An Experiment: 60 Seconds of Johanna's Writing WIP
I write a lot. And I often change what I write before I publish it. That's normal for a work in progress, that WIP. This podcast is for people who want insight into what I write before I publish it.
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2025.05 Fiction: More Than a Little Misdirection
01/31/2025
2025.05 Fiction: More Than a Little Misdirection
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for January 31, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from a short story, tentatively titled More Than a Little Misdirection. (My fiction titles often change before I finish the story.) Closing the door behind her with a quiet snick, the dual odors of stale coffee and pizza gave Jayne Stone that roller coaster feeling in her stomach. Clearly, at least one of the team had been here, in GenResearch Security Central, for hours. Based in a nondescript four-story brick building in a nondescript office park in bucolic Waltham, Massachusetts, the Security team had a small room protected from outsiders in the very middle of the fourth floor, sandwiched between the elevators and the stairs. With no windows, the room was large enough for four sixty-inch monitors across the top of the room, one monitor for each time zone. Below the monitors were floor-to-ceiling whiteboards. Right now, the left-most whiteboard had the word “URGENT!” in big red letters and several yellow stickies underneath. The right-most whiteboard had several black sketches under the title of “Possibilities”. The two middle whiteboards had the faint outlines of previous sketches and notes.
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2025.04 Volunteer to Teach Something
01/24/2025
2025.04 Volunteer to Teach Something
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for January 24, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book (which now has a cover!) Volunteer to Teach Something I've mostly focused on what the audience will learn from you and how to design and deliver your presentation so the audience does learn. But speaking helps you realize what you do and do not know. I like to use speaking as the idea behind "See one, Do one, Teach one." If you've experienced something novel at work, consider teaching that to your colleagues. (Alternatively, pick a small, focused topic, research it, and then deliver a short presentation about it.) Here's an example from my experience. I hate spending a lot of time on a project charter—I would much rather get right to work. However, there are an essential few ideas that allow us to start the work and finish it well. One of those ideas is release criteria, what done means. After I facilitated a project charter with a team (see one), I then facilitated the team so they could choose their release criteria (do one). After that, I taught what I had done (teach one).
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2025.03 Organize Internal Presentations with What, So What, Now What
01/17/2025
2025.03 Organize Internal Presentations with What, So What, Now What
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for January 17, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Organize with What, So What, Now What Internal presentations require just enough value for the people who attend or participate. While I still recommend all the ideas in Design-your-talk, you might have just ten or fifteen minutes for this internal presentation. In that case, consider this as a way to organize your thoughts: * What: The "what" question clarifies what brought these people here, to this presentation. This is essential if you're delivering a status report of some sort, because no one wants to be here. * So What: What is the impact of your presentation on these people? I like to consider the decisions they will make after your presentation. * Now What: How can you support their decision-making after your presentation? What, So What, Now What can help you decide which stories to tell. For example, you might want to tell a story about an unhappy customer who did not get what they wanted. That's relevant (the So What) because that information will help the various decision-makers decide what's next.
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2025.02 Start Your Public Speaking with Internal Presentations
01/10/2025
2025.02 Start Your Public Speaking with Internal Presentations
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for January 10, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Start Your Public Speaking with Internal Presentations Which presentations "should" you start with? Consider these alternatives: Start with the presentations that offer *you* the least value as an attendee or participant. Volunteer to change them. Offer a brief presentation about what you know that you think other people should know. (This might be at a team meeting or other team learning experience. Say, "Yes," when someone asks you to deliver a presentation to more senior people in the organization. Regardless of whether your colleagues know about your expertise, consider the What, So What, Now What organization to clarify how you might organize your presentation. Especially if the way people currently present offers little to no value to the attendees or participants.
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2025.01 Pick Several People to Make Eye Contact With
01/03/2025
2025.01 Pick Several People to Make Eye Contact With
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for January 3, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Pick Several People to Make Eye Contact With No speaker can look at "everyone" in the audience. Instead of trying to do so, consider finding several key people to make eye contact with. I choose a couple of people in the front, a couple of people to my right, one or two in the center, and one or two on my left. Since I'm short, I can't see the back of the room. While I glance to the back, I don't try to make eye contact with the back of the room. Then, slowly make eye contact with each of your selected people. Linger and smile at them--just enough to connect, not enough to make them nervous. As a result, everyone in the audience will think you are making eye contact with each person. (Yes, I changed how I'm titling episodes in 2025.)
