Are You A Presentation Karaoke Machine?

As a service provider, one of the best ways to market your business is to offer free presentations at association meetings. It’s a great way to share knowledge and build relationships. However, you’ve got to entertain as well as inform.

While reading the newspaper this morning I noticed a funny cartoon, Real Life Adventures, by Wise and Aldrich. Two businessmen are talking to each other and the one says, “It’s a presentation karaoke machine. You can play an earlier successful presentation and lip-sync to it. And since most meetings are about the same old thing every time, nobody even knows the difference.”

It got me thinking about how many pathetic presentations I’ve attended that did sound like they were coming from a presentation karaoke machine. The presenter didn’t care whether the audience was “getting it” or not, he just rambled on with his agenda. It was a waste of time for both the presenter and the audience.

Make Presentations Two-Way Communication

Presentations can be described as a one-way communication activity. The participants sit and listen while the expert “presents.” However, it’s this type of thinking that creates a karaoke presentation.

I prefer to think of presentations as an opportunity to engage my audience in my topic. Presentations can be a two-way communication activity if you take the time to make each presentation unique for the group you are presenting to. No matter what your topic, it can be tweaked to meet the needs of a specific audience.

For instance, if I am giving a talk on effective business writing techniques to a group of realtors, I would make sure the examples I use refer specifically to the writing of realtors. I would find out ahead of time what realtors consider their main problems when putting together a business message. From there I would incorporate solutions to these specific issues in my presentation.

A presentation isn’t effective unless the audience can relate to what you are saying. They have to bring the information into their world before it will make sense to them. That’s why it’s so effective to use examples common to them.

Adults Learn By Doing

Remember, adults learn by doing. Try to include some small, fun activity, in your presentation to involve your audience. Rather than telling them, let them experience the excitement of discovery. Arrange one of your main points to become an exercise for the audience.

The activity doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time. I often use a handout where participants fill in the blanks. I encourage participants to work with the person sitting next to them to try to get the right answer. Everyone laughs when I read off the answers and we all have a good time.

Doing this accomplishes two things: you give the audience a break from your lecturing and you give yourself a break from lecturing. Now you can put yourself in the role of a facilitator and get some one-on-one interaction with audience members. It will also cause your evaluations to skyrocket. Adults get such few opportunities to have fun at work that these activities are greatly appreciated.

As a service provider, one of the best ways to market your business is to offer free presentations at association meetings. It’s a great way to share knowledge and build relationships. However, you’ve got to entertain as well as inform.

While reading the newspaper this morning I noticed a funny cartoon, Real Life Adventures, by Wise and Aldrich. Two businessmen are talking to each other and the one says, “It’s a presentation karaoke machine. You can play an earlier successful presentation and lip-sync to it. And since most meetings are about the same old thing every time, nobody even knows the difference.”

It got me thinking about how many pathetic presentations I’ve attended that did sound like they were coming from a presentation karaoke machine. The presenter didn’t care whether the audience was “getting it” or not, he just rambled on with his agenda. It was a waste of time for both the presenter and the audience.

Make Presentations Two-Way Communication

Presentations can be described as a one-way communication activity. The participants sit and listen while the expert “presents.” However, it’s this type of thinking that creates a karaoke presentation.

I prefer to think of presentations as an opportunity to engage my audience in my topic. Presentations can be a two-way communication activity if you take the time to make each presentation unique for the group you are presenting to. No matter what your topic, it can be tweaked to meet the needs of a specific audience.

For instance, if I am giving a talk on effective business writing techniques to a group of realtors, I would make sure the examples I use refer specifically to the writing of realtors. I would find out ahead of time what realtors consider their main problems when putting together a business message. From there I would incorporate solutions to these specific issues in my presentation.

A presentation isn’t effective unless the audience can relate to what you are saying. They have to bring the information into their world before it will make sense to them. That’s why it’s so effective to use examples common to them.

Adults Learn By Doing

Remember, adults learn by doing. Try to include some small, fun activity, in your presentation to involve your audience. Rather than telling them, let them experience the excitement of discovery. Arrange one of your main points to become an exercise for the audience.

The activity doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time. I often use a handout where participants fill in the blanks. I encourage participants to work with the person sitting next to them to try to get the right answer. Everyone laughs when I read off the answers and we all have a good time.

Doing this accomplishes two things: you give the audience a break from your lecturing and you give yourself a break from lecturing. Now you can put yourself in the role of a facilitator and get some one-on-one interaction with audience members. It will also cause your evaluations to skyrocket. Adults get such few opportunities to have fun at work that these activities are greatly appreciated.

Article Source: http://www.redsofts.com/articles/

Michelle Howe, MBA, is an expert in online copywriting. Visit her Web site at http://www.InternetWordMagic.com for a FREE audio download of “Pay-Per-Click Success: Attract More Customers in 30 Days or Less” and FREE report, “The Five-Step Plan to Article Success.”

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Are You Achieving Your Writing Goals?

At the start of this new year, like at the start of every other new year, I came across dozens of articles about the importance of setting achievable goals, challenging myself to do new things and fixing measurable standards and working towards them.

