I’m a Writer Not a Speaker: Tips from the stage

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My undergraduate degree is in theatre arts, so standing before a crowd and sharing my message comes naturally. But many writers tell me, "I’m a writer, not a speaker." If this describes you, let me offer a few tips from the stage to make your next booksigning, author coffee, or speaking opportunity more comfortable.

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Only for a Moment

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A knock at my hotel room startled me. "Room service," a voice said. I hurried to let her in. “Only need fresh towels,” I said. “I’ll be fine.” She brought them in and I smiled at her. “Thank you. What’s your name?” “Rachel.” We chatted about mundane stuff. But when I told her why I had visited her city, she was open to hear about my ministry. I reached for my suitcase. “Got something for you,” I said. I put a CD in her hands. “This is for me?” she asked, her voice gasping a bit. “Sure it is,” I…

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Three Ways to Bring Color to Our Message

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What happens when we get on that stage, ready to deliver a dynamic message, but way deep in our hearts issues of life weigh heavy? What can we do when inspiring others is our task, but we’re the ones who need inspiration? Recently, life was going fine, no glitches or major challenges. Then, without warning, no hint it would happen, it did.

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Seven Tips for Great Travel

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“No way,” I said to the lady across the counter at the airport, “that bag has my make-up. Isn’t that crazy? When I was told my bags took their own trip to a different location, I panicked. Not worried about my clothes, books or material for the presentation, I was fretting for my make-up. Why are we that way? Why do we allow our muscles to stiffen over silly things? We fret about the glitches that really don’t matter that much.

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Seven Ways to Connect with Your Audience

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“Eye contact with your audience is vital,” the presenter said at a seminar I attended. Eye contact? Gulp. Being blind, how in the world would I manage that? It was a crazy idea anyway for me to become a speaker. I’ll just share my stories and inspiration with groups of close friends. That became my plan. But God had a different one.

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Speaking Engagements – Developing Your Outline or Talking Points

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Hi.  Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements. To read previous installments, see the links at the bottom of this post. Today we’re going to discuss creating an outline for your presentation. And remember, as I’ve mentioned in some of my previous posts, I’m a very strong type A personality so I tend to plan everything out to the nth degree. You can take this to whatever level of detail works for you.

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Speaking Engagements – Research Venues

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Hi.  Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements.  To read previous installments, see the links at the bottom of this post. Before we talk about research venues, let’s discuss the different types of talks you might be called on to present.  I categorize these in four groupings as follows:

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Speaking Engagements – Understanding Expectations

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Hi.  Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements.  So far we’ve covered why book speaking engagements, dealing with butterflies  selecting a topic, creating a speaker resume, finding speaking venues and pitching your program.  Today we’re going to talk about understanding and meeting expectations. Understanding the expectations surrounding you and your presentation is a key factor in pulling off a successful speaking engagement.  There are two kinds of expectations you need to understand and manage – facilitator expectations and audience expectations. Let’s look at them one at a time  

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Speaking Engagements – Pitching Your Program

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Hi.  Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements.  So far we’ve covered why book speaking engagements, dealing with butterflies, selecting a topic, creating a speaker resume and finding speaking venues.  Today we’re going to talk about how to actually pitch your talk. Once you have selected your topic, have your resume together and have located possible speaking opportunities, how do you let folks know you’re ready and willing? Well, first you need to make certain you can effectively convey what it is you’re offering.  You do this in two steps:

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Speaking Engagements – Finding Speaking Venues

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Hi.  Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements.  So far we’ve covered why book speaking engagements, dealing with butterflies  selecting a topic and creating a speaker resume.  Today we’re going to talk about finding speaking opportunities. Whether you just want to build up your confidence or build up your resume, you can start by seeking out opportunities in your own back yard.  Local organizations are always looking for speakers.

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