UltraPing Blog

“Watchability.” Both my spell checker and an online dictionary tell me that “watchability” is not a real word. However, I will continue to use it because, in my opinion, the ability to be watchable may be the single most important trait a speaker can have.

This summer, I attended the annual convention of the National Speakers Association. I thought that the kickoff speaker was amazing. However, if you break down his style in purely technical terms, he was awful. He kept moving around the stage, he stepped out of the light and into the audience, he checked his watch while speaking, etc. Despite all that, he had watchability. Something about his delivery and style kept me grossly engaged. Others must have thought so as well - you don’t get to open a national speakers convention if people think you’re no good.

So what is watchability? It is, to be a bit redundant, the characteristic of being watchable. People enjoy watching and listening to you speak. The amazing thing is that if you are watchable, then even if you mess up or if your content or delivery isn’t up to snuff, the audience will enjoy it.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to have great content and delivery while being amazingly watchable. The challenge is that while content and delivery are easily viewable traits, watchability is abstract. It’s easy to watch a speaker and critique how they move, or how they use their facials. You can listen and critique stutters, inflection, pace, and vocal variety. The value of their content is easy to immediately judge.

Watchability, however, is like charisma. You can’t define a set criteria, but you know it when you see it.

I have however, observed a few things that all eminently watchable speakers do:

They are themselves. These speakers speak from the heart, and speak in a style that is true to themselves. They don’t use other people’s words, and they don’t use unnatural body movements that a coach taught them. They give you the impression that if the two of you were hanging out for dinner, they would say the same thing in the same way.

They are comfortable. Watchable speakers look right at home on stage. This comes from two things: 1) they are experienced and know the material inside and out, and 2) they are not afraid of failure. While they want to communicate their message and please they audience, they are not wrapped up in all that. They are content to just get on stage and do their best. If the audience likes it great; if not, it’s not the end of the world.

They are having fun. You have probably seen a speaker (even a “professional”) who looks like they don’t want to be on stage. Watchable speakers have fun. Even if their topic is serious, they clearly act as if they want to be on that stage. They view it as an honor and a privilege. Whether it stems from fear, arrogance, burn-out, or some mysterious other factor, when a speaker would rather be somewhere else, an audience can feel it.

Practice implementing these three ideas: be yourself, get comfortable, and have fun. You can instantly and drastically increase the value of your speech without changing a single word if you do this. You will, in word, become “watchable.”

For more information and specific exercises on how to use Improv Comedy to be a better speaker (and get a fr.ee 7-Day E-Course), visit www.improvforspeakers.com

Avish Parashar is the world’s funniest (and potentially only) “Improvising Motivational Keynote Speaker” To learn more about how to bring the hilariously powerful lessons of improv comedy to your organization, visit www.avishparashar.com

Print on Demand or POD publishing isn’t for everyone. There are a number of pros as well as cons to consider before deciding to venture into the world of POD publishing and self-publishing.

The advantages or pros which I found to be a convincing argument to choose POD for my book GETTING OUT ALIVE are as follows:

1. Your book gets published on your timetable, not the timetable of a traditional publisher who may or may not have your best interests as a writer at heart.

2. You retain 100% of the rights to your book. You own the copyright, not the traditional publisher. You do what you like with your book, including publishing it with more than one POD publisher if you’d like and it doesn’t violate the rules of one the PODs you choose.

3. You choose what you want to make for royalties rather than having to negotiate this with a traditional publisher.

4. You choose what you want for the cover art of your book, you don’t have to rely on someone else’s idea of what artwork best describes the contents of your book.

5. Your book gets printed only if someone orders it, you don’t have boxes of your book sitting in your basement or attic getting eaten by moths or mice or destroyed by mold or mildew.

6. You don’t have to put out a large amount of money printing copies of your book.

7. You can sell your book from the web pages of your POD publisher(s) as well as your own website, this can give you more exposure.

The disadvantages or cons, some of which almost made me decide to continue trying to find a traditional publisher are listed below:

1. You are 100% responsible for marketing your book, no one else will do it for you, including your POD publisher. So, you must be willing to educate yourself on the finer points of marketing a book both on and off line.