But what happens when you mess up the goals from last year? Where’s the real advice about missed deadlines and lost goals that all but kill the inspiration to come up with new ones? I didn’t achieve three out of the ten goals I had set for myself last year, even though I was obsessive-compulsive about looking at them each day and measuring my performance regularly. I’m tempted to say that life got in the way or blame the shift in priorities that happened mid-year. But these are things that can and will happen each year. Instead of putting your life on hold the year when the strains and stresses get too much, plan your goals accordingly right at the beginning.

If you didn’t meet some of your goals last year, here are some questions that you need to answer honestly, so that you do this time around.

Are you actively pursuing your targets?

It doesn’t work just to look at your goals each morning and then do nothing about them. Sure, that’s a good start and it means you’re conscious of where you are in your career, but if you want to move further, you need to create an action plan. Instead of just making yearly goals, make monthly, weekly, even daily ones and then try and meet them.

Also important is to work towards what you want to achieve step by step. One of my goals last year was to get published in Reader’s Digest. Guess how many query letters I sent them?

Two.

You’re laughing, aren’t you? I’m cringing. That’s because I know that two queries just doesn’t hack it if you’re targeting such a high-level publication. Two queries wasn’t even enough to get into my local newspaper; how’s it going to land me a national assignment? If I had been serious about getting into RD, I would have read every issue, sent a query each month and built a personal relationship with the editor. Yet, I did none of those things. Not surprisingly, my goal remained unfinished at the end of the year.

Are you being honest with yourself?

In my first year of freelancing, I earned over a 100 published credits. That’s because my aim was to reach this number, without caring about the money that came in. That meant that I wrote for low-paying publications, publications that paid in kind instead of cash, and on topics that I had absolutely no interest in. The next year, I shifted my focus to cracking the nationals and making a decent income from my work. But here’s where I went wrong: I assumed that since I had already proven that I could write a 100 articles in a year, I’d be able to do a repeat performance. But national magazines require much more research, very specialized queries, and a great deal of more effort per article. So while my goals of getting into national magazines and increasing my income were met, my goal of getting another 100 credits wasn’t.

Are the goals really yours?

I think almost all of us get sucked into aping the tactics of someone we admire at one point or the other. The thought process then works something like this: If she could write two children’s books, pen twenty greeting cards, author three non-fiction titles and syndicate a humor column in her third year of freelancing, why can’t I? Never mind that I’m not really that into children’s writing and I haven’t said anything remotely funny since I was 10.

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been guilty of doing the above. It’s easy to look at goals of other writers and think, “She’s got so many goals for the year and I’ve got only five. Let me increase mine, too.” But “she” doesn’t have your life, and you don’t have hers. So set goals that are appropriate for your career and your ambitions, not hers.

What’s your life like?

If you’re a new mom, don’t expect to be able to work 80-hour weeks like you did before you gave birth. If you have a full-time job, don’t try to take on same-day deadline assignments. You need to set goals that are suitable to your life, your speed and your talent, no matter what anyone else may do or say.

It’s also important to incorporate life changes into your goal-setting. I lost two grandparents this year, which not only forced me to take a physical vacation from work, but an emotional one as well. I needed to give myself time to heal in order to get back to work refreshed and with new vigor. If you’re going through stressful times, don’t expect yourself to be as productive as say, when you’re having a great year. Cut down on your goal list a little and be easy on yourself. Making yourself work too hard when you’re not physically or emotionally ready to, will not help you meet your goals; instead it’ll detract you from them.

Are you confusing your long-term and short-term goals?

Writing a novel is my long-term goal. A “someday.” But I’m not there yet. And I know I’m not going to be able to work on my dream novel this year, next year or maybe even the one after that. If I do, I’ll be taking time away from the non-fiction work that pays the bills and for the next couple of years, I can’t afford to do that. Putting “write a novel” on my list of goals for the year isn’t going to make me feel too good about myself, especially as this goal gets carried forward year after year. Instead, I’m putting it on my “to do before I’m 30” list. That way, it’s not too near, and it’s not so far away that it becomes a distant dream instead of reality.

Once I’ve cracked a good number of national magazines, finished and published a couple of non-fiction books and can afford to take time away from non-fiction, I can consider taking a risk with fiction.

Are you keeping track?

The biggest problem I face right now is keeping track of where all the time went. While to an outsider it may seem like I’m working almost all the time, the truth is, I waste a lot of time on e-mail, reading newsletters, networking with fellow writers and well, checking e-mail.

To counter this problem, I started keeping a daily journal to keep track of where my writing time was really going. My productivity’s almost doubled since I started doing this. Keeping an hour-to-hour or even a daily tab of what I’d achieved for that day kept me accountable and ready to tackle the next important task on my list, rather than checking e-mail one more time. And if an entry for a particular day reads, “Revised article for Wedding Dresses, conducted research on a new idea,” I’d immediately know that I needed to increase my productivity, and by how much. Sure, checking e-mail is work too, but it’s not bringing in any money. So I make it secondary work and answer incoming mails only once a day, unless they need urgent attention.

