My 60 seconds this week is from the speaking book. I think I might have a working title now. That might even help me finish the book faster. (That's good, because I have a lot more writing I want to finish!)
Enjoy!
Watch the video for my eye rolls.
The Transcript:
I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is 60 Seconds of Johanna’s Writing WIP for May 31, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress.
This excerpt is from the speaking book.
At some point in school, your teachers asked you to deliver “presentations.” They might have told you to memorize your presentation, especially if it was short, such as a book report. Maybe your teachers even said, “Stand here, in the front of the classroom, and project your voice.”
Worse, they probably told you to write out your presentation, with a topic sentence, four sentences to support your argument, and then wrap up at the end. This form of writing mimics the “tell them what you'll tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them” template.
Those ideas have some merit. I recommend you organize your presentation–but not with the “tell them” template or a topic sentence paragraph. Standing in the front of the room helps everyone hear you–and that's wrong for most in-person events because of the various technology locations. Projecting your voice does help–and microphones help even more.
What your teachers taught you was partly necessary, and not sufficient for effective presentations. Especially if you remember your, or a classmate's first presentation.