Public Speaking

This Friday night, I’m giving a workshop at Christopher Newport University called “So You Want to Write a Romance.” I’m excited about it, but in a way, I almost feel like I have too much information to present. It’s a bit like teaching middle school before you’ve actually taught a lesson over several years. You usually “overplan” because you don’t know how the kids will respond to the material. Some topics just lend themselves to discussion and I’ve learned to just let the kids talk it out. Other topics…well, you can hear crickets chirping.

My plan is to come prepared for crickets and hope for lots of fun discussions.

Some of the best workshops I’ve ever attended were very hands-on, and very active. I think part of it was because the presenter had such good energy and rapport with the audience. Michael Hauge is a fantastic speaker, and I’ve also learned a great deal from Jolie Kramer’s workshops. One of my favorite publisher spotlights had a game show where the prizes were editors volunteering to read proposals and so on.

I’ll admit, I’m a wee bit nervous about speaking to adults, even though I’ve taught middle-schoolers for eleven years. For one, adults are less chatty than middle-schoolers. 12-year-olds LOVE to hear themselves talk, and they are known for inserting random bits of information that they are convinced is totally on topic. Adults rarely share things about what they’re thinking, nor do they ask questions until they feel that the atmosphere is comfortable.

So I’ll be speaking both Friday night and Saturday morning. I’d love your help on something. Think back on the best workshop or training session you’ve ever attended. What made it so good? (Thanks in advance for any answers you may have to share!)