Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman
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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2025.40 Romantic Suspense Story Excerpt
11/14/2025
2025.40 Romantic Suspense Story Excerpt
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for November 14, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. I’m back from my travels, so I have time to both write and record! This is part of a romantic suspense story. Without looking as if she was rushing, Liz Daniels turned right, apparently to walk down the corridor to the Ladies’ Room in the Burlington Mall, just northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. She stopped just after she turned the corner and pulled off her black spring jacket. She turned it inside out. Now, the light blue side was showing. She pulled out a Red Sox white ball cap from her right jacket pocket and crammed it down over her short dark curls. Then, she pulled out her dark sunglasses and perched them on the top of her nose. As disguises went, it wasn’t much. But it should be enough to forestall the people following her. They wouldn’t see her dark blue jeans or her black sneakers. They would only see her light blue jacket and white ball cap.
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2025.39 Fantasy Short Story Excerpt
10/31/2025
2025.39 Fantasy Short Story Excerpt
The transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for October 31, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is part of a fantasy short story. “What’s your offer?” Lisa asked. Then she coughed. “Tell me your offer. Celeste did a little fist-pump. Yes, her friend Lisa’s world and social mores had affected even how she, a celestial being, reacted. “You can ride on a comet.” “I can what?” Lisa asked. She shook her head. Maybe her hearing had left her. Celeste could not be offering what Lisa heard. “Ride on a comet,” Celeste said, again. This time a little more loudly. Lisa thought she heard the soft hoot of an owl, flying nearby. Well, maybe there was nothing wrong with her hearing. “Hold it,” Lisa said. “That new comet that came out of nowhere this past summer? The one that surprised everyone because it’s interstellar?” Celeste laughed, a lovely tinkling sound that reminded Lisa of skis skimming over snow. “That’s the one,” Celeste said. Lisa shook her head. “You thought of me last summer? I wasn’t even really sick back then.”
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2025.38 Spy Excerpt
10/24/2025
2025.38 Spy Excerpt
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for October 24 , 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is part of an espionage short story. Susan Cabot, dripping in diamonds from her ears, neck, and wrists—and at least eighty—winked at Phoebe as Susan danced a waltz on the arm of a much younger man. Phoebe grinned, tapped the side of her nose once, and winked back. She had enlisted Susan’s help to snag an invitation to tonight’s party. And it was worth it—especially if she could catch her spy. Then, the music changed. Instead of a waltz, Phoebe heard the violin’s signature sounds of a low, slow tango. Ah, it was Por una Cabeza, the tango from many movies, including the Scent of a Woman. She always loved that movie. She truly regretted she was working and unable to enjoy the music. That’s when she felt a warm hand on her right shoulder, and an equally warm hand at her waist.
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2025.37 Romantic Suspense Opening
10/17/2025
2025.37 Romantic Suspense Opening
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for October 17, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is the opening of a romantic suspense short story. At midnight, Jackson Turner wondered what the heck he was doing, walking to the bar around the corner from Pallas on First Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was a beautiful, warm May evening. The half-moon offered enough illumination that he could see the clean, white, concrete sidewalk. Jackson had been wondering—not for the first time—how Charlie Watkins managed to scoop these jobs from him. And wondering, again, not for the first time, why he just didn’t ask her out and put them both out of their misery? He and Charlie had danced around starting a relationship for almost a decade, back when they were juniors in college and competing for internships. Back when she was called Charlotte, not Charlie. He couldn’t count the times he was almost ready to ask her out. He had won most of those internships, but somehow, she excelled at the business they were both in—cyber and physical security. He just did not understand it. He was going to ask her out tomorrow, come hell or high water.
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2025.36 Portal Fantasy Short Story Opening
10/10/2025
2025.36 Portal Fantasy Short Story Opening
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for October 10, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is the opening of a (hopefully) portal fantasy short story. Alexis Bond smiled ruefully as she clomp-stepped down the wide asphalt path of the Franklin Park Zoo. Her orthopedic boot made much more noise than she expected. Oh well. Maybe no one would notice her. She suspected not, with the spectacular light show. On either side of the asphalt walkway, Alexis could see the normal green grass, but now, in the dark, the LED lanterns that looked like bright neon-green leaves “grew” at fantastical heights of five to seven feet high. She passed what looked like a double-family—four adults, each with a white coffee cup, a child in a dark-colored stroller, and a couple of elementary school-age girls in white shirts and pink shorts, running around and screeching with delight. Even Alexis could see they were already sweating. Not surprising given this unseasonably warm weather, this first Friday night in October.