Are your priorities straight?

Which brings me to my next point. Set your priorities right and work top to bottom. A technique that works for many people is to make a daily list of things that need to be done. Then, in the order of priority, tackle them one by one, striking them off the list. At the end of the day, even if you have some work unattended to, it can easily be transferred to the next day’s list, since it’ll be at the lowest priority.

Do you have a fixed schedule?

I still struggle with this one, but each time I’m able to set a schedule for myself, I find that I’m happier, more energetic and much more productive. Getting up at six in the morning one day, not sleeping for another two days and then getting a whole lot of slumber on and off for the next three days eats into your energy and taxes your brain much more than it should. It also becomes a cause for unnecessary delays and interruptions. Instead of surrendering to your muse whenever it shows up, program your body to work for a fixed time each day. Your brain will automatically recognize that as time to work and get on the job. Make your routine consistent. When our body gets used to doing something at a particular time, we’re able to do with ease. So if you’ve decided to write five pages each morning before the kids get up, make sure to do it.

Answer these questions honestly and get to work on these techniques. You’ll find all your goals ticked off your list by the end of this year.

Mridu Khullar is a full-time freelance writer from New Delhi, India and has written for almost 70 publications, recently including Chicken Soup for the Soul, Writer's Digest, Women's Health & Fitness, Girls' Life, Wedding Dresses and ePregnancy. Visit her at http://www.MriduKhullar.com

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Are You Suffering from the Autopilot Dilemma?

An epidemic is occurring all around you, and there is a good chance it has already found its way into your life. It begins slowly at first, nearly imperceptible. But it grows. In time it can take over your entire life. I have seen it happen too many times, and if you don’t act now, it may happen to you.

It’s easy to fall into the trap. Well-intentioned individuals of all ages don’t mean for it to happen, but that doesn’t matter. It takes much more than good intentions to steer clear of this problem. If all it took was good intentions the world would be packed with people living their dreams and accomplishing their goals. But that’s not how it works, and this trap is one of the most common reasons why it has happened too often in the past, and will continue to happen in the future.

What exactly are we dealing with here? What is so deadly to the goals and hopes you have stored away in your head?

Routine.

ACTION WITHOUT PURPOSE
A very unusual experiment was conducted by John Fabre, the French naturalist, consisting of processionary caterpillars, a type of caterpillar that blindly follows the one in front of it. This explains the name processionary caterpillar. The experiment consisted of several of these caterpillars, a flowerpot filled to the rim with dirt, and pine needles.

The caterpillars formed a complete circle around the rim of the flowerpot, with the first one touching the back of the last one. The pine needles, the food of the processionary caterpillar, were placed in the center of the circle.

The caterpillars began their procession around the flowerpot, one following the other in a circle. This went on hour after hour, day after day, for an entire week. In the end, every one of the caterpillars dropped dead of starvation.

The one thing that could have saved them was only six inches away, but without purposeful thought or action, the caterpillars continued with a habitual routine that eventually proved too much to endure.

This is happening to people you know, maybe even you, although not to this degree. Get stuck doing the same old thing every single day and your goals, sitting only inches away, are as good as gone.

Plain and simple. You might think it’s a little too simple, but falling into a routine can destroy your life. I have very strong beliefs about this because I have seen it happen to people close to me, as I’m sure you have as well. Good friends and family start off with bright hopes for the future, but their routine begins to take their place. ‘No time, no time,’ is a common excuse. After seventy years of having no time to do the things you have always wanted to do you’ll end up with nothing but a good excuse in the end.

This is your life we are talking about here. It’s worth taking the time to break the pattern of habit and creating the changes you wish to make. There is little more that is as important as the life you create and the good you leave behind. Recognize if you are in a routine and break free.

IT’S NOT YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
The routines I’m referring to are much deeper than a morning process of a shower and shave. I’m talking about turning off your brain and letting autopilot kick in. Doing the same things you did the day before with no plans to change the pattern any time soon.

You know the drill – wake up, shower, work, home, sleep, repeat. This is no way to live, and you know that. But it’s still hard to break free once the routine has gotten hold of you. All hope is not lost. If you want to turn off the autopilot and start taking control of your life it takes only one moment to make the decision. And then everything changes.

You’ve heard it a thousands times, and it’s a good thing, because it’s true. If you keep doing what you have always done in the past you will keep getting the exact same results. People experience a partial insanity when it comes to routine. Perfectly logical creatures believe that doing the same thing again and again will get different results. That’s crazy!

If you want to lose weight but continue with the same eating habits, you won’t lose weight. If you want to have more energy but stay up until four and get up at six it won’t happen. You have goals, just like everyone else. If you are stuck in a routine you won’t accomplish them. Be honest with yourself about this one. It’s the only way you’ll realize the need for a change before you can enjoy improvement.

BREAK THE PATTERN!
What does it take? It takes a decision. A choice of what you really want to do with your life and the corresponding actions to make it happen. I want you to create a plan for your future and the goals you want to accomplish. If you know where you are going and how to get there you will not be disappointed in the end.

