Speaking of Speaking

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


In every successful writer's life, the time will come when you speak in front of an audience.  Perhaps a writers group will invite you to be a guest, or you yourself will seek out a suitable venue to promote your book. In either case, few authors are trained in both writing and public speaking, so first timers sometimes learn the ropes the hard way.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a talk by a physician who had recently been published. The newspaper blurb indicated that he would be speaking from his book, and since the subject matter was of interest, I did indeed check it out.  During that hour I was reminded of certain presentation do's and don'ts that I needed to remember, which I hope will benefit you too.

"AND NOW A MAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION"
More than one comedian has introduced someone with those very words and then walked away.  Most of us, however, want and need to be introduced to the audience.  Do yourself a favor and come up with the wording you prefer.  Provide the person introducing you with a short paragraph about you.  This info may already be in the program if there is one.  Only if you're good friends with the presenter would you want them to adlib an intro for you.

TESTING, 1, 2, 3...
Whenever possible, check the sound system personally beforehand.  At the weekend talk I attended, the author no sooner started speaking when deafening feedback filled the room.  A sound guy rushed to his aid and quickly adjusted the volume, but at least four more times during the talk additional screeches marred the presentation.  To the author's credit, he waited patiently each time and never called attention to it, much less made any disparaging remarks.

YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES
Not every talk needs a slide show or PowerPoint presentation, but if you're going to have one, make sure your laptop is plugged in.  A few minutes into his program, the author's photos were obscured by a popup message about the battery getting ready to die.  The next few minutes were devoted to someone retrieving a power cord and eventually restoring the visual aids.  Fortunately, the audience took it in stride and even saw the humor in it, aided by the author's own willingness to joke about his error.

ME, MYSELF AND I
Technical problems aside, something the author could have done better involved the subject matter of the presentation itself.  The audience came expecting to hear wisdom based on his new nonfiction book.  Instead, we learned where he grew up, where he went to school, and how he got into medicine, accompanied by photos of all the people who encouraged him to become a doctor.  It's one thing to share one's expertise, but the aforementioned introduction could have covered that.  The book itself was mentioned only a couple of times, and when it was, just one helpful bit of info was shared. Yes, we got to know the author, but we didn't get to assess whether his book would be worth having.  Bottom line: deliver what the audience expects.

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS
Watch some videos of talks given by leading authors and observe how their presentations reflect their brand. Your favorite authors are readily found on YouTube.  I'll recommend this one by Amalie Jahn, which I return to periodically.  Her TED presentation is a prime example of poise, humor and information.  http://www.amaliejahn.com/blog/chapter-23-ted-talk-me-on-the-big-red-dot

Presentations don't have to be flashy or slick, and you don't have to be the great orator.  Just being yourself and giving the audience something they can take away, whether it's useful instruction or a heartfelt story, is what will make your talk one they'll appreciate.

Can You Hear Me Now?

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


For weeks I had been looking forward to hearing a noted author and public speaker who gave a presentation near me this weekend.  From his books and the CDs I'd heard, I knew it was going to be an inspiring and entertaining talk.

My hopes remained high until I sat down and remembered how horrible the echo is in this particular venue.  It's a beautiful, ornate setting, appealing to the eye, but a portion of what they spent on decorating should have been invested in decent acoustic consultation.  Every word bounced around the hall and fought with itself, and I'd be surprised if the audience was able to discern more than half of what was said.  (The author, BTW, gave an excellent presentation, from the parts I could hear.)

Sitting through that muddled wash of indistinctness, my mind tended to wander, and I pondered how great words can all be in vain if something gets in the way.  Anything that distracts from the clarity of the message is a curse to communication.

In our writing, we can lose the reader in countless ways.  To name but a few:

• Long stretches of dialogue that doesn't occasionally inject who's saying what
• Too many details that aren't relevant to the story
• Too many accessory characters to keep up with
• Names of characters that are similar, inviting confusion
• Pet phrases or inside jokes that make the reader say, "Huh?"

There's also the whole issue of typos and improper punctuation.  It's amazing how the same sentence can take on different meanings without properly-placed punctuation. One of my favorite examples is:

• A woman without her man is nothing.
• A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Our proofreaders at the magazine (who are among my favorite people on the planet) are all about clarity.  A missing comma here, an awkwardly-worded phrase there, are the kind of things they lose sleep over, because these little grammatical gaffes take away from cogent communication.

They might even question my use of the word "cogent" if "clear" would say the same thing with less bluster. "Bluster" might even be suspect.

