Do Authors Need To Stutter More?

 

 

As a book promoter, for years I have media coached authors and prepared them to participate in interviews with members of the news media. But we didn’t go over what I have recently discovered to be the most effective way to get people to listen to them.

Of course, I discussed their messaging, down to the buzz words, stories, and statistics that they would share. We would go over the pace and length in which they would speak, how to exude confidence, and the persona that they wanted to sell. If a camera was on them, we discussed clothing, posture, body language, and background.

But what was missing were things many of us would think are detriments to being heard:

* Stuttering
* An Accent
* A Lisp
* Saying um and uh
* Pausing while speaking
* Low-talking

Yes, each of these things or a combination of them, depending on how extreme they are, can kill an interview. No one wants to try to decipher mumbling from a stroke victim or ramblings from a muttering fool, but it turns out when we are forced to listen a little harder, we pay more attention to what is being said.

Take an accent. I love a British accent. If the person speaks slowly, I can understand them but only if I fully tune in to their pitch. Every word that comes out of their mouth sounds new in sound but familiar in meaning. People with accents, presumably because they come from elsewhere, may not use English perfectly, which also can draw us in closer as we seek to process and interpret their statements.

Some studies show that when a person says uh or um, we listen hard for the words immediately following their pauses. We feel the talker comes off as unpolished — in a good way — and appreciate that they struggle to find the right words to reflect their inner struggles to compose their thoughts.

A lisp can be annoying to listen to for too long but we tend to listen in a sympathetic mind frame, making us more open to their views.

Low-talkers may be the hardest to follow because you really can’t hear them. We attach a lack of energy, confidence, and enthusiasm to low-talkers, but we will strain to listen to them and if we can hear them, we may give their views some weight merely because they desperately strained to convey them.

So, if you stutter or have an accent or do the um-uh dance while you speak, have no fears. These aren’t handicaps at all. They may just help you deliver your message.

 

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, 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 over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it 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 www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions 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, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, 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. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.