Jason M. Gracia – Motivation123
Get your Free Motivation Kit filled with dozens of quick and easy motivation tips and techniques at the Motivation123 Web site. Visit www.Motivation123.com now!

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Attention-Grabbing Cover and Query Letters

You’ve labored over your manuscript for months. It’s a polished, spell-checked, one-of-a-kind manuscript. Now it’s time to approach an editor. Does the editor want to see a complete manuscript with a cover letter, or a query letter? Either way, you’ll have about ten seconds to get his or her attention.

What is a cover letter?

A cover letter is a business letter introducing a particular piece of writing, which accompanies the letter, to an editor or agent. It should be concise, informative and professional. Professional does not mean stuffy. This letter is your representative. Let your own personality come across. The letter should contain all the necessary information…and nothing more.

Cover letters are typed and single-spaced, written in standard business form. They are printed on plain white, 8 1/2-by-11 inch paper unless you have personal business letterhead, in which case you may use that. Ideally, the letter is no longer than one page. The more white space on the paper, the more inviting a busy editor will find your letter.

Begin the cover letter with a paragraph that states what you are submitting. It should include the title of the piece, the genre, and the approximate word count. Usually, nothing more needs to be written about the manuscript as it will be enclosed in the envelope and will speak for itself.

However, there are instances when you may want or need to impart more information–such as to alert the editor to the timeliness of your topic, provide important exclusive source information, or let the editor know that photos are available.

Next, tell why you have chosen to send your material to that editor or publishing house. Perhaps your manuscript fits with a series they publish, you particularly like the way a book similar to yours was illustrated, or you read in a named resource that she was looking for magazine features such as yours. All this establishes the fact that you have some knowledge of the industry.

Finally, tell a bit about yourself, but only what is pertinent to the project. If your background gives you some expertise in the field about which you have written, state that. If you have publishing credits in the field or genre, state that. If you have none of these things to tell, omit this paragraph all together. Always keep a positive tone to your letter.

What is a query letter?

Frustrated editors everywhere have sought ways to decrease the number and size of the stacks of unsolicited manuscripts. So, more publishing houses each year hang out the “no unsolicited manuscripts” sign. Many writers think this means doors are closed to them, but it only means you must ask the editor if he or she is interested in seeing your project. This is done with a query letter.

A query letter asks permission to send the project described in the letter. The query letter is sent without an accompanying manuscript. So, a query letter must sell the editor on looking at your completed manuscript.

The first paragraph must hook the editor’s attention, just as your manuscript must. That hook should be in the tone of the manuscript you want to submit–whether rollicking, somber or humorous. Then, in a couple of sentences, tell the plot of your story. Many people write this as they would write a book cover flap, drawing the reader in. Unlike the cover flap however, don’t keep the editor guessing. Tell the high points of your plot in a sentence or two. That’s hard to do. Plan to take your time and do it well. If you don’t sell your story and yourself in this letter, that’s all the editor will ever see…your letter. Do this with facts and polished work, not hype.

The remainder of the query letter will have the same information a cover letter would–the nature of what you want to submit (genre, word count, title), why you chose to send to them, and pertinent information about yourself.

One editor who still takes unsolicited manuscripts tells how much she likes query letters. When the mail arrives, the manuscripts are placed in the slush pile for later perusal but the queries are opened that day, read, and decided on. If a self-addressed stamped post card has been enclosed, she can check the appropriate box and get it back in the mail. If the project is not something she can use, in just a few days the author knows that and can mail his or her manuscript to another editor. If, however, the editor wants to see the entire manuscript, when the author sends it, she or he marks its envelope “requested material”. When the editor receives it, she will put it in the requested or solicited pile which will be dealt with long before the slush pile.

Cover and query letters must be written with the same care as you took with your manuscript. Use your ten seconds for all they’re worth.

Cover and Query Letter Checklist

* My return address includes my name, address, phone number and email address.
* The letter is addressed to the proper editor, whose name is spelled correctly.
* The letter is concise, polished and written in a business format.
* The one-page letter (two only if absolutely necessary) contains no more than three or four paragraphs and as much white space as possible.
* The letter sounds professional, much like any other job application.
* I have used Courier typeface at ten characters to the inch.
* I have checked my spelling and grammar.
* For cover letters, I have enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope large enough and with the proper postage for the return of my manuscript–just in case it’s necessary. For queries, I’ve enclosed a business sized SASE or a SASPC (self-addressed, stamped postcard) for the editor’s response.

This article is excerpted from Author to Editor: Query Letter Secrets of the Pros, edited and compiled by Linda Arms White. It’s the latest book from Children’s Book Insider.

Author to Editor: Query Letter Secrets of the Pros features actual contract-generating book proposals, query letters and cover letters used by some of America’s top children’s authors. The authors analyze each letter, tell why it worked, and share inside tips for writing the perfect letter.

For more information about this remarkable book, click here!

