Thursday, April 09, 2015
Quotations - Be Prepared With Props
Prepared With Props
I was well prepared for my speech on Quotations: Be Prepared. I had the props:
Props:
Copies of the two books I wanted to sell;
Quick Quotations;
Who Said What When;
A big book to display the poem The Night Mail;
More than 20 copies of a handout Quiz on Quotations, including four copies in large print for people who had forgotten their reading glasses.
A black folding witch's hat (saved from Hallowe'en, bought in a supermarket);
Four daffodils.
A small carry-on pull-along suitcase containing my books.
A large tote bag containing the oversize poetry book.
Moral/Lesson: Don't just put your props near the front door or in a special place. Plan and find a container large enough to carry everything. Place the container alongside or underneath. Don't place all the props inside the container the week before and then be unable to find the props on the day because you have so many tote bags and suitcases you cannot identify the place where you have stored the props.
A book display Z shape stand.
Address card box which unfolds diagonally to display cards.
Make sure you have a display stand the right size for the books, and enough cards, with up to date phone numbers, to fill the box. I discovered I had address card boxes which become display stands.
A jacket with a pen, address cards, mobile phone for photos.
My handbag.
Moral/lesson: make sure you have two pens and two pencils in a jacket pocket. Keep extra address cards in your right hand pocket so that after you've packed up the display into your suitcase you can quickly give your details to somebody wants your address at the last minute, eg to email you or post items to you. Especially useful if you or the other person has to leave quickly to catch a lift/bus group going home.
The last thing I did was stick an address sticker on everything: my books, display stand, even an umbrella. I should have had school name tags in my hat and coat.
I packed up my goods. I had a suitcase, a large tote bag and a handbag. I was driven to the venue and helped up the stairs.
Prepare For Screens/Large Easy-to read displays
I had a large print, large size Collins book with the words of This Is The Night Mail. I was hoping to lean it on the ledge of a display board.
The Harrow Arts Centre Kenton room upstairs had a pull-down huge white screen on the wall, no ledge. Also an easel with a small ledge, the whiteboard already filled with blue writing from a previous talk. Two large pens, one blue, were on the ledge underneath. However, there was no eraser, so I could not use the board. Moral/Lesson: take both wipe-off pens and an eraser.
Whilst we waited for the club convenor and latecomers I handed out the Quotes Quiz.
Question x asked who said, 'All men are created equal'.
A member of the audience protested, 'All mean are not created equal! They just think they are. Ask any woman.' Later she said, 'I'm from "oop north" - we tell it how it is!'
I started with the quiz.
Tea-time. I drink coffee. None available. So I had milk, which I have at tea-time, on doctor's orders. (When I told a doctor I was having trouble sleeping, woke in the night and could not get back to sleep, he told me to reduce my coffee intake to two cups, with breakfast and for elevenses. have one more cup of decaff coffee, not after noon, water or milk for tea-time.) Somebody passed around miniature easter Eggs. Very good for giving the speaker a shot of energy.
Sugar is artificial, instant energy. Although it has the advantage of giving you an instant spike of energy, it can give you a sugar hangover/depression/exhaustion later. Bread, cakes, anything with flour, is slow-release energy. (In theory you could take a chocolate bar, or apple in your pocket, and if you want to eat it secretly, have a snack hidden in the toilet, or your car. I prefer not to leave the room, in case I come back late, or get lost, or get talking to somebody in the 'rest room'.
During the break one lady came to talk to me and look at the books.
After tea we finished the quiz.
The thanker said it was the best talk they'd had in two years.
Packing up took ten minutes. I nearly left behind my big book on the easel. Luckily I looked around the room before leaving.
I was well prepared for my speech on Quotations: Be Prepared. I had the props:
Props:
Copies of the two books I wanted to sell;
Quick Quotations;
Who Said What When;
A big book to display the poem The Night Mail;
More than 20 copies of a handout Quiz on Quotations, including four copies in large print for people who had forgotten their reading glasses.
A black folding witch's hat (saved from Hallowe'en, bought in a supermarket);
Four daffodils.
A small carry-on pull-along suitcase containing my books.
A large tote bag containing the oversize poetry book.
Moral/Lesson: Don't just put your props near the front door or in a special place. Plan and find a container large enough to carry everything. Place the container alongside or underneath. Don't place all the props inside the container the week before and then be unable to find the props on the day because you have so many tote bags and suitcases you cannot identify the place where you have stored the props.
A book display Z shape stand.
Address card box which unfolds diagonally to display cards.
Make sure you have a display stand the right size for the books, and enough cards, with up to date phone numbers, to fill the box. I discovered I had address card boxes which become display stands.
A jacket with a pen, address cards, mobile phone for photos.
My handbag.
Moral/lesson: make sure you have two pens and two pencils in a jacket pocket. Keep extra address cards in your right hand pocket so that after you've packed up the display into your suitcase you can quickly give your details to somebody wants your address at the last minute, eg to email you or post items to you. Especially useful if you or the other person has to leave quickly to catch a lift/bus group going home.
The last thing I did was stick an address sticker on everything: my books, display stand, even an umbrella. I should have had school name tags in my hat and coat.
I packed up my goods. I had a suitcase, a large tote bag and a handbag. I was driven to the venue and helped up the stairs.
Prepare For Screens/Large Easy-to read displays
I had a large print, large size Collins book with the words of This Is The Night Mail. I was hoping to lean it on the ledge of a display board.
The Harrow Arts Centre Kenton room upstairs had a pull-down huge white screen on the wall, no ledge. Also an easel with a small ledge, the whiteboard already filled with blue writing from a previous talk. Two large pens, one blue, were on the ledge underneath. However, there was no eraser, so I could not use the board. Moral/Lesson: take both wipe-off pens and an eraser.
Whilst we waited for the club convenor and latecomers I handed out the Quotes Quiz.
Question x asked who said, 'All men are created equal'.
A member of the audience protested, 'All mean are not created equal! They just think they are. Ask any woman.' Later she said, 'I'm from "oop north" - we tell it how it is!'
I started with the quiz.
Tea-time. I drink coffee. None available. So I had milk, which I have at tea-time, on doctor's orders. (When I told a doctor I was having trouble sleeping, woke in the night and could not get back to sleep, he told me to reduce my coffee intake to two cups, with breakfast and for elevenses. have one more cup of decaff coffee, not after noon, water or milk for tea-time.) Somebody passed around miniature easter Eggs. Very good for giving the speaker a shot of energy.
Sugar is artificial, instant energy. Although it has the advantage of giving you an instant spike of energy, it can give you a sugar hangover/depression/exhaustion later. Bread, cakes, anything with flour, is slow-release energy. (In theory you could take a chocolate bar, or apple in your pocket, and if you want to eat it secretly, have a snack hidden in the toilet, or your car. I prefer not to leave the room, in case I come back late, or get lost, or get talking to somebody in the 'rest room'.
During the break one lady came to talk to me and look at the books.
After tea we finished the quiz.
The thanker said it was the best talk they'd had in two years.
Packing up took ten minutes. I nearly left behind my big book on the easel. Luckily I looked around the room before leaving.
