1. Share the passion. A dead-pan speaker will lose the audience. So too, a writer needs to share the passion in the stories she writes so she can engage her readers.
2. Keep it relevant. When a speaker rambles off on a tangent, their listeners will drift away on daydreams. As writers, we also need to keep our writing focussed and relevant to the story.
3. Know your audience. There’s no point talking to a group of emus about how to soar. (Believe me, there’s nothing worse than an angry rabble of emus flapping their non-existent wings). As writers we need to know who our audience is so we can write relatable stories.
4. Be confident. We’ve all felt sorry for the nervous speaker. It’s rare they get invited back. They lose their place in their notes, they stutter and sweat and fail to get their point across with any conviction. Writers also need to be bold. The work of a confident writer shines through.
5. Learn how and practise. Not just anyone can stand up in front of a crowd and speak well. Not just anyone can write well. We need to learn the craft and practise it often to improve.
6. Presentation is important. The best speeches are about more than just the words. They're also about how the speaker presents herself. They're about timing, body language, professionalism. The same goes for writers. Correct formatting makes our manuscripts presentable. Professional behaviour makes the author presentable.
Can you think of other tips a public speaker might offer? Have you ever done any public speaking?