Laura Backes is the publisher of Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers. For more information about writing children's books, including free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit Children's Book Insider's home on the web at http://write4kids.com

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Attitude – Your Secret Weapon

Follow your instincts we are told. But is this good advice?

Instinct helps us to decide what’s right and wrong. It can help us plan a course of action that sits well with our conscience or life-view. We can do great things following our instincts.

But our instincts can be wrong. We all know of examples when, sometimes, our instincts encourage us to undermine or to hurt other people out of a misguided sense of justice or perhaps even revenge. Not good.

Intuition is different, a more nebulous phenomenon. It is often a less than rational feeling whereby you’re convinced something is the case, or more especially will be the case based on nothing more than a hunch.

Recently I experienced an odd sense of foreboding. I was getting into my car and I just knew something bad was going to happen. I just knew. I ignored the feeling. Twenty minutes later I was involved in a four car crash in rush hour traffic – thankfully no-one was hurt.

But I remembered that my intuition was somehow ‘in touch’ with a future event – and had tried to warn me.

Some time later, I had that feeling again – again, just as I was getting into my car. This time, because I had the kids with me, I went back indoors. The following day there was news on the radio of a major train wreck that had occurred on the very stretch of road I was planning to ride down! Now that was spooky.

Then, last week, something really weird happened.

There was an ad on TV featuring a guy stood in a doorway – a stone arch with distinctive lettering above it. When I saw it I thought to myself – I wonder where that is? Just out of idle curiosity.

The next day I took my sons out for the day. I was planning to take them to the zoo but Alastair said he wanted to go on a Treasure Hunt he’d been told about, so we did that instead. After, we were ambling through some back streets when Oscar, the youngest at 16 months, spotted a pile of sand. Like kids do, he made straight for it. I could have called him back but I thought, well, what’s the harm?

As we reached the sand I looked to my left down a side street – and guess what I saw? Yep, the very doorway I’d seen in the ad!

What are the odds of that? What kind of fate, destiny, happenstance – whatever you want to call it – led me to that doorway? Had my idle curiosity sent out a message to the Universe? One that was answered?

The older I get the more I am impressed with the idea that, through some as-yet-not-fully-understood higher mechanism, we create the world we live in on a day to day basis.

Scott Adams, in his book ‘Dilbert Futures’, talks about the possibility that imagining future outcomes might in some way create them. Now, even assuming you think this is a ridiculous idea – what would you do if it were true? What would you think about? What would you plan?

How would you approach your writing?

In my books and courses I talk about the need to believe that something is possible before you can make it happen. Like writing a novel or an ebook – you can’t do it unless you’re convinced you are capable of it, before you start. Creation begins with an act of faith – in yourself and in what you are trying to do.

Writing is an act of creation.

When you plan to write a piece, a short story, a novel, an ebook, whatever, you need to see (or predict) its affect – you need to see how it will be received by your friends, your family, indeed, by all people around the world.

But not in a negative sense. Too many writers ask me about the down side of publishing the truth as they see it. They want to write contentious material that, sure enough, when completed, results in bad karma. A self fulfilling prophecy, if you like.

No, you need to see the benefit and the joy or comfort your writing will bring after its completion. Even if you’re just writing for entertainment or to impart information.

Listen to your intuition. If you know something is good and right and should be out there, keep working on it, even when your instincts might be telling you otherwise.

I think the trick to a healthy and productive writing life is planning. That, and consciously visualizing the results of your writing. And, of course, faith.

I’m often surprised how many successful authors I meet who just knew, deep down, they were going to make it.

And how many unsuccessful people who just ‘know’ they’re not worthy.

To me, there’s something almost magical about attitude – that somehow, given the correct motives and enthusiasm, the Universe can reward us by actively conspiring to give us the things we desire, imagine and deserve.

This article is written by Rob Parnell. Visit his website at

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Audience Participation Adds Pizzazz to Your Storytelling

I have mentioned audience participation and its importance and in previous articles, but decided to really delve into more thoughts and ideas about the why, what, who, where, when, and how of audience participation while telling stories. There are many forms of audience participation from the subtle interaction between teller and listeners to the many out-and-out call and response techniques used between teller and audience members.

Why should we as tellers strive for audience participation?

When we achieve participation — even if it is only intense listening and hearing — with audience members, we form a bond and a special rapport. Our stories become their stories, and they internalize those stories and take them away with them forever. Subtle participation comes from taking our time to let the audience anticipate where we are going. It also comes from avoiding the use of too many descriptive details, so that our listeners can imagine and fill them in for themselves — thus participating in our story. They picture the characters, the setting, and the scenes through their own eyes, thus enriching the story for them. Of course, raucous, obvious interaction through call and response, sounds, and singing will also bond teller and listeners — especially the young.