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2025.35 Solarpunk Short Story Opening
09/25/2025
2025.35 Solarpunk Short Story Opening
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for September 26, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is the opening of a (hopefully) solarpunk short story. The final low-pitched train whistle of the Solar Amtrak train as it left the Libby, Montana, station meant Isa Block was on her own. And thank goodness she was. She had taken her seat at the far end of the observation car on the upper level of the train. She’d already counted the length of the car as she walked down the central blue-carpeted hallway—a grand total of eighty-five feet. The car was arranged as if she had designed it, for maximum comfort and minimal human interaction. Each side of the car had seventeen plush brown chairs with bio-plastic white backs separated by a small white bio-plastic table facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. Isa thought it looked as if everyone could be off in their own little sightseeing world. Which was just fine with her. She welcomed the privacy.
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2025.34 Black Boxes on a Virtual Presentation
09/19/2025
2025.34 Black Boxes on a Virtual Presentation
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for September 19, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. What About Black Boxes On a Virtual Presentation? Many audience members leave their cameras off during your virtual presentation. There are all kinds of reasons for people to leave their cameras off, including eating a meal, dealing with small children, or being just plain tired of being on a screen all day. Instead of being perturbed, consider inviting people to turn on their cameras. I often say something such as, "I'd love to see your smiling faces." Or, "I realize you might not want your camera on now, but as soon as you have a question, please put that question in the chat. And if you are willing, please turn on your camera when I answer the question. Turned-off webcams with the resulting black boxes are a fact of life. Once you invite people to turn on their cameras, leave the topic alone.
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2025.33 A Caper Opening
09/12/2025
2025.33 A Caper Opening
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for September 12, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is the opening of a caper mystery. Lexi Flint was in her element. Smack in the middle of Boston’s Financial District, in the IT department—aka the basement—of the People’s Liberty Bank, in the ridiculously small conference room, she’d created her own little spy conclave. Posing as auditors, Lexi and her boss, Zara Glick, now commandeered this teeny, twelve-by-six auditor’s conference room in the middle of the bank’s IT department. Lexi faced a wall of monitors, her laptop on the small four-foot wide, off-white laminate table in front of her, Diet Coke on the left, and Zara Glick, the Boss, sitting on her right, she felt as if she was in Hacker Heaven.
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2025.32 Offer More Examples
09/05/2025
2025.32 Offer More Examples
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for September 4, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Offer More Examples I have a rule of thumb: The less ideal this audience is for my expertise, the more I need to tell nested or linked stories. (See the link to the stories for more specifics.) With more stories, I can bring my less-than-ideal audience along with me on this presentation's journey. That way, they tend to stay with me and continue to pay attention to the content. Stories and examples help the audience realize what you are saying. If you can deliver those stories with humor, that's even better. The more examples and stories you offer, the easier it is for a less-than-ideal audience to understand your position and expertise.
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2025.31 Impostor Syndrome Can Create Your Fear
08/29/2025
2025.31 Impostor Syndrome Can Create Your Fear
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for August 29, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Recognize if Impostor Syndrome Creates Your Fear Some people have trouble recognizing their expertise. Instead, they worry that "everyone" will discover they are a fraud. Most of those people have deep expertise. They might not have a lot of speaking experience, but they have the expertise. Instead of allowing Impostor Syndrome to create fear or discourage you from speaking, please write down your answers to the Now Try This section at the end of this chapter. Very few people are frauds. They might not realize their strengths, but they are not frauds.
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2025.30 Experience Reports Use Nested Stories
08/22/2025
2025.30 Experience Reports Use Nested Stories
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for August 22, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Experience Reports Use Nested Stories Experience reports tell two stories: the first story explains the problems a specific organization encountered and the choices its people made to solve those problems. The second story is how the reporter--you, the speaker--changed as you worked with the organization. These two stories are an example of nested stories. However, you, as the reporter and speaker, might have had different experiences than your organization. The more you highlight those differences, the more interesting and relevant your presentation will be.
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2025.29 Anonymize People in Your Stories
08/15/2025
2025.29 Anonymize People in Your Stories
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for August 15, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Anonymize People in Your Stories If you're talking about real people, anonymize them. I always tell my audience that every story is true, and that includes all the stories in this book. I always changed their names and often their genders. That creates realistic stories while protecting the innocent and the people who did not realize the effects of their actions. I don't call the people who created the problems "guilty." That blames people for their ignorance. Besides, I hope some of those people will be in the audience, so I can offer them alternatives. That allows my audience to start trusting that I won't blame *them* for their problems. Consider anonymizing people by using common names. That helps prevent people from feeling any blame.
