Saturday, April 11, 2015
The Ten Sins of A Speaker
1 Arrive early and busy yourself with your props, ignoring and rejecting your host and the first people to arrive.
2 Arrive late, looking flustered. Get even more flustered when other latecomers arrive. Instead greet them warmly - your audience is growing.
3 Keep apologising. Apologies are depressing. As Disraeli said, Never explain; never apologise.
4 Glower because of the small numbers, and postpone or cancel on the grounds that it is not worthwhile to speak to those who want to hear you. More important that you should not 'waste your time', never mind that they have wasted their time trying to fix a date or cancelling other engagements and plans to see the speaker.
5 Promoting a book but not having it to sell. Relying on the publisher to send the book to the venue. Always have one book that people can look at, even if it's a proof copy, and two copies to sell.(If you have one copy, if somebody buys it a second person is peeved.
6 Using jargon nobody understands.
7 Failing to take into account the needs for a break for toilet and food.
8 Forgetting to thank the organiser.
9 Forgetting to say how much you have enjoyed your welcoming audience, the venue, the weather, all the good things which will make them happy about their day and happy to share your happiness.
10 Not thinking of taking the opportunity to say how much you enjoyed talking to them and how you would be willing to come back again, sooner or later.
13 Not giving your name, address and contact details. If they are on every handout, you can get your message out. Forgetting to have a business card marked with the name, your real name, other than the pen name, in which you want any cheque sent.
2 Arrive late, looking flustered. Get even more flustered when other latecomers arrive. Instead greet them warmly - your audience is growing.
3 Keep apologising. Apologies are depressing. As Disraeli said, Never explain; never apologise.
4 Glower because of the small numbers, and postpone or cancel on the grounds that it is not worthwhile to speak to those who want to hear you. More important that you should not 'waste your time', never mind that they have wasted their time trying to fix a date or cancelling other engagements and plans to see the speaker.
5 Promoting a book but not having it to sell. Relying on the publisher to send the book to the venue. Always have one book that people can look at, even if it's a proof copy, and two copies to sell.(If you have one copy, if somebody buys it a second person is peeved.
6 Using jargon nobody understands.
7 Failing to take into account the needs for a break for toilet and food.
8 Forgetting to thank the organiser.
9 Forgetting to say how much you have enjoyed your welcoming audience, the venue, the weather, all the good things which will make them happy about their day and happy to share your happiness.
10 Not thinking of taking the opportunity to say how much you enjoyed talking to them and how you would be willing to come back again, sooner or later.
13 Not giving your name, address and contact details. If they are on every handout, you can get your message out. Forgetting to have a business card marked with the name, your real name, other than the pen name, in which you want any cheque sent.
Labels: books, cancel, details, early, food, jargon, late, postpone, thanks, toilets