What kinds of participation should we foster? One of the first and foremost ways to raise the level of energy in an audience is to use humor. Laughter serves as energizing exercise, and when we all laugh together, we immediately form a bond with each other. Everyone loves to laugh, so start with a funny story and give everyone time to catch up and laugh. For the very young, I find that if I start with stories where they can take part and use their voices and/or their hands, they will be “with me” for the rest of the telling. Movement of any kind is relaxing and removes any apprehension that might be lurking for either the audience or the teller. If I note that the group has been sitting for a length of time and are beginning to wiggle or look uncomfortable, I’ll have them all get up on their feet for a stretch along with a hoop and a holler! Another form of participation that well-known storyteller Ed Stivender uses is to ask the audience to name characters, a time and a setting, and he then proceeds to fashion a new story using their suggestions. Everyone has a grand time, but realize that this approach takes a courageous and confident storyteller.

Where and with whom should I use participation techniques? If you feel comfortable, asking for participation from audience members will work in any storytelling situation. If you are at a reunion or family gathering, ask other family members or attendees to share a quick story. If they are uncomfortable getting up on their feet, let them tell from a chair. You will be surprised how quickly others start to volunteer to tell once they see others chiming in. When telling to a brand new audience, and those who are unfamiliar with storytelling, it may take a bit of coaxing — you might want to get names ahead of time of some of the outgoing people attending, and ask them for help. Remember that there will always be those children and adults who just won’t take part, and you don’t want anyone to do anything that makes them uncomfortable. Usually I find that if I am telling to a group of children with a teacher who is a good sport, that once he or she participates, most of the children will too.

When and how should I encourage participation? We should always strive for some form of participation, even if it is just intense listening. The special part of being a storyteller is the personal interaction we build between ourselves and audience members. We need to give each listener the feeling that we are telling this story especially to and for him or her. One way to accomplish this is through individual eye contact. Rather than looking off or up in a different direction, try to look each person in the eye for at least three seconds before moving on to another set of eyes. They will catch your energy and you will catch theirs. This is a subtle, yet probably one of the strongest levels of participation you can achieve. As far as using music, call and response, finger play and even bringing people up on the stage with you to act out or take part in some other way, you must be totally comfortable with the ideas and techniques involved. Some storytellers thrive on this kind of participation, while others despise it. To feel and be successful, use the participation techniques that you enjoy. That is the wonderful part of being a storyteller — there is such a huge latitude of ways to tell stories. Everyone is free to be unique.

Remember to be prepared with your participation techniques. No matter how subtle or how outlandish you plan to be, it all takes practice, practice, practice. And once you take the risks, you will find it does become easier and definitely more FUN! And your audience will enjoy every minute and ask for more.

If you would like to try an issue of our FREE eclectic e-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, sign up by clicking This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and hitting SEND. Just for trying it, you will receive “10 Tips of Ways to Develop Your Personal and Professional STYLE.”
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Contact Chris King at:
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or at: P.O. Box 221255
Beachwood, Ohio 44122
Phone: (216) 991-8428

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Avoid the Top Ten Costly Author Mistakes with Professional Coaching

Maybe you are thinking about it. Maybe you don’t know it it’s worth it. A book coach can help you save time, frustration, and money down the drain because you will stop book writing, publishing, and promotion mistakes before they start.

Here’s some common mistakes and how you can avoid them.

One. Emerging authors don’t know their book’s purpose. Answer the question why your are writing it? For fame, fortune? To answer a challenge? To brand your business and make money? To entertain?

Two. Emerging authors don’t know what their preferred audience wants. They just have an idea and start writing in a kind of automatic voice. If fiction, who is your audience? Do they mainly want entertainment? If self-help, what benefits will your reader get after they read your book? Where is your audience so you can promote to them? Online?

It’s always best to write the book your audience wants rather than write a book and hope others will buy.

Three. New authors think they need to write a print book of 200 plus pages, need an agent and a publisher. But today’s audience is Online and wants a short book with just the key points. They don’t need so many stories because their reading time is limited. They want it fast and easy. They will be happy to buy and print out a short electronic book under 100 pages, and as long as they get answers, they don’t care if you have a publisher.

Four. Emerging authors leap into an introductory chapter all about THEIR story. You audience wants what you can do for them first.

Five. Writers don’t realize they need to write the easiest chapter first. If they pick a difficult one, they get stuck fast, and either give up or go more research.

Six. Emerging authors think they need to research a lot. Really, what you know is already in you about one particular topic. Make a short list of questions on one topic in your book.
Then, answer them.  Now you have part of the middle of your chapter.

Seven. Both emerging and professional authors write on and on without giving their reader a break or a reason to read on. Get your readers to turn pages and keep turning to finish when you put headlines up in your non-fiction work.

Eight. Authors forget to use a hook at the beginning of the chapter and after each heading. They launch on telling their reader all kinds of info they didn’t set the reader up to want.

Nine. Authors don’t realize a hook includes a few questions about where your audience is now. Or, some wild facts that affect your reader. Just not including your reader.

Ten. Non-fiction authors forget to put a finish on the end of the chapter. Maybe action steps. But always a last paragraph that gives the reader a reason to turn to the next chapter. Remember benefits sell.

Most clients tell me that they receive the value of the coaching costs and more when they get coaching.

