Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 10:01:35 EDT From: the little tinks that count Subject: EXERCISE: Awash in a sea of uncertainty and self-doubt.... On Sun, 21 Sep 1997 01:43:56 EDT, Jane Wanklin fretted: :) But it's the critics that scare me, the interviewers that are going to :) ask intimate questions, the book itself, which was like opening a major :) vein to write it in the first place. So, let's back up a moment or two here and contemplate a scene or two. Over her cup of herbal tea, Jane opened the Toronto Midnight Sunshine. She flipped to the book reviews and there it was... (yes, your job is to finish the tale. What did the Midnight Sunshine reviewer say about Jane's book--and how did Jane react? And then...) Big Momma leaned forward over her desk, her cleavage shining in the studio lights, and glared at Jane, fidgeting on the sofa. "So, on page 38 of your book, it says..." What did Big Momma want to know? And how did Jane answer that peculiar question? The man in the studio audience snorted, then shouted his question. And what was his question? How did Jane answer it? Jane, I've found public appearances (doesn't really matter what ones) to be stressful. But I've also learned that hyperventilating about the fears in general doesn't help me. Sitting down and making two lists helps me. The first list is the points I want to make. I usually end up with too many points and have to cut it down, ruthlessly. And then expand on the points a little--put down a couple of really good metaphors or at least clear ways of saying what you intend to say. If there are numbers involved (xx% of the adult population will require some form of psychological treatment during their life!) WRITE IT DOWN. I try to make this list end up with a few (three to five) key points, with the information I really want to make sure people hear. Then I write that up in big letters (or print it in a big font) because there are times in public speaking when you don't want to be caught peering at the fine print, but really do need the prompting. The second list is harder. Here I list all the questions I expect, plus some that might be hard to deal with. This is a good one to get friends to contribute to--they may know that Jay Leno really likes to ask about your favorite food, or that the reporter from the Enquirer WILL insist on asking about your sex life. And write down the answers you want to make. Don't try to memorize this, and don't plan on carrying it onstage with you, but DO spend some time on making it up and working on the answers. Simply having done this will help--somehow thinking through questions ahead of time makes it a lot easier to face them in reality. Okay? Don't just scare yourself with vague generalities--turn them into specific possibilities and think about how to deal with each one. tink