SPELLBINDER FROM THE PODIUM
I'm working on a lunch presentation I'll make for the Shepherd's Center in Lexington on March 17. I'm not a natural when it comes to speaking publicly, so it takes preparation and a script.
Advice I've picked up:
Tell a joke every five minutes. I have embarrassed myself so many times trying to tell a joke. I'm like my mother, who became so tickled in the process that she was the only one laughing at the punch line. At least she could remember the punch line.
ChuckPalahniuk wrote in his book ConsiderThis that he threw treats into audiences. Thinking along those lines, I bought wrapped candies. Doug ate them, so yesterday I bought more and have hidden them in the laundry room. I haven't figured out if I can work this into my presentation, but as the day nears, I'll have candy to calm me down.
Use PowerPoint, exciting visuals. The problem with this scenario is my technophobia. My laptop is a challenge, though I pride myself on having prepared zoom presentations on Keynote as well built a website . And obviously I manage to post blogs. However, I shudder at the thought of taking my laptop out of the office.
I love quotations. Oscar Wilde supposedly said, "Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." I don't think I'm witless, but sometimes I have my suspicions. I have a framed photo of Wilde in my office. His quotes cheer me up if I'm down.
The title of my presentation is taken from a quote by W. Somerset Maugham, "There are Three Rules of Writing." You have to know up front that anybody who suggests there are THREE rules must mistake himself for God. Maugham saved himself, and I'll save myself, with the completion of that quote, which is: "Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
Oscar Wilde, between my grandfather (l.) and my parents (rt.)
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