Authors Can’t Take 3 Tries To Make A Good First Impression

 

 

Authors can be great writers but awful communicators.

 

If only they could speak as well as they write. All too often, they fail to be concise, interesting, informative, clear, or energetic when speaking about their book or themselves. Let’s explore what can be done about this.

Let me first state that some authors cannot be salvaged as far as turning them into good orators. It is just not in them. Years of being shy or of transferring all of their ideas, emotions, and thoughts into writing leaves them void of their ability to speak well. It is as if their muscles in this area were never exercised and they just atrophied. It is like teaching an adult to walk after only crawling for so many years.

It just may not be in one’s DNA and that is okay.

For those authors, they simply will not do media interviews or deliver speeches. Life will still go on, albeit in a limiting way.

But for those who want to cross over and make themselves better speakers, here are some strategies and tips:

First, honestly rate yourself. Assess and acknowledge your abilities.

Second, analyze your perceived weaknesses, and see if they can be changed. For instance, a high, nasally voice can’t become a deep one, but you can control it from getting out of hand by being aware of it.

Third, stutters, lisps, accents, weak vocabularies, or speaking too softly or fast can all be worked on. Those are not deal-breakers, so don’t make excuses or use them as a crutch.

Fourth, see a weakness as a strength. We don’t all have to sound and look alike. Whatever you think hampers you may also allow you to stand out and be unique and memorable. One reason I like to hear actor Sylvester Stallone is that he sounds like he strains to get the words out of his iron jaw. It makes you pay more attention to what he says.

Fifth, being self-conscious about how you look can impact how you sound.

Sixth, put yourself in situations for success. Don’t force yourself to stray far from your comfort zone if you don’t need to.

Many of us can get better at communicating, whether by mouth or typed word. We may not get a third chance to make a good first impression, so prepare now to speak with greater force, clarity, and appeal.

 

Please Contact Me For Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade, was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.