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2025.28 Offer Value to the Audience
08/08/2025
2025.28 Offer Value to the Audience
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for August 8, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Offer Value to the Audience The more value you know you offer, the less likely you are to feel that fear of public speaking. The first piece of value is often the stories you can use to help the audience empathize with your expertise and experience. I asked you to consider three writers and consultants whose work you find valuable. I hope you have at least two books and one presentation in mind. If you review just one of those, you'll see something fascinating. Those writers and consultants offer stories--often to support their logic--to offer value to their audiences. Fiction writers often have the "obvious" story in the book. However, many talented fiction writers offer a story-within-a-story frame for their books. Those are nested stories.
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2025.27 Speaking Clarifies the Value and Quality of Your Ideas
08/01/2025
2025.27 Speaking Clarifies the Value and Quality of Your Ideas
This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for August 1, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Speaking Clarifies the Value and Quality of Your Ideas What if you don't yet have anything to market? You might be in the same position I was in 1979. I didn't speak then to market myself. Instead, I was showing my company's expertise. That's a great way to start becoming an effective speaker and to practice your speaking skills. And if you "only" speak inside the organization, you can become known for interesting ways of presenting the necessary information. People will seek you out to present across the organization and, maybe, to your organization's customers. But the best reason to speak is this: Effective public speaking helps you think through how to explain your expertise to others. And the more you do that, the more you understand your expertise *and* the more effective a speaker you become. It's a reinforcing feedback loop that helps you and your audiences improve.
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2025.26 If In Doubt, Mic Up
07/25/2025
2025.26 If In Doubt, Mic Up
Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for July 25, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Do You Always Need a Microphone? I have a guideline that might work for you. If the room has a microphone, I use it. And, if I'm speaking to more than ten or so people around a conference table, I use a microphone. Without a microphone, speakers need to spend energy projecting their voices, not just staying present and making eye contact with the other people. In the past, I have delivered all-day workshops to twenty or more people in a larger conference room. That required a lot of speaker and facilitator energy. I also needed to drink a lot more water to keep my voice hydrated. I would rather spend my energy staying present and making eye contact with the people in the room. If in doubt, mic up.
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2025.25 Identify Your Subject Matter Expertise
07/18/2025
2025.25 Identify Your Subject Matter Expertise
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for July 18, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Identify Your Subject Matter Expertise While you might want to speak about your general expertise, many speakers prefer to narrow their topics to their specific expertise. That's called "subject matter expertise." Fiction writers have a wide variety of subject matter expertise. Because they wrote their books, they know how they created their characters, settings, and worlds. For example, if you write murder mysteries, you might know about quick-acting poisons. Fantasy writers often have extensive magic systems. Historical fiction writers often possess a deep understanding of the specifics of a particular time period and location. Everything that's specific to *your* books is part of your subject matter expertise. That's a form of information and entertainment. And maybe a little problem-solving for people like me who slept through much of high school history. Nonfiction writers and consultants also have subject matter expertise. That's because they have expertise specifically focused on solving real-world problems for their ideal readers and clients. That's information and problem-solving. Audiences also enjoy the expertise more when you can add a little entertainment to a presentation. Consider images or quotes that reflect your content, not just your presentation style.
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2025.24 Clarify the Introduction Timing
07/11/2025
2025.24 Clarify the Introduction Timing
Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for July 11, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Clarify the Introduction Timing At many technical conferences, no one introduces the speaker. Instead, the speaker introduces themselves. For in-person conferences, I put my title slide up as people enter the room. Then, when it's time to start, I say, "I'm Johanna Rothman, and my topic today is ..." For a virtual presentation, I often send the organizer my bio or an introduction. Sometimes, they even read what I send them. Too often, I have to warn the introducer that I do not want a long introduction--I want to offer value. Some speakers think they need to explain their expertise before they speak. They spend four or five minutes at the start of the presentation talking about themselves, not the audience. That's not relevant to the audience, not yet. Instead, offer value before you introduce yourself. No one cares about your experience until they can see your value.
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2025.23 Network with Other Speakers
07/04/2025
2025.23 Network with Other Speakers
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for July 4, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Network with Other Speakers The more other speakers know you, the more likely you are to receive offers to write, speak, and otherwise offer your content in different ways. This is how content marketing works. It's a reinforcement mechanism for your expertise. Here are the lessons I learned from all this networking: * If I had not submitted a proposal, no one would have accepted my presentation. * My presentations were good enough that people valued what I had to say and how I framed my logic. * All of my speaking led to other content marketing opportunities. When you speak at a conference, it's much easier to network with the other speakers--regardless of how senior you think they are in the field.