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 27, 2024
12/27/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 27, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 27, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Larger Audiences Need More Examples I have a rule of thumb: The larger the audience, the more I need to tell fractal stories. (See the stories section for more specifics.) That's because a larger audience does not offer you the same feedback a smaller audience does. While you can never quite tell if your audience is on the same journey as you are, it's almost impossible to know with a larger audience. Besides, the larger the audience, the less likely they are to pay attention to you. (Sad, but too true.) Stories and examples help them realize what you are saying. If you can deliver those stories with humor, that's even better. People don't always expect a lot of material in a keynote presentation. But they do expect to understand it. So focus on how to get your few and specific ideas across to the audience. Sometimes, that's with an interaction of some sort.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 20, 2024
12/20/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 20, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 20, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Review the Risks You Fear When I work with speakers who say they fear speaking, I ask them to write down the answers to these questions: * What's the worst thing that could happen? Then, write down at least three things to manage those risks. in some way. * What’s the best thing that could happen? What three things can I consider to make that best thing occur? * Does it really matter what other people think, as long as I have adequately prepared to deliver value? These risks are all about logic. And as I've suggested, logic is not enough. We need stories to help us change. Now, use these three questions a little differently:
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 13, 2024
12/13/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 13, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 13, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Do you fear public speaking? If so, you're not alone. When I researched the number of people who fear public speaking, I saw estimates that range from 20% to an astounding 77%. Some people say they fear public speaking more than they fear death. Yet, we all speak in public every day, assuming we have the physical ability to do so. Sometimes, that's as informal as what occurs when we get coffee or the informal conversations before and after meetings. And then there are the more formal conversations that help us market ourselves and our expertise. What's different about those informal conversations and the expertise-based presentations? We rarely have any specific expectations for that informal kind of public speaking. And the formal public speaking? Everyone--the speaker and the audience--expects that the speaker will offer something useful. Maybe even insightful or delightful. And that requires the speaker design, practice, and deliver a useful and effective presentation.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 6, 2024
12/06/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 6, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for December 6, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Adapt to the Moment Things Happen when you're the speaker, regardless of location. Here are some virtual meeting "problems" I've encountered: * The meeting tool is different from what I'm used to, so once, I did not realize the meeting participants could not see my slides. * The meeting host could not record the meeting. * People didn't mute their audio, and we could hear *everything*, including children, a barking dog, and a flushing toilet. I try to handle those problems with a sense of humor and maybe some problem-solving. But I don't let those circumstances prevent me from delivering the best presentation I can. Most of us can adapt to most problems with a deep breath and some understanding of what other people are going through. Some in-person presentations have presented other difficulties.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 29, 2024
11/29/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 29, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 29, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. When You Do Not Want to Answer While most audience members are terrific people, some are not. Those people too often ask questions that insult you or your content. Or the questions are way too personal--even if you're speaking about personal topics. You do not have to answer those questions. I used to have a "fan" who went to all my sessions at specific conferences. He always had questions that were off-topic and generally insulting. I smiled and said, "That's off-topic. You and I have emailed before. Please email me. We can discuss this in more detail." Then I looked around and asked, "Who has the next question?" He was not happy about that answer. He yelled his question out, ignoring my facilitation. That's when I turned to him and said, "If you want to give your own presentation, that's great. But this one is mine.”
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 22, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 22, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. New Question for You Every so often, your audience will see something in your stories or data that offers them a eureka moment. Then, they ask a question that might surprise you. Sometimes, you can answer right away. In that case, do. However, sometimes you need to think for a bit before you answer. Instead of saying, "Um," while you think, consider these alternatives: * "That's a great question. I need to think for a couple of minutes about this. Let me continue with the other questions and return to this at the end." That allows your subconscious to noodle over the question. * "That's a great question. I need some more information before I can answer it. Can you give me a little context?" If a question surprises you, you probably do need more context. Get that context and then answer the question.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 15, 2024
11/15/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 15, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 15, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Create Your Own Activities I showed you two of my simulations so you can see that simulations can be relatively short and still create substantial learning opportunities. However, I encourage you to create your own simulations. Consider these principles for your activities and simulations: 1. Choose one problem your expertise solves. If you're marketing a book, choose a chapter. If you're marketing a workshop, choose one problem your workshop solves. 2. Given that problem, how do you want to highlight the implications of that problem? (See the section write-description) for more detail.) 3. Think of three ways you can create an interaction. What would you need for solo, pair, or triad work? Do you want to offer practice or a simulation of the work? Regardless of the activities you create, make sure you debrief so everyone can learn from the activity or simulation.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 8, 2024
