addressing a large audience or a small group, always speak so that you can be heard even in the back of the room. <\/p>\n
Make eye contact. Move your attention around the room as you speak, making eye contact with each person<\/p>\n
Use vocal variety. Make your talks more enjoyable by using an assortment of vocal tones and pitches rather than speaking in monotone. If you need help developing vocal variety, practice reading to children. <\/p>\n
Eliminate non-words. Inexperienced speakers generally use filler words such as ah, er, um, and (where unnecessary), and so forth. Practice speaking without filler words. <\/p>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t apologize. Avoid sabotaging your presentation by making excuses for not being well prepared or for poor speaking skills. Stand tall, appear self-assured and you will gain the confidence of the audience. <\/p>\n
Eliminate poor speaking habits. Rid your vocabulary of stagnant verbiage. Break yourself of those mundane phrases you like to repeat, such as, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153yada, yada, yada\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153know what I mean?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Likewise, watch the overuse of words such as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153really.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t apologize. Avoid sabotaging your presentation by making excuses for not being well prepared or for poor speaking skills. Stand tall, appear self-assured and you will gain the confidence of the audience. <\/p>\n
Repeat audience questions. When someone asks a question during your presentation, always repeat it before answering it. This ensures that everyone hears i<\/p>\n
Anyone can get up in front of an audience and speak. How well you do it is what counts.
\nYou can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sell a book that no one knows about. You won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get writing jobs unless people are aware of your writing skills and services. One way to spread the word is to go out and talk about it.<\/p>\n
Find additional tips such as these in my books, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>, The Successful Writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Handbook<\/em>, Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book<\/em>, How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less<\/em>. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m traveling a lot this year. And everywhere I go, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m required to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153speak for my supper.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m leaving for soggy Honolulu this week to give a workshop at the Pen Women Conference there. They want to know how to prepare a book proposal. April 6, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give a brief talk at the Book Publicists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"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
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"