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2025.22 Become a Thought Leader
06/27/2025
2025.22 Become a Thought Leader
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for June 27, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Become a Thought Leader The more you speak--and this goes for writing, too--the more people see you as a "thought leader." I would rather be a thought-provoker, but that's me. When you're a thought leader, people think of you first. That's ideal if you're trying to use content marketing to sell books or your services. Two weeks after I started my consulting business, I received a package in the mail from my father-in-law, Sam. It was a self-published three-ring binder with a sticker on the front that said, "Howard Shenson's Guide to Consulting Success." I called my in-laws to thank them. That's when Sam said, "I saw this guy speak at an event. I was so impressed with him that I bought his book for you." Now, think about that. That's the value of thought leadership and content marketing.
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2025.21 Think of Stories in Three Ways
06/20/2025
2025.21 Think of Stories in Three Ways
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for June 20, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Think about stories in three ways: standalone, linked, and nested stories. * Standalone* stories describe a single situation to illustrate a specific point. They can also be anecdotes or examples. Many of the sidebars in this book are standalone stories that support the text on either side of the sidebar. In a presentation, a standalone story helps the audience understand the specifics of the problem. *Linked* stories show how a situation evolves over time. Linked stories are common in experience reports or case studies. (See the section about experience reports for more details.) The first story explains the initial state. As the state changes, add another story, and then another. This mirrors Budrys' seven-point plot outline. *Nested* stories are stories within a story.
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2025.20 Shy or Introverted People Can Become Effective Public Speakers
06/13/2025
2025.20 Shy or Introverted People Can Become Effective Public Speakers
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for June 13, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. However, if you are shy or you do gain energy from your thoughts, you can explain that to your audience. The people who feel the same way will feel a kinship with you. Once you start speaking effectively, your shyness or introversion won't matter to anyone—including you. Even better, the more effective your presentation is, the more likely your audience members will connect with you. The shy people might wait to contact you until they think they can get a private moment with you. Some of those outgoing people might try to convince you--right after your presentation--that you are not shy or introverted. In that case, smile and thank them. And recognize that you have made a connection with a person who might refer others to your value.
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2025.19 Take Time to Breathe
06/06/2025
2025.19 Take Time to Breathe
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for June 6, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Take Time to Breathe One of the best things you can do to prepare physically is to take a little time to breathe. While I don't do deep breathing exercises, you might consider doing so. However, especially if my allergies are acting up, I'll breathe, blow my nose, and otherwise make sure everything is working. We can't easily stay present if we can't breathe. Breathing allows me to stay physically and intellectually present. I bet it does for you, too. You're physically ready. Now it's time for the last-minute preparations. I recommend you arrive early enough to prepare.
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2025.18 Trap: We Can’t Afford You
05/30/2025
2025.18 Trap: We Can’t Afford You
Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for May 30, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Trap: We Can't Afford You People who are not able to buy will ask you to speak. Those nice people are not the economic buyer. I rarely say, "yes," when someone asks me to speak. Instead, I use a discovery call to understand what a prospective client actually wants. That helps me understand all the boundaries of the potential speaking engagement. Halfway through one call, I asked if there were any monetary boundaries on what they could spend for this speaking engagement. "Yes," the client said. "We can only spend $100." (I made up that number, but it represents the order of magnitude difference between what I expected and what they offered.) "I can't do anything for just $100," I said. "My time is more valuable than that." "But we can't afford more money." Too often, people think they can't afford you because they're only thinking about the cost--the expense--of your speaking. They're not thinking about the value you can offer. You now have choices, especially about offering more value, instead of decreasing your fee.
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2025.17 Trap: We Never Pay Speakers
05/23/2025
2025.17 Trap: We Never Pay Speakers
The transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for May 23, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Trap: We Never Pay Speakers Early in my consulting career, before I'd even published a book, I drew the attention of a famous Fortune 100 organization. (The kind of organization that had plenty of money to pay for consultants and speakers.) An administrative assistant called and said, "Our VP is very impressed with you." I said, "Thank you." She continued, "We'd love you to speak for us. But we have no money to pay you. We need you to come out to California and spend the day with us." I'm based in Boston, so I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly. I clarified what she said. But I had heard her correctly the first time. I said, "I have a policy of only speaking for free for local meetups. This is not an issue of money--your organization makes oodles of money. This is an issue of what you value. I should not value my time and expertise more than you do."
