There are various elements to presenting ourselves to the public. The top two are much easier to say than to do – be yourself, and be confident. It’s almost like writing dialogue in that we want it to read as authentic, but in reality it is to be crafted. Some people are naturally gifted and can draw people in with a magical energy. We’ve all seen it. I am not one of those people. One of the things that always bothered me most when I would say to someone how much I hated speaking in public, how paralyzing it was for me, was the response of “the more you do it, the easier it becomes.” Tell that to Barbra Streisand, who still has stage fright to this day. There isn’t always a turning point for everyone. I was fortunate enough to have mine and it was the last thing I had expected it to be but it really did put me over the bump that now I’m not sick to my stomach every time I’m at the head of a room.
Other elements that draw people in are our language. Speaking loudly and clearly is key. That’s not to say we should hide our accents or other little things that are true to ourselves. There’s a line in an old country song about a poor southern upbringing that goes “I was smarter than most and I could choose, I learned to talk like the man on the six o’clock news.” We’ve all also seen some very bad speakers. It doesn’t lessen their initial appeal, but it does turn people off if they have to work too hard to understand what’s being said. It buries the message.
So let’s start breaking down how this directly applies to
writers:
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Readings
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Open mics
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Conferences
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Lectures
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Video presentations
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Teaching
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Bookstore events
And here are some basic tips:
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Know your material
o
That’s not to say that you need to memorize
it. And while practice certainly helps,
for someone such as myself it really doesn’t do a thing so I put in time
analyzing the cadence and rhythm of my speech, timing, and being familiar with
my topic or anything I’m about to read.
Own your material.
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Make eye contact
o
I have heard some amazing stories that I just
couldn’t get into because I couldn’t get past the author never looking up from
their pages. Especially poetry, one of
the most emotional genres and it begs to be seen as much as heard.
·
Be aware of your body language
o
Don’t hole yourself up as if you were in a dark
corner. Be open, and let others see
you. Even when behind a podium, use your
hands, be sure to smile, but don’t overexxagerate.
·
Voice control
o
Know when to pause for effect, and know when to
emphasize certain words. Timing is
everything.
·
Speaking of time…
o
Keep to yours!
If you are not given a time limit at an event, ask. Be aware of the attention span of your
audience, and how the type of event plays into how long your reading should
be. In general, 5 minutes is a
reasonable amount of time. But if you
want to appear as professional and be invited to participate, be mindful as a
show of respect. I was in an event
recently featuring 10 authors and we were given a 6 minute limit, including our
introduction. Only two of us stayed
within our limit. Everyone else ranged
from 15-25 minutes and the audience was ridiculously restless as we went over
the 2 scheduled hours.
·
Group events
o
If you have been invited to be in an event with
other authors, take note that most of the audience is not likely to be familiar
with your work. This means that while
you want to seize the opportunity of a new audience, if you are a standout
genre or tend to be controversial, keep in mind the pendulum effect – you can
turn people off as easily as draw them in.
Factor this in when choosing your piece.
·
Respecting the venue
o
Let me preface this by saying that I believe in
the legitimacy of art – it is our greatest historian and depicts the world
around us in movies, music, sculpture, graffiti, books and television. Sometimes – often – that includes controversy
and some sketchy language or visuals. It
is essential to share the unpleasantries of the world as much as the joys and
the fantastical. However, we need to be
aware of who is around us. Bookstores
are always open to the public during events, so have the respect that you don’t
want to turn their customers away. In
choosing your selection, consider if it is graphic in nature or includes
offensive language. Is it really in your
best interest to read that? One of the
bookstores I read in regularly, the kid-lit section is right next to the event
space. Despite the consistent darkness
of my work, I always keep that in mind.
Is that f-bomb really needed in this particular instance or can another
word be temporarily substituted if given the proper emphasis? Even though it may be timely and cultural,
think ahead about how a racial slur may affect the current audience – is there
a chance you’re going to single out anyone in the room? Are your politics on the extreme side, or can
it be shaped to reflect you but not come across like an angry tirade that will
cause others to leave? Are you going to
be reading a right wing piece in a left wing venue, and if so how will you do
it with some smidgen of taste and decorum?
·
Practice your “resting face.”
o
I learned this the hard way when I was reviewing
video of myself and had forgotten my training that everyone on the stage needs
to be in their role at all times. If it’s
someone else’s turn to speak, but you’re on a panel or sitting with others at
the head of the room, don’t look bored or chew on your nails or visibly roll
your eyes. Don’t be looking at your
phone. Remember the golden rule; if you
can see them, they can see you.
·
Recording for yourself or others
o
I always recommend recording any event you take
part in. Do it because YouTube is the #2
search engine – video is the ruler of the internet today and goes hand in hand
with social media. It’s easier than ever
to do with the advent of smart phones and recording/editing apps. Learning the basics is a useful tool to
have. But if nothing else, do it for
yourself. Ask a friend to record for
you, and watch it at home to see what you are doing right and what could you be
doing better. When I worked with a
racetrack doing video and commentary, many drivers would ask me for copies of
the recordings so that they could analyze their performance. When I was in radio broadcasting, it was
essential that we play back our shows all the time to hear what needed to be
improved. Especially when it came to
talking over a song – every second mattered so that we didn’t overlap the
singing. If you are so inclined,
practice at home; you can purchase a small tripod and set it up yourself.
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Expect the unexpected!
o
Don’t let fear and paranoia overcome you, but do
try to prepare for things to go wrong.
So, in the end, practice isn’t going to make any of us flawess
but that’s okay because let’s face it – perfection can be boring. The idea of writing is often to engage with
the world and as with any job, there are caveats that go with it. Only you can decide the path that will get
you the audience and fandom that you want.
Being out in the world is almost always key.
As the saying goes, “don’t hide your light under a bushel.” Or as the song says, “you got to let your
soul shine.”