In the editing process, sometimes classical rules clash and debates result, but whenever they do, the judgment is always in favor of clarity; whatever conveys most accurately.

You know exactly what you meant to say, so you may not spot the impediments to communication that a good editor will notice.  Don't skip that important insurance policy.  And if you're ever asked to give a speech in a very big room, I encourage you to check out the acoustics before you say yes.

Enjoy the Silence

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director for Southern Writers Magazine


A public speaker whom I had the pleasure of seeing last week—a competent and well-spoken fellow—began his presentation by declaring that he's probably going to talk too fast, and talk too much. He went on to explain that he cannot bear to hear any silence during his presentations.  The quiet when he's speaking makes him uneasy and he feels he must fill the gap with words.

We've talked before in Suite T about pacing as it relates to storytelling, and how important it is to provide readers with a roller coaster ride that takes them to great heights and then pauses momentarily, giving them a chance to catch their breath.  But it's easy to forget that the principle of ebb and flow is equally important when addressing an audience.

Standing at the podium, a roomful of silent people is indeed very unnatural, especially with all eyes on you.  Hoping as we are to regale the crowd, any silence feels like a vacuum. But if we flip that scenario and instead are seated in the audience, we can be quite appreciative of those pauses, which afford us the opportunity to absorb the information we're taking in.  (Especially if we're taking notes.) 

A good rule of thumb might be this: Any time you make a statement that you consider deep, important, or potentially confusing, make a point to take a long breath while it sinks in.  Join your audience in enjoying the silence.  As long as you don't look like you're fumbling for the next thing to say, the audience will comfortably follow along at your pace.

Authors who speak at conferences have expressed an appreciation for Dr George Lucas' column "Speak Easy", in each issue of Southern Writers Magazine.  In his current series, "What Makes a Good Presentation?", George reminds us that if we have a passion for what we're talking about and a genuine desire to share it with others, it will be hard to fail in front of an audience. 

I would add that a fervent urge to talk about your pet subject is an additional reason we may talk too fast, or too much.  Passion sometimes overthrows pacing.  (But that's a topic for you romance authors.)

Which reminds me, Happy Valentine's Week to one and all!  Even if you don't have a date for Thursday, remember that Southern Writers loves ya.

Space Invaders

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

Comedian, producer and author Jerry Seinfeld knows a few things about communication, and he's shared some interesting insights over the years. One of his more thought-provoking quotes once appeared in a Parade interview:

"You have to invade the space of the audience a little bit. I learned that early on. It was a very helpful thing to learn. You have to invade them just a little bit. Not too much, because then it’s obnoxious. But you can’t be short of them either, or you won’t control them."

Invading their space. What does that mean? To a standup comedian it can mean the difference between a standing ovation and getting heckled off the stage. A master performer knows one has to be bigger than life to take ownership of the room and keep all eyes on them. Singers and musicians are especially known for exaggeration and a flashy presence.

But when it's just you standing there talking to an audience—as in public speaking—mastery of volume is one critical skill to develop, as Jerry explains:

"The volume at which I’m speaking now is the right volume for where you’re sitting. I’m almost performing, in a way. There’s this kind of voice, and then there’s this kind of voice, and then there’s this kind of voice. I wasn’t a natural performer at all, so I learned. I was always a pretty good writer in the beginning, but I really had to learn how to perform."

Communicating through writing is a lot like doing standup. It's just you, the lone voice, trying to reach a vast audience whose faces you can't even see in the dark. You can only rely on their feedback to tell you if you've hit the mark. Jerry's voice of experience provides us with some food for thought:

•  Invade their space — Go beyond your comfort zone and into theirs, with ideas that challenge them and can't be ignored.
• "There's this kind of voice" — Determine the most effective "voice" to reach your audience. Not too soft and mushy, not too loud and preachy, but just a bit above the communication level they're used to.
• Listen for their feedback — Social media is today's equivalent of the old audience applause meter, which determined the winner on game shows. Blogging and other online promotion is how savvy authors build an interactive, loyal following.

They say standup comedy is one of the hardest professions in entertainment. I say writers are no slouch either. That's why Southern Writers is so intent on encouraging authors and helping them promote themselves, through our magazine, through this blog, and through the many online venues available to subscribers, like our new Must Read TV and Take Five.

Over the last year we've featured 178 exceptional wordsmiths in Southern Writers Magazine. In the coming year that will grow to over 300, and I hope you'll be one of them.

Begin by getting your free online copy of our July anniversary issue, and then become a member of the Southern Writers family. There's a standing ovation with your name on it!