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2025.17 Trap: You Pay for the Infomercial
05/16/2025
2025.17 Trap: You Pay for the Infomercial
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for May 16, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Trap: You Pay for the Infomercial Every so often, I receive emails from some World Famous Person or their admin. The email says something like this: "Because you're a leader in your field, World Famous Person wants to interview you for this serious-sounding radio or television program. You have your choice of several radio or television packages, starting at a mere $2500 for an hour with World Famous Person. After we publish your interview, you can then use this valuable resource on your website." Remember this: Money always flows to the person who provides the value. If you have to pay for this kind of interview, it's not an interview. It's an infomercial for the *other* person. Worse, it's promotion--not content marketing. World Famous Person's audience is not your ideal audience. Read the email, smile to yourself, and then toss that email in the trash.
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2025.16: Are You a "Best-Kept" Secret?
05/09/2025
2025.16: Are You a "Best-Kept" Secret?
The transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for May 9, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. Yes, it’s been a couple of weeks. I am finally over my cold, my website is fixed, and my car is healthy again. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Yes, I changed the start of the book again. Are You a "Best-Kept" Secret? Too many writers and consultants are best-kept secrets. It doesn't matter if they publish fiction, nonfiction, or show their consulting expertise through their writing. These people cannot seem to find a large enough audience to make the difference they want to make in the world. Too often, these people write more--aside from their books or articles--to attract buyers. That's good, but not sufficient. Or, they spend money on advertising or other promotion, all to drive people to their books, website, or mailing list. The result? Not enough return for the money.
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2025.15: Skip the Jokes
04/18/2025
2025.15: Skip the Jokes
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for April 18, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. (Yes, I have a head cold.) This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Unless You Are a Comic, Skip the Jokes Sometimes, I hear speaking advice that says, "Start with a joke." Unless you are using content marketing to market your book about humor, there's a problem with that. What you consider funny might not be funny to your audience. Too often, those jokes destroy any empathy you might build with the audience. And few of us public speakers are comedians. Worse, the joke is probably not relevant. While I often use humor--especially self-deprecating humor--I never tell jokes. Instead, start your presentation with a story that the audience will find relevant and interesting.
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2025.14: Make Every Presentation Valuable
04/11/2025
2025.14: Make Every Presentation Valuable
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for April 11, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. The speaker's job is to make every presentation valuable. Speakers do that when the audience has all the information they need to solve their problems. What about people who "steal" your ideas? Do not worry. People will steal from you. They will copy your slides and remove anything that identifies you as the author. Worse, they will copy your images and pass them off as their own. (Yes, this has all happened to me.) Now, we have Large Language Models (LLMs) ingesting all the books they can. Do any of these people or LLMs give you credit? No. Instead of worrying about theft, consider this alternative: make your presentation as good as it can be so your audience seeks *you* out after your presentation. Give your audience everything they need to succeed.
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2025.13: Introduction (Again!)
04/04/2025
2025.13: Introduction (Again!)
The Transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for April 4, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. What if you're shy or an introvert? You can explain that to your audience. Many of those people are also shy or introverted. And if you design and practice your presentation, the extroverts won't believe you, so don't worry about them. All writers and consultants are ideal public speakers because they have expertise they can share. That expertise is exactly what audiences want to hear. And when you convey that expertise through stories and logic, your audience will nod along with you. They are likely to buy your products—your books or your consulting. Even better, while much of this book focuses on presentations, all writers and consultants can use podcasts to help build relationships with their ideal buyers. Those buyers will then discover and buy those products. Anyone can be an effective public speaker. If you have products that solve problems for your ideal readers or clients, you, too, can be an effective public speaker.
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2025.12: Recognize All Your Expertise
03/28/2025
2025.12: Recognize All Your Expertise
The transcript: This is 60 Seconds of Writing in Public with Johanna Rothman for March 28, 2025, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This is from the Effective Public Speaking book. Writers--both fiction and nonfiction--have expertise in what and how you write. Consultants have expertise that solves their potential clients' problems. In addition, because books and consulting services are products, these people also have expertise in the way they frame their ideas for their ideal audiences. Don't believe me? Try this little experiment. Think of three specific people: * A fiction writer whose books you read as soon as you can get the book. * A nonfiction writer whose books you read as soon as you realize they have a book precisely about your current problem. * A consultant whom you've seen speak (live or on video). Or, you've read one or more of their books. What do those people have in common? Their unique author or expertise voice. I'm not talking about the timbre or pitch of their literal voice. Instead, I mean how they frame their ideas, both in writing and in speaking. Often, that includes telling stories to explain those ideas.
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