I finished a large editing job yesterday and now have the space in which to organize a speech for two upcoming writers’ conferences. One of them is supposed to have somewhere between 400 and a thousand attendees and it is a one-level/tier program. In other words, rather than the typical three or more break-out sessions occurring simultaneously at this writers conference, it is one presentation—one speaker—at a time.
I find that it is a very different experience when speaking to a large group as compared to a room of fifteen to thirty people. The intimacy is lost in the larger group. You do not have that workshop atmosphere. The job of a speaker, then, is more along the lines of a keynote speaker. In order to engage a larger audience, you really must be entertaining as well as informative.
Don’t you agree that the job of a speaker is to engage the audience? And this can be done in a variety of ways. In a smaller group, you do this by including audience members—involving them. But how do you do that with a large group? I’ve discovered that you need different tactics.
When I’m speaking to that audience of fifteen to thirty authors, I might give them writing exercises, offer a Q and A session, ask for a show of hands a time or two and/or provide a show and tell opportunity.
When the group is smaller, still—an intimate group of four to eight, for example—I might encourage more dialogue/discussion between us, maybe some readings and I tend to respond to questions in more detail.
In a large group, speakers are more inclined to engage their audience through group exercises such as having them repeat a mantra or sing a round or stand and stretch or look under their chairs for notification of a prize, perhaps.
I discovered early on as a speaker that groups large or small are engaged through laughter. The point is to somehow pull the audience together in some manner. Some speakers do this by evoking laughter (telling jokes). It’s a shared experience for the audience when they are all laughing at (responding to) the same thing.
Have you noticed how laughter can relax the speaker? I learned this the first few times I spoke as PTA president for my children’s grammar school. I think it may have been spontaneous and unplanned, but I remember my nervousness subsiding as soon as I received a chuckle from the audience. I made it a point after that to always say something that encouraged a little laughter whenever I stood up to speak.
Back to my scheduled speech: I’ve decided to use more anecdotes than usual in order to illustrate the points I want to make in a way that is, perhaps, more relatable to audience members. What do you think? And yes, I hope to include a little humor along the way.
Have you gained courage enough to speak before a group? If you have a book to promote, you should be out there doing some public speaking. What do you do to calm your nerves? Do you notice that your presentation takes on a totally different shape when you are speaking to a smaller group versus a larger one? I’d like to hear from you.
I’ll be speaking to authors and hopeful authors at the Ojai Library Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 3 in the afternoon in Ojai California. And if you are going to be anywhere near Wadesboro, North Carolina April 2, 2011, be sure to attend the Carolinas Writer’s Conference. I apologize that my webmaster is out of town and I don’t have the particulars posted at my website, yet. Please contact me for more info: PLFry620@yahoo.com