2. You must be willing to pay your POD publisher a fee to get an ISBN number and to have your book listed with online bookstores such as Amazon.com If you are not willing to pay at least a small amount for these services then POD publishing may not be for you. However, there is one exception, Lulu.com by and far is the least expensive POD publisher around, and you can choose to publish your book absolutely free by not purchasing an ISBN number or getting your book onto the online bookstores, and just have it available through Lulu.com. The downside if you choose not pay anything though is less exposure for your book.

3. You are responsible for providing review copies of your book to reviewers, and to getting it to the reviewers within their time frame. Some will only accept copies of books that are about to be released, or have been released within the past three months. And some will only accept a print version rather than an e-book version. You will also find that some will not review POD and/or self-published titles. I didn’t discover this to be the case until after my book was released, and I found that some reviewers simply refused to review it once it was past the 90 day period after release, or refused to review it at all simply because it was POD published.

4. You are responsible for setting up book signings, and other such events. If you want to add these kinds of events to your marketing plan, you have to be willing to approach bookstores and other places that sell books and be confident in selling yourself and your book to the people in charge.

5. You are responsible for either creating, designing and printing your own marketing materials such bookmarks, business cards, brochures etc. or be willing to pay someone else to do so for you. Either way it is another expense, although personally I’ve found it to be more cost effective to design and print my own.

As I said before, POD is not for everyone, but if you are someone who doesn’t mind spending some money on your book for marketing, and education and you want to have total control of your book then POD can be a great solution to getting that completed manuscript out of your drawer, box, or computer and getting it out to the world.

Regina Paul is the author of the science fiction novel GETTING OUT ALIVE, and editor of the free bi-monthly writer’s e-zine Regina’s Universe. You can read the first chapter of her novel, sign up for her e-zine and find many other writer’s freebies at: http://www.reginapaul.bravehost.com

Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as a series of chapters. It’s actually more useful to regard it as a series of linked scenes. Why? Because it makes it a lot easier to control the pace of your story.

‘Pace’ may be described as the forward movement of your story. Sometimes it will move at a slower pace than at other times. What you need to aim for is a story that moves along fast enough to maintain reader interest, but not at such breakneck speed that the reader doesn’t have time to get to know the characters or assimilate the plot. Nor do you want your story to slow down too much. That can lead to your reader closing the book. (If that reader happens to be the editor to whom you hope to sell the story, you’re in big trouble.)

Scenes that contain a lot of action or conflict tend to elevate the reader’s blood pressure. They have her whipping through the pages, anxious to absorb every moment of the drama being played out. A novel full of such scenes:

1. is too tiring to read for hours at a stretch and

2. sees the overall effect of each scene diminished so the entire novel loses punch.

None of us can put up with constantly high stress levels without burning out!

A book that moves at too rapid a pace is like a movie packed with one action scene after another-it’s all too much. To appreciate and enjoy the conflict when it happens (in a nail-biting kind of way) we need periods of calm between the storms. These alternating scenarios can be regarded as scenes and their sequels.

The scene involves the main characters in action and/or conflict. It usually contains dialogue. Picture it as a scene from a movie - lights, camera, ACTION!

Following such a scene, you give your reader a chance to breathe, by moving into the sequel. The sequel is the logical aftermath of the scene. In the sequel, the viewpoint character has time to think about what has just happened, what it means to him/her, and what he/she intends to do next. By planning your novel as a series of scenes and sequels, you can control the pace.

Want to slow things down? Expand the sequel, the ‘calm’ period, which gives the character (and the reader) ‘time out’.

Want to speed things up? Shorten the sequel. For example:

‘By the time Marianne reached her apartment, she was good and mad. There was no way she intended to let Jake Rockford get away with a pathetic story like that! Five minutes after walking through her front door, she was dialling the Rockford’s number. Within half an hour, she was pulling up in her sister’s driveway, ready to do battle.’

In just a few lines, you have pitchforked the reader into the next action-packed scene. We know that Marianne doesn’t believe Jake’s story. We know she’s eager to confront Julie and/or Jake. And we haven’t wasted any time getting her there: one scene leads very quickly into the next, thus keeping the story moving along at a smart clip.

Learn to use scene and sequel effectively, and you retain control over the pacing of your novel. At all times the paramount question in your mind should be: How will this scene advance the story? If the answer is ‘I don’t know’ or ‘It won’t, really’ - then out it goes, no matter how well-written it is.

