When you write a speech, do you have a theme? Is there a point you hope to make through examples, anecdotes and facts?
I think that most speeches start out with an underlying or even a blatant message. You may want your audience to believe, adopt, understand, accept or even embrace a concept, position, truth or ideal. You share information, statistics and facts in order to educate your audience and then you present them with the mechanics of how they can change, adapt or adjust their lifestyle or their belief system accordingly.
When I speak on book promotion, I generally attempt to create a rapport with the audience—“We all find book promotion challenging.” I throw in a shocker—“But it’s necessary. If you don’t promote your book, you’ll likely be one of the nearly 78 percent of authors who fail.” And then I spend the majority of my time allotment outlining how to successfully promote your book.
Most authors already know that when they promote, they sell books. When they don’t, they don’t. And many of them are timid about putting themselves out there. They may start out promoting like gangbusters and then run out of gumption and ideas. My job is to give them hope and ideas. But I feel it is also important to help authors gain a level of understanding about the nature of the publishing industry and how they can be a significant part of it.
If you would like to learn more about writing speeches, locating and arranging for presentations, how to tame your noodle knees, how to give a great interview, how to develop better communication skills and much more, read my book, “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Books Through Public Speaking, Interviews, singings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” It’s at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio. It’s also at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com/TalkUpYourBook