Even more than death, people dread public speaking. All of those faces staring up at you, judging you, counting the minutes until you step down from the podium. Many writers shy away from public appearances because they find it easier to hide behind their computer and the safety of the written word than to face a sea of strangers and worry about whether the person in the back row can hear them or if someone will ask a question that puts them on the spot.
So what happens when you get an invitation to speak at a journalism conference? Or when someone asks you to teach a creative writing course? Or worse, when the success of your new book hinges on a series of readings at Barnes and Nobles or television interviews?
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Whether you’re speaking on a panel, teaching a class, or getting ready for your close-up, here are some practical tips to help you polish your public speaking skills.
Familiarize yourself with the material in advance
If you’re giving a speech or reading excerpts from your new book, the last thing you want to do is bury yourself in the text. “People who spend their whole talks looking down at a piece of paper rather than up at their audience really lose an opportunity for connection with that audience,” says Boston writer and editor Adam Pachter. A veteran of the bookstore circuit, Pachter has promoted his anthologies Fenway Fiction and Further Fenway Fiction at numerous readings. He suggests that speakers “try to commit key lines or points to memory if it’ll make you less nervous. I try to [choose] a passage that I particularly enjoy [because] if I don’t like what I’m reading, how can the audience?”
For panel, speeches, or TV appearances, you’ll also want to familiarize yourself with the format so you’ll be prepared and feel at ease. DC-area freelance writer and speaker Kristen King says she tries to “understand exactly what is expected of me as far as what I’m going to be talking about and for how long, whether there will be audience discussion or just a lecture, how many people will be there … and any other details I can gather.” Seeing the space or even attending another event there beforehand will also help calm nerves.
Choose your outfit carefully
When LA food blogger Pat Saperstein appeared on The Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay, she wore a new shirt purchased specifically for her TV appearance. Unfortunately, Sapterstein says the shirt “ended up sliding around on my shoulders. Next time I’ll make like Rachel Ray and go with the solid-colored v-neck sweater.”
Giulia Rozzi, who teaches a writing class called “Page to Stage” and produces a series of readings called Mortified in Boston and New York, points out another key consideration: “If your nerves act up, you may start to sweat, and wearing a top that shows those sweat marks will just make you more nervous.” Dark colors camouflage sweat better than lighter ones, but they can also wash out fair-skinned people, especially on camera.
Most of all, choose clothes that are flattering but still comfortable and appropriate to the situation. When in doubt, “talk to the organizers and ask them what the atmosphere will be like,” says Erik Sherman, a freelance journalist and writing instructor outside of Boston.
Use your nerves to your advantage
Being nervous is natural, especially if it’s your first appearance, but it’s not necessarily bad. “[Being] a little on edge means you’ll be more present to what you’re saying, and that will help bring in the people there,” says Sherman. People empathize with those who show a little vulnerability, because they seem human.
| If you’re serious, be serious. If you were once the class clown, then try opening with a joke. |
Even though you’re nervous, you can still appear confident and in control. Keren Taylor, executive director of Write Girl, a LA nonprofit that teaches writing and self-expression, suggests you “use the nervous energy you have to energize you. Embrace the nervousness instead of fighting it and trying to make it go away.”
Kimberly Haines, a Bay Area teacher-turned-freelance writer, has another idea for dealing with stage fright: “If the crowd spooks you, you need to focus on something else. Plant a friendly face at the back of the room … If you put at least one of [your friends] in the back, you’ll look as if you’re including the whole crowd, even if you’re only talking to your best friend. Don’t know anyone at the reading? Pick a spot in the back of the room that you can focus on when you look up and imagine someone who supports you is standing there.”
Know your conversation style
According to Sherman, “don’t be perfect; be yourself. I’ve seen too many people giving talks and lectures … [become] mechanical clones when they speak. They may seem ‘polished,’ but they don’t strike me as lively or particularly engaging.”
If you’re serious, be serious. If you were once the class clown, then try opening with a joke. “I tend to use humor to get my points across and it makes (or at least I hope it makes) my talks or classes more entertaining while still being educational,” says Rozzi.
But if you’re not funny in real life, then don’t try to imitate a stand-up comic, because the humor could fall flat. “Every time I try to open with an actual joke, no one laughs, so I’ve given up on that,” King admits. Instead, she’s found that “leading with an anecdote tends to put people at ease, and the more embarrassing or horrific, the better.” Again, people like to see the human side of the author or speaker.
Anticipate potential questions
If you’re doing a TV interview or a live question and answer session for a panel or course, you should brainstorm what questions people might ask so you’re not caught off guard. “You shouldn’t try to wing it or assume that on the spur of the moment, you’ll come up with the right thing to say … There’s no guarantee you will come up with the right thing to say unless you’ve thought about it beforehand,” Pachter says. To prep for public appearances, Saperstein says, “I pre-interview myself in the car, and prepare a list of talking points.”
Of course, sometimes the crowd needs a little nudge before they’ll start asking questions. “Maybe have a few topics in mind to get a discussion going in case you need to liven up the room,” says Rozzi. “Another back-up plan is to have a game prepared or an exercise to do based on the topic of the talk or class.”
Forget mistakes
It can happen to anyone: you lose your train of thought, your microphone doesn’t work, or you drop your index cards on your way up to the podium. Often these mishaps are a bigger deal to you than they are to your audience. “Every now and then, my nerves will get the better of me and I’ll have some mortifying slip of the tongue,” King says. “I’ve learned to laugh it off and just keep going. If you just acknowledge the slip-up and move on, people forget about it quickly.”
Keep it short
Especially at a bookstore, where people may stop in for a few minutes to check out a new author and then continue browsing the shelves, audiences will get antsy if you go on for too long. “People’s attention spans are short today, so don’t talk or teach or read for more than 20 minutes or so without giving them a break or a chance to participate in some way,” Haines says. Pachter agrees: “[It’s] far better to be too short than too long, and you always want to leave your audience with an incentive to buy the book and get ‘the rest of the story.'”
Susan Johnston is a freelance writer and blogger in Boston, MA.
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