11/08/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 8, 2024
The transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 8, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. If you like games or icebreakers, establish the relevance to the audience before you start them. But the real issue is this: People come to your presentation so they can solve their problems. How do your activities, including icebreakers, help them solve their problems? If people can't see the relevance, don't include the activity. Make All Activities Available to All Abilities One of the reasons I hate games and icebreakers is because they often require I move around and listen to people. I use a rollator to walk, which makes walking in a conference room a challenge for everyone, not just me. And I only hear out of one ear. While my rollator is visible, my deafness is not. I am not alone. Many other people have visible and invisible disabilities. As you create activities, regardless of the type, make sure you create activities that allow everyone to participate.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 1, 2024
11/01/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 1, 2024
The transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for November 1, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Now comes the most difficult part of listening to yourself. Many of us have nervous affectations, such as a nervous giggle, or a voice that rises at the end of a sentence, instead of lowers. Some speakers combine those nerve-problems, with a giggle or a sigh, followed by a tongue cluck, followed by some phrase such as, "I wish." If you record yourself and listen, you can learn to hear these nervous affectations. Then, you can choose what to do about them. Maybe you decide your tongue cluck is okay once a slide. That means you will have to practice how you speak to avoid any more clucks. What about other problems, such as restarted sentences? If you don't do that often, it's okay, because we all speak that way. If you end a sentence where your voice goes up in pitch, the audience will think you're asking a question, instead of stating a fact. Watch and listen to your pitch changes. Make sure you end sentences with a lower pitch, so people know you're stating something useful, not asking a question.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 25, 2024
10/25/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 25, 2024
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 18, 2024
10/18/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 18, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 18, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Differentiate Between Simulations and Games While some people call all simulations games, I differentiate between the two. Simulations allow participants to practice a specific aspect of the work safely. Simulations mimic the work people will do. For example, I've asked participants to think about their projects and then rank the drivers, boundaries, and constraints. Then, we discuss it. There is no right or wrong answer, just what the participants think. Games tend to focus on fun. That's not wrong--but it's not always easy to see the connection between the game and what participants need to do at work. If you do use a game, be explicit about how to connect what people do in the game with what they will need to do at work. Make your presentations engaging, by challenging people to think as they have fun. Avoid focusing on the fun first.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 11, 2024
10/11/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 11, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 11, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Integrate Activities into Your Design Many speakers use activities in their presentations. That's because many audience members love to learn by doing. And activities can offer the participants a safe place to learn. That's because activities mimic work--the activities are not the actual work. I think about activities by the number of people involved: * Solo work from each participant * Conversations between and among the participants * A simulation, where participants model how they work. Some people call these "games." The shorter my presentation, the less time I can use for an activity. So make sure you review your time constraints. While each kind of activity requires a debrief, the more complex the activity, the more debrief time the participants require. You might have noticed that I am not talking about "audience members." Instead, I'm using the word, "participant." Activities require participation. Let's start with the idea of solo work as an activity.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 4, 2024
10/04/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 4, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for October 4, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Create Checklists I use checklists to remember the materials I need for a presentation. That includes an electronics checklist, where I make sure I have all the electronics I need. I include all the materials I will need so I remember everything. Here's an example of that checklist: While I'd used materials checklists for several years, I learned the rest the hard way. A number of years ago, I bought a new computer just before a conference. I'd practiced the presentation--that was no problem. But my new computer required a different cable to connect to the projector. I did not have that cable. Luckily, I realized that in the Speaker Room before I spoke. I asked for and received a loan of the correct cable. My checklists now prevent that pit-in-the-stomach feeling. Aside from the "My Electronics" category, I have two more categories: in-person materials and marketing materials.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 27, 2024
09/27/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 27, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 27, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Practice Ending the Presentation The audience needs to know when you are done. That allows them to move to the next thing in their day. Your ending is especially important if you're at a conference. That's why I said every speaker needs to know the time they need to stop. You also might need a cue to know when you are done so you don't start another tangent. My last slide template tells me when I've reached that slide. Since I ask for questions after this last slide, I have several ways to end the presentation. Start by acknowledging the audience with a "thank you." That tells the audience you are done speaking and that they can leave. People have all kinds of obligations, so allow them to leave when you are done with the formal part of your presentation. They might even clap! The "thank you" then allows me to say, "That's the end of the formal part of the presentation. I'd like to stay in touch with you and this slide has some options. Now, who has questions?" After I answer questions, I remind people of my newsletter, books, and more before I say my final thank you.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 20, 2024