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When you attend my “Book Achievers VII” 5 meeting group coaching sessions, choose one-on-one with me two times a month, or connect with me for a half-hour introductory session, you can get answers to these questions.

-What is my book’s purpose?
-Where am I now with my book project?
-How can I write each chapter fast?
-What selling points do I need to know as I write the book?
-What can you tell me to save me time and money before I start?
-Where do I want to be with my book project?
-What chapters do I want?
-How do I write a book introduction that sells?
-How do I know who my best audience is?
-How do I answer, “Why should I buy your book?”
-How much time am I willing to put into the book after my full time day?
-What can I learn to help market my book an easier way?

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW WITH THESE DATES FOR SMALL GROUP BOOK COACHING:
Tuesdays: Sept. 20, Oct. 4, 18, Nov. 1, 15

5-6 pm PT, 8-9pm ET

To register now, call the toll-free 866-200-9743 (9-6 Pac times please). You cannot register on my site for this one.

WANT MORE INFORMATION? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with “more book coach small group info” in the subject line.

We have room for 8 more, so early decisions are a plus.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people’s lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 10 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, “The BookCoach Says…,” “Business Tip of the Month,” blog Q & A at www.bookcoaching.com and over 185 free articles.

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Email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Phone: 619/466-0622  — Orders: 866/200-9743

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A Treasure Trunk of Tellers’ Tips
By Chris King, Patti Christensen, Rose the Story Lady, Stephen Hollen, Steve Otto, Mary Morgan Smith, Sharon Kirk Clifton, and Dianne de Las Casas

Every two months I have had the delightful opportunity to share tips from my storytelling friends in the Tips Column in the National Storytelling Network’s (NSN) Storytelling Magazine. Realizing that not everyone who visits this website is a member of NSN – although I highly recommend you join – I have decided to periodically start sharing some of these wonderful tips on this site. Because of space limitations in the magazine, I also have many tips that have been sent to me, but not used. So, this will solve both situations and it will become a win-win-win project for all of us. I hope you enjoy them – I received a lot of great feedback the first time I tried it – and let me know if you like the change of pace and hearing from a full troupe of tellers. Read on!

From Story to Storytelling
The journey from story to storytelling can happen in several ways: 1) A request “Can you tell ________ story?” You must decide yes, you can and will learn it, or no you can’t or won’t. 2) A story grabs you and won’t let you go. You MUST tell it. This may take a short or long time, but it is like wrestling with an angel…it must happen. 3) A story finds its way to you, you decide you’d like to learn it and you do. Knowing which of these situations are happening helps me know how to begin learning the story.

Patti Christensen
Professional Storyteller
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Historical Storytelling
I believe historical storytelling should be as accurate as possible. However, there are often conflicting versions of the same story. Whatever stories you decide to tell, be sure to share the information that there are ambiguities in this history. Tell your listeners that you are telling stories that represent how it “might” have happened. The difficulty of doing accurate historical research is a lesson kids can learn also. Just because something is in print does not make it accurate. It’s an important concept, isn’t it?
Rose the Story Lady
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Crafting Stories Is a Three Step Process

1. The first step in crafting stories is leaving the door open for ideas. I keep a file of ideas that I use as I create. These story starters may be news articles, pictures, a phrase in a book or just a thought I had at some point. I keep outdated business cards in my wallet for the purpose of making notes when I think of something. One of my favorite stories started with a note I wrote, “remember sitting on old washing machines?”
2. Second, I set specific times to practice the “craft” of writing. I go through the idea file to find something that attracts my attention. I tape the original “idea” onto a “story sheet” and begin adding thoughts that could turn into a good story. I often go straight from this step to writing either the “bones” or the entire story, but usually the story grows a step at a time. At any given time I have 30 or 40 of these pages going with ideas and outlines in some form.
3. The third step is actually writing the story. This is when I play with words and phrases and read things out loud to see how they translate from the printed to spoken word. Oral tradition kicks in and the written notes take a back seat the joy of the sound as the story flows.

Stephen Hollen
Appalachian Storyteller and Humorist
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Effective Ghost Stories
The effect of ghost stories is achieved by keeping your audience off balance. Make sure you put a few ghost jokes, in your program, and even add humorous asides to the really scary ones and the impact of the ending is magnified. Get your audience saying “Something’s going to Happen, Something’s going to Happen, Oh it’s all right, it’s a funny, Oh my gosh SOMETHING’S GOING TO HAPPEN!, no . . . it’s a funny . . .” Then cut them off at the knees with the scary ending. What you have done is build the tension of the story while putting the audience off guard and then you get them!
Steve Otto
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Timing, Timing, Timing
In humor it’s not location, location, location; it’s timing, timing, timing. Don’t rush! If most beginning tellers tend to talk too fast, that is doubly true for people telling a funny story. Give your audience time to catch the humor. Sort of a … “Huh? … Oh!” reaction is most common before laughter actually begins. If you keep talking, your audience won’t have time to get to the “Oh!” and laugh. That said, there will undoubtedly be times when they won’t catch it no matter how long you wait. Then you just have to forge ahead and give them another chance. Watch really good comedians to see how they use timing.
Mary Morgan Smith
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Importance of Program Agreements
Early in my career, I simply shook hands with the client. Experience taught me to use signed “Program Agreements.” Each time I would have a negative business experience, I would live with the results, so as not to make an enemy, and tighten up the contract for future engagements. Last year, my PA was one page of 12-pt. type. This year, I’ve still kept it to one page, but the font size is 10-pt. Shortly after developing the current contract, I was very glad I had it in place. I consider the PA a part of being a pro teller. The client expects and gets a professional quality program. Having a good contract is a part of that professionalism.
Sharon Kirk Clifton
Purveyor of Magic Beans and Seeds of Truth
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Take a Risk
How about:
Risk raising your fees and getting paid what you are worth.
Risk tapping into new markets and making inroads for storytelling.
Risk telling a risky story and holding true to your artistic standards.
Dianne de Las Casas
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If you would like to try an issue of our FREE eclectic e-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, sign up by clicking This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and hitting SEND. Just for trying it, you will receive “10 Tips of Ways to Develop Your Personal and Professional STYLE.”
We never sell names and/or e-mail addresses, and if you ever wish to “opt-out” that’s never a problem.
Contact Chris King at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or at: P.O. Box 221255
Beachwood, Ohio 44122
Phone: (216) 991-8428

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The Full Stop

Let’s start with the end – the full stop. There’s nothing worse than being led down the garden path with a long winding sentence, that doesn’t really seem to go anywhere, that slowly starts to bore you to death with all of the commas, and don’t forget the conjunctions, that are trying to hold the terribly long sentence together. Now, wasn’t that boring? Didn’t it make you want to tear your hair out? Not a full stop to be seen.

When sentences are too long they tend to fall apart and become a burden to the reader. The reader has to try and make sense of what they just read. This can become frustrating if the reader has to mentally rewrite your words before they can understand them.

‘When in doubt, leave it out’ may be the old adage, but not in the case of the full stop. When in doubt, it is usually best to break the sentence in two. Strunk also recommends not joining two independent clauses with a comma. Though if ‘two or more clauses, grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction, are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.’

Generally there are three types of sentences: the simple, the compound and the complex. The simple sentence expresses only one idea. The compound sentence expresses at least two ideas that could also be shown as two separate sentences. The complex sentence has a primary idea that is supported by at least one secondary idea that is dependent on the primary idea.

On occasion you may come across an embedded sentence, or a complex compound. This type of sentence was very fashionable in the 1800s and early 1900s, from the likes of Johnston and Cocteau. A great example is the opening line from Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby:

There once lived, in a sequestered part of the country of Devonshire, one Mr. Godfrey Nickleby: a worthy gentleman, who, taking it into his head rather late in life that he must get married, and not being young enough or rich enough to aspire to the hand of a lady of fortune, had wedded an old flame out of mere attachment, who in her turn had taken him for the same reason.

Dickens continues with this method throughout the novel. Perhaps his title of ‘world’s most prolific novelist’ should include ‘world’s longest complexly compounded sentence writer?’ Today though, the writer needs to keep the reader’s attention. And only occasionally can they get away with such verbosity.

Breaking your sentences down into ideas, is usually a good way to see if a long sentence can be shortened. If you can find two or more different trains of thought in your sentence, it could probably do with a second look.

Another method of shortening a sentence is to look for unnecessary beginnings. An example being ‘And in addition to that I would add …’ or ‘He eyed her curiously whilst looking at her face …’ In both examples you are essentially repeating yourself.

There are of course other uses for the full stop, such as ellipses (…), abbreviations, email and web addresses. And in other countries, like Canada and the United States of America, the full stop is sometimes referred to as a period, and occasionally as a suspension mark.

The amount of space left after a full stop to separate sentences in paragraphs has changed in recent years. With the advent of computer word processing programs it is no longer necessary to leave two blank spaces (sometimes called French spacing), as the programs will automatically adjust the spacing if a non fixed-width font is used. The Australian Style manual for authors, editors and printers suggests that the full stop should be followed by one space only.

And as the Macquarie Dictionary informs us that the full stop is ‘used to mark the end of a complete declarative sentence,’ so too shall we end our last sentence here with a full stop.

References/Sources

Commonwealth of Australia 2002, Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers,6th edn, rev. Snooks & Co, John Wiley, Canberra, p. 97.

Dickens, C 1870, Nicholas Nickleby, Chapman and Hall, London, p. 1.

Macquarie Dictionary 2005, 4th edn, Macquarie University, NSW, p. 573.

Strunk, W 1918, The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, KT Publishing, Australia, p. 13.

Kristy Taylor is a syndicated freelance journalist with articles and short stories strewn across all forms of media. She has written and published numerous books, and is the executive editor of KT Publishing, which encompasses several web sites. For free listings of short story competitions visit http://www.shortstorycompetitions.com

To contact Kristy, email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

This piece may NOT be freely reprinted. Please contact editor @ howtotellagreatstory.com for reprint rights.

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