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Jan 19 2025 – The Great Awakening Is Coming. Stand by...

Writing styles of my exemplar Samuel Pepys

My exemplar Samuel Pepys sometimes did not write for a few days I suspect because of his business and his numerous extra curricular preoccupations. I have missed the occasional day but quite like to share something meaningful and today is my thought about preparing for a meeting, in this case the Writers launch meeting that takes place tomorrow.

Final Preparations for a launch meeting

There is nothing worse than watching a presenter who has obviously not allowed himself time to prepare himself. I’m sick of turning up to lectures where people are still fiddling with the projector and you see all sorts of unsuitable material projected from the PC onto a big screen.

Is it asking too much for the presenter to arrive early, prepare their material, talk to the chairperson or organizer and greet guests.  First impressions are very important and if you see a lecturer fussing and fiddling around it does not necessarily bode well for an excellent speech.

Anyway I have done all I can for tomorrow, we have nine people who are hopefully coming but who knows. I have reminded them twice and they either come up or they don’t.

I believe everything should be prepared if possible that day before so that if anything unexpected turns up you can deal with it otherwise you will be wrong footed from the word go and that will affect your serenity.

I have prepared more than I can say and we’ll leave it to the moment to decide what I include and what I leave out. So long as people get the point, and are motivated when the call for action comes, that’s all that matters

I do not read speeches very well and I think in general it is better to deliver direct with notes to fall back in the background.

I must remember that items and topics are familiar to me but not necessarily to the audience in spite of the fact that we are interested in the same thing, namely writing.

I must remember to be open to other people while I am speaking so if I get any negative body language again I can  immediately respond to that without missing a beat.

Above all I must remember-  as I do always – not to say anything that I don’t really believe in. There’s a double negative for you. I should say to only say things that I really believe otherwise it’s like wallpaper and people turn off.

A lecturer said to me once that you should get audience participation once every 15 minutes otherwise they go to sleep. I’m not sure about the sleep a bit but I think some sort of question will keep people awake and alert because they’re not going to know what you’re going to spring on them next.

I find myself partly determined by the intellectual acuity and focus of the audience and if they are 100% concentrated then I can give my best.