09/20/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 20, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 20, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Practice Your Opening and Stories In Design Your Talk, I suggested starting with a story. That story might be about the audience's problems or a vision of the future. Since I use both options--not at the same time--I often need to practice before choosing the "best" start. I never quite know which opening is "correct" until I practice it. Even when I start with a story, I'm not always sure which story to tell. That might depend on the people in the room. (See the section about how I meet people before my presentation.) To leave myself options, I don't write down specifics on my first slide, but give myself a cue as to the point of that story. That first slide might say something like this: * Once upon a time, in a startup, far, far away … * Your team is not delivering--and it's not their fault … * How do you achieve market fit? I write those exact words on the slide. That cues the audience to know I’m going to tell a story or answer that question. It also cues me as to which story. You might remember which story to tell at which time. Good for you! However, back in 1998, I totally forgot to include all my stories. I ended twenty minutes too early--which was fine. But I left some audience members confused. That was not fine. That experience taught me to cue myself about which story to tell.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 13, 2024
09/12/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 13, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 13, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Learn to Adapt to the Moment Things Happen when you're the speaker. At a conference in San Francisco, I thought I felt the floor move while I was speaking. I asked the audience, "Did you feel that?" All the people in the room laughed at me. One fellow yelled, "That was an earthquake! It wasn't The Big One!" I said, "Thank goodness!" and laughed with them. Then I asked, "Is it okay if I continue? Is it safe?" A local fellow explained that we were probably in the safest place in the city and everyone was fine with me continuing. That was the most memorable Happening for me. However, microphones stop working. Or the speakers screech when you walk and you realize you're confined to a small square of floor real estate. Or someone opens the door in the back and all the hallway noise makes your presentation impossible. There are plenty more problems, especially if the power goes out. In that case, remember that the audience's safety is much more important than your presentation.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 6, 2024
09/06/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 6, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for September 6, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Prevent Speaking Fears from Becoming Reality Sometimes, our fears create our reality. I've seen that in these circumstances: * When someone can't decide, a form of "analysis paralysis," so they waffle between two or three alternatives. However, not deciding is also a decision. * When someone thinks they need more practice. Instead of speaking, they continue to practice instead of delivering the presentation. * People spend so much time preparing for the worst thing that could happen, they forget to plan for the best thing that could happen. You can banish enough of your fears if you design your presentation, prepare it, practice it once or twice, and then, deliver it. Until you deliver the presentation to an audience, you don't know what the worst things—those risks--could be. Instead of allowing your speaking fears to become reality, consider which work you need to do to manage those fears and then banish them.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 30, 2024
08/30/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 30, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 30, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Because your audience wants you to succeed, they will give you the benefit of the doubt for much of your presentation. Why does the audience need to give you the benefit of the doubt? Because sometimes, you provoke them into challenging everything they thought they knew. When conference organizers worry that half of my audience loved my talk and the other half hated it, I know I provoked a lot of thought. You do not need to be a "perfect" speaker, because that is impossible. What I think is perfect might not be what you think is perfect. However, the more enthusiasm you bring to your topic, the more likely the audience will start with you and stay with you throughout the presentation. You can do that if you focus on the audience. Not on how clammy your hands are, or if you're breathing too fast, or whatever other signs of nervousness you might have. While you might think you feel fear, consider an alternative explanation: nervousness or excitement. (I'm not discounting fear. However, many people label nervousness as fear.)
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 23, 2024
08/23/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 23, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 23, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. While I've asked you to focus on your audience as you develop and prepare to deliver your presentation, consider the common characteristics of your ideal audience: * They want you to succeed because they're interested in your topic or in you. * While they do need to understand your context, they want to hear your successes and failures in ways that allow them to relate to and then use your experiences. * They want your enthusiasm to shine through, so they can take inspiration from you. Yes, audiences want you to succeed. Audience Members Are Human, Which Includes Jerks Jerks come in all shapes and sizes. Some jerks wish they were the ones speaking. Others refuse to believe what you say--even with your stories and data. Still others want to talk on their phones, type on the computers, and even--I kid you not--clip their nails. All of us are human. Therefore, some of us are jerks. Don't let the jerks get you down. Focus on the rest of the audience, the ones who want your content.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 16, 2024
08/16/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 16, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 16, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Why do people fear public speaking? Some people worry about how to decide what to talk about. Others worry about how to present their information. But if you read this far, you know you can design an effective presentation. And you can decide how to present that information in ways the audience can understand. If you have no more fear, excellent. Carry on. But too many people fear the actual delivery of the presentation. That's where the speaker stands up and talks--whether that is in person or virtually. Some people even fear "large" audiences. However, when I ask about the specifics, some people tell me "more than can fit around a conference room table." That's when I ask them to explain how they feel about a three-person conference table as opposed to a fifty-person conference table. Many of them say, "I can make sure the smaller audience gets what they want if there are fewer people." That's true. Alternatively, larger audiences allow you to spread your message more broadly--assuming these people are your ideal audience.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 9, 2024