The Structure Of A Scene

The viewpoint character in each scene should have a goal.
Why? So you don’t include scenes that go nowhere and achieve nothing. Scenes that bog your story down.

hese are the things you should take into consideration when planning a scene:

1. What is the viewpoint character’s goal?

• What does he want at the outset of the scene?

• How will the action in the scene help him to get what he wants?

• Is the scene goal relevant to the viewpoint character’s main goals in life? (Either work or private)

• Will the reader worry about whether the viewpoint character will get what he wants?

2. What is the source of conflict?

• What complications will arise to prevent your character from achieving her goal(s)?

• How will your character try to overcome these problems?

• Will the readers worry about whether the character will achieve her goal(s)?

3. Does your scene end dramatically?

• Is the viewpoint character better off or worse off at the end of the scene?

• If he is better off, have you introduced (or foreshadowed) a new plot twist to maintain tension? (Never make things too easy for your main character.)

• Has the scene moved the story forward?

• Has the scene left the reader wanting to know what will happen next?

• Have you answered the question you set up in the reader’s mind at the beginning of the scene? (For example: will Character get what he wants? How will he go about getting what he wants?)

4. Have you planned the scene’s sequel?

• Have you had the character think about what has just happened?

• Have you had the character decide what to do next to pursue her goal?

• Have you had the character take action or make a decision that moves us into the next scene?

(c) Copyright Marg McAlister

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers’ tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/

Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with butterflies in their stomach before giving a presentation? And there are many actors/actresses who can not speak to live audiences without cue cards. My 13 years as a professional speakers bureau owner allowed me to hear several thousand speakers give their presentations. Here are a few tips I learned from them.

1. You want to be nervous. Get your butterflies to fly in formation. Some tension brings about a great speech. You usually don’t look as nervous as you feel. Be prepared, be relaxed. Practice, practice, practice. Use visualization techniques. One speaker suggests that you curl your toes and get rid of your adrenalin. Get out of your head and in to your heart. Reduce nervousness with self talk.

Your mantra might be - “I am a relaxed, confident speaker.”

2. Great presentations are well organized.

Opening - You have 60seconds to get their attention. So start with a great question, quote or short story. Tell ‘em what you will tell them.

Body - Tell ‘em. This is where you tell your 3-4 points supported by your stories.

Closing -Tell ‘em what you told them. Give them a call to action. What is one idea they can use immediately? in seven days? in one month?

There are basically two kinds of presentations - Informative (to know) Persuasive (to do)

Be sure you know what you want your audience to do as a result of your presentation.

Ask. . . What do they need to know to do this? What do they need to feel to do this?

Then provide 3-4 points in the body of your message and provide transitions between the points.

3. Great speeches have great stories. Sprinkle them throughout your presentation. We delineate our thoughts visually and your audience needs to “see” what they “hear.”

4. Technology is just a tool. Do not be a master of ceremonies to your PowerPoint. It is not the presentation.

Here are some guidelines to follow:

Necessity - is this visual aid going to enhance the audience’s understanding Clarity - to help people understand Simplicity - PowerPoint with words - no more than five words per line and five lines per slide. Color - color enhances the slide - but only use a few (we’re not talking about your kid’s 300 Crayola box of crayons) Visibility - keep it large and clear

5. Your voice is the source of power. FDR, Martin Luther King, Churchill used the power of their voice. Remember people need to see what they hear. Slow down, add a pause, whisper . . .use your voice to change tones, be loud or soft as needed.

6. Use your eyes - to make contact with audience. Focus on one person at a time and all the other people will feel as if you are talking to them also. This will help you to connect with people and make them feel you are there for them.

7. Interact - provide your audience with short role plays or partnering exercises. This gives them an opportunity to practice what you are telling them to do. Give them an opportunity to tell someone about their challenge and get some feedback as to how to resolve it. Then they can walk out the door at the end of the program ready to think or act differently. This is what every great speaker wants!

8. Join a fre*e Teleclass to learn how to speak like a pro on June 30, 2004 from 8-9 p.m. (EST) http://www.schrift.com/teleclasses/index.htm

© 2004 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved

Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*e of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address (http://www.schrift.com) in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com. Thank you.

About The Author

Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to “grow” a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations. To find out How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker, go to http://www.schrift.com/ProfessionalSpeaker/ Join my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm