QUILT VIDEOS

Checklist for Speaking in Public

how to give the butterflies the heave ho by Rose Rushbrooke

Has your brain gone kaflooey?

You are giving a lecture the next day. It doesn't matter how many times you have given this lecture or how comfortable you are speaking in public. The butterflies still get you. Stage fright is a good thing - it gives you the adrenaline to keep going, but your completely zitzed out brain is not a good thing!

Make sure you keep a check list on your computer with absolutely EVERYTHING you need for the lecture. Even the smallest things (these are the ones which when missing, really discombobulate you while you are speaking). The day before you lecture, or the day before you travel to a lecture - print this list out and check off every point.

This checklist is not geared towards highly paid professional speakers - it's for the rest of us who give talks about our work to quilting groups, womens' groups and other smaller venues. Aim for the top and many of the suggestions will be irrelevant! To give you an idea of what I am talking about, here are some of the items on my list along with tips and reasons:

Lay out the clothes you intend to wear. Wear clothes you are comfortable with. Don't put on the jacket you just bought and are not sure about. You will be worrying about how it looks while you are speaking and your concentration will go.
Chose shoes. The same thing as clothes goes for shoes. Wear shoes you are familiar with and are comfy to walk around in.
Print out the name, address and number of the main contact. Make sure you get the cell phone number. Then when you are stuck on the highway in the longest traffic jam in the universe you can call and let them know the situation.
Whenever possible use your own laptop and projector. Unless you personally have tested the AV equipment at the presentation venue it is much safer to spend the money and buy your own stuff. It's bad enough having to set up your own system under pressure - to deal with someone else's quirky equipment adds fuel to the fire.
Check equipment. Set up the whole system at home. Connect all the cables, test all the batteries, check all the lights. Then run through your presentation to make sure the computer hasn't eaten a vital file. (I am not kidding about this. The last time I gave a talk the software program the audience gets to play with had disappeared. My husband had to rescue it. Imagine having to deal with that excitement under pressure!)
If you have an assistant accompanying you then call a week in advance to make sure they haven't forgotten the appointment. Then call the night before for exactly the same reason. If at all possible have a back-up assistant - 24 hour flu hits at the most inappropriate moments.
Call or email the organisers a week before the appointment and confirm the whole thing is still happening and there are no problems at their end.
Find and place your signed speaking contract in a safe spot. If something isn't quite up to speed when you arrive at the venue then you have it written down in black and white - no arguments.
Have your invoice ready if you haven't been paid in advance.
Write down your starting mileage and put it where ever you will see it in the car. You have no idea how many times I have driven off to a speaking engagement only to realise several miles down the road I have forgotten to check the mileage.
If you are driving to the venue confirm there is somewhere for you to park. At one presentation I gave there was no parking space anywhere - I was left to drive aimlessly around looking for a spot. I swear I would have driven straight home if it wasn't for the fact my equipment was already in the hall. (This is a true story!) If parking is tight then the organisers must make sure they reserve a space for the speaker.

Rose Rushbrooke
Artist, Quiltmaker,
Fractalist and Character Animator

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