08/09/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 9, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 9, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Your Recorded Voice Sounds "Funny" Most of us are surprised when we hear our recorded voices for the first time. They don't sound "right." That's because we hear our voice in our head--literally. Our bones conduct our voice to the cochlea in our inner ear. (So yes, we sometimes hear (our) voices in our heads.) However, we also hear our voice conducted through the air to our cochlea. That sounds like the "rich" voice we hear when we speak. However, when we play back a recording of our voices, we only hear the sound from the air conduction. We might feel as if something is "missing" from that recording. Everyone experiences this. The more you practice recording and reviewing your voice, the more comfortable you can be with the difference in what you hear. While I do recommend you practice every presentation, once you know how you present, you might need to practice less. That said, consider what you want to practice for your next presentation. Let's start with your opening.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 2, 2024
08/02/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 2, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 2, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Aside from designing the content and the visuals, there's one more preparation step for an effective presentation. That's practicing your presentation and creating a checklist so you are ready when it's time to speak. This first part is about practicing at your computer, as you would speak in front of an audience. Practice the Presentation Content Not all presentations require practice. For example, if you have a specific status report template and you can't deviate from that, you might not need practice. Podcast discussions often don't require practice. I do have recommendations for these "special" kinds of presentations in a future chapter. However, if you plan to deliver a new presentation to showcase your expertise, consider practicing your presentation in advance. When I say, "practice," I mean: 1. Speak out loud, using the visuals. 2. Include all the stories you plan to include. 3. Practice moving from visual to visual. This is essential if you choose to use animation or move back and forth in the presentation. 4. Clarify how you will end your presentation. Consider recording your practice--both video and audio--so you can learn from what you said and how you said it.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 26, 2024
07/26/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 26, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 26, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Beware of Too Many Ideas and Words One of the most common slide problems is that of too many ideas and words on one slide. If you realize you need to reduce the font size to 40 pt or less, you might have this problem. This is often a symptom of two intersecting problems: * Too many ideas on one slide, where you actually need more slides to explain all the ideas. * Too many words on one slide because you need a different way to explain this specific idea. If you have too many ideas on one slide, decide which single idea belongs on this slide. Don't worry about "too many" slides in a presentation. There is no formula for the "correct" number of slides in a presentation. Add more slides as you need. And make sure you have one single idea on each slide. Once you split that several-idea slide into several slides, review the slide appearance. Do you still have too many words on one slide? Consider using an image or a table to fully explain the information. Or, think about the fewest words you need to explain that single idea, but avoid adding too many words.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 19, 2024
07/19/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 19, 2024
The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 19, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Animate With Care Several years ago, many speakers animated every single line on their slides, flying that line in as they read the words. I thought that was nuts and it gave me a headache. Two strikes against those speakers! As an audience member, I felt that these speakers did not trust me to read the words *and* pay attention to the speaker. Instead, the speaker wanted to spoon-feed me information. The speaker was correct. People cannot read the flying-in text and listen to the speaker. However, the answer was to put fewer lines of text on the slide, not animate the text in. As a guideline, avoid animating text. However, sometimes audiences do receive value from animation, even if it's "fake" animation. As I said, I animate images so I can build on a big idea through pieces of that image. When I give presentations about how I write, I often build the idea through multiple slides. As an example, here’s my overall writing “process” image. I use a total of six slides to describe the total process and then to break the process apart.
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Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 12, 2024
07/12/2024
Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 12, 2024
Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for July 12, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Visuals Support Your Ideas Visuals are valuable in these ways: 1. You learn how to organize your thoughts for easy audience consumption and engagement. 2. Depending on the visual, the audience has a takeaway: either a copy of your visuals or a handout. Past presentations can be quite effective for future content marketing. However, you don't need slides, *per se*. Instead, consider handouts. For example, when I'm leading a highly interactive or experiential session, I don't use slides. Instead, I use hand-drawn flip charts. I often offer a handout containing either a summary or a bibliography of the session's ideas. Those handouts help people remember my session and bring information back to their offices. Some speakers use applications, such as Prezi and Miro as handouts or online reference materials. Both applications allow the speaker to zoom in or out or quickly move to another part of the presentation. That's great for the ability to deliver a non-linear presentation. However, I have vertigo, so zooming in and out and around literally makes me nauseous. As speakers, we cannot tell how people will feel when we zoom in and out. You get to choose how to use your visuals to support your ideas.
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