The TWO techniques that will transform your public speaking
The job of being a writer often encompasses things that we didn’t think about as we concentrate on plot, characterisation, pace, language…you know, all the writerly bits that we love. Once published, we expected to be marketing experts, social media whizzes, write compelling features for the media (and our Substack) and – and here’s the one that most often strikes fear into the hearts of writers – give talks. Actually stand up in front of strangers and speak confidently.
I’m naturally shy, and the thought of talking about myself makes my stomach do weird things. But, like most authors, I’ve had to get over this. So now I’m going to let you in on the trick I stumbled across. First, I must explain my background: I’m a journalist. When I was 19 I got my first job, as a trainee (then known as a cub reporter) on my local weekly newspaper. Back then, my shyness was almost crippling, but the idea of becoming a reporter, of hearing people’s stories and telling them, lit a fire inside me that made me want to push myself. Even leaving messages on answer machines made me feel tongue-tied, so I would write a little script before calling, so that I knew exactly what to say. Thus began a lifetime habit of preparation in order to hide nerves.
Interviewing others eventually became second nature to me as I went on to write for national newspapers and magazines. It’s something I still enjoy hugely. But the first time I was asked to give a talk as an author? That was completely different. Suddenly, I was expected to be the one doing all the talking. The one the spotlight was one. And writing novels is so different from writing news articles, or features for magazines. It’s more personal - even though it is, of course, the character’s tale, it is something we have pulled from ourselves over a period of months, and breathed life into.
What on earth would I talk about? Why would anyone be interested in anything I had to say? My mind was an utter blank regarding content.
Even if I thought of SOMETHING to say, I felt ill at the thought of standing in front of others and actually saying it. I felt like that 19-year-old shy young woman again.
But perhaps there was something I could learn from her. Preparation.
First, I decided to remove myself from the equation. Instead, of thinking about what I could talk about, and beating myself up about how no one would be interested, I asked myself: if you were to interview someone just like you, what questions would you ask?
Instantly, it seemed easier. I could think of reams of questions, because in changing the perspective I was no longer thinking about myself but someone like me. By creating psychological distance, I had also removed the nerves.
Once the questions were done, I simply had to answer them. It was so much easier to create the content for the talk this way, rather than try to come up with things ‘cold’. It turned out, there was a lot I could talk about. Try it for yourself. Write a list of interview questions. I bet you’ll surprise yourself with how interesting you are!
Of course, there was still the performance aspect of the event to deal with. Distancing myself had worked so well before, so was there a way I could do it again? The answer was: yes!
So here’s my second tip that will transform your public speaking… I read over the answers I’d written to the questions. Read them again and again. Recorded them on a voice note on my phone, then listened to them when I was doing housework or out for a walk. Yes, it was cringe. But it also meant that when I practised saying them out loud, I knew them well enough to be able to think about how to say them as much as what I was saying. I had drilled the answer so much that I could concentrate on nuance – and also remind myself not to mumble, but to speak as if addressing the people right at the back of the room. In some ways, I was learning lines like an actor, so that I could give a performance as the author Barbara Copperthwaite/Barbara Havelocke, who (it appears) is a lot more confident than the version of me who likes to hide in the house, barely moving from in front of my laptop as I make stuff up to earn a living.
This technique has got me through a lot of appearances over the years. And as time has gone on, I’ve become more at ease, but I still use it because it’s so helpful. I hope you find it just as useful!
Come and see me at my next talks! I’ll be chatting about GREAT EXPECTATIONS and how my fascination with it inspired my Gothic historical thrillers, ESTELLA’S REVENGE (out now) and ESTELLA’S FURY (out 13 November). The talk is with the great, great, great granddaughter of Charles Dickens, Lucinda Hawksley, at Whitby Lit Festival. Tickets are available here.
You can also see me at the launch of Estella’s Fury, appearing at The Heath Bookshop, Kings Heath, Birmingham, on Friday 14 November. Tickets are available here.