Own the Stage: Mastering Author Events

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Author public appearances require preparation, presence, and practice to create memorable, professional experiences for audiences while building your platform and connection with readers.

• Panels require advance research of fellow panelists, prepared bullet points, and supporting your colleagues while not oversharing
• Effective moderators serve the audience first by managing time, spotlighting all panelists equally, and asking insightful questions
• Workshops should be interactive with minimal lecturing—aim to talk no more than five minutes at a time
• Create handouts for workshops but don't feel obligated to share your entire presentation—protect your intellectual property
• Author talks should follow a narrative arc with strong openings and closings rather than feeling like sales pitches
• Technical difficulties happen to everyone—bring backup technology solutions and be prepared to adapt
• Your physical presence matters—maintain energy, make eye contact, dress professionally but comfortably
• Focus on connection and providing value rather than perfection

You can find episode show notes, free handouts and how-to guides at amrapajalic.com/podcast. Remember, every story begins with a single word.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Amra's Armchair Anecdotes.
I'm Amra Payalich, writer,teacher and storyteller.
Pull up a chair and let's diveinto stories about writing life
and lessons learned, sharingwisdom from my armchair to yours
.
You can find the episode shownotes, your free episode

(00:22):
handouts and my how-to guides atamrapayalichcom slash podcast.
And now it's time to dive in.
Welcome to Amra's ArmchairAnecdotes.
This episode is about owningthe stage.
So when you become an author,you sort of have this
opportunity to do very excitingthings.

(00:44):
You get to appear at panels,you get to do talks, workshops,
you also sometimes have tomoderate a panel, and so I
wanted to spend this episodetalking about the different
roles that you might have totake, the different things that
you might have to do and how toprepare for them.
So this came about because Iwent to a launch for my friend

(01:09):
Demet which was amazing andthere was a young debut author
there who was going to beappearing on her very first
panel and she was asking fortips and how what she needed to
know.
I thought, well, this is a goodepisode to do, and then I
started thinking about thedifferent things that we might
do and also the different thingsthat I wish I had known before

(01:33):
I started out.
So I think one of the mostimportant things that you need
to do as an author, as anemerging writer, is go to
writing festivals, attendwriting festivals, attend
workshops, attend talks.
I did this for pretty much twodecades every year.

(01:54):
Pretty much every year I hadfriends that I had standing
dates with that we would look atthe program and find things
that we were interested in goingto, and it was really important
, because there are some thingsthat come up in some of these

(02:16):
roles like when you're on apanel or you are the one
moderating the panel that youdon't think about, you don't
realize you need to prepare for.
So I just wanted to preface itwith that really attend as many
writing events as you can andobserve, be an observer, be
someone who just looks at it andsee what's happening.

(02:39):
So first of all, I'm going totalk about how to slay it on a
panel.
So one of the most importantthing is to do your homework.
So know who is moderating, knowthe other panelists, google
them, stalk them, read theirbooks, find out about them.
So it's not about scriptingevery answer, but it's just sort

(03:02):
of being prepared.
Usually what should happen isthe moderator should email all
of the panelists to introducethemselves, to sort of start
that conversation, to tell youwhat's going to happen.
If that doesn't happen, I'dencourage you to email the
moderator and get thatinformation for yourself,

(03:22):
because there's nothing worsethan not knowing what you're
sort of stepping into.
And so ideally there should bea program in terms of the
moderator doing theintroductions, how the moderator
will be asking questions.
They might send the questionsahead and I personally would
like them to.
I'm at the point now where Idon't need it.

(03:43):
I'm okay if they don't sendquestions ahead of time because
I can just talk.
But in the early stages of yourcareer it's really helpful if
they do send questions, if youcan prepare bullet points and
you can just sort of think aboutit, because you do find
yourself a little bit like adeer in headlines.

(04:04):
You know it is the first fewtimes you do something new, it
can be quite daunting, and sosometimes just being able to
look at the questions, preparesome bullet points, is really
helpful.
So very much encourage you tofind that information out.
If the the moderator is notdoing it, then you know,

(04:26):
initiate that just to help you.
It's really important that yousort of have some stories or
examples from your own life thatyou can bring in.
So when we're answering thesequestions, it's not about the
information so much as it isabout the stories, as it is
about the engagement, as it isabout connecting with the
audience, is about theengagement, as it is about
connecting with the audience.

(04:47):
So, even if you're preparingthose bullet points, you know,
just think about what storiesyou could attach to them and do
a little.
You know little bullet pointfor yourself.
Time is short on the panel, soreally jump in with the you know
something strong.
It's sometimes hard until youhear yourself speaking and you
practice speaking.

(05:07):
So doing this podcast hasreally worked me up to the fact
that I do sometimes uh, uh, uh,and so I've noticed that I am
cutting that out the more thatI'm doing this podcast.
The other thing I've noticed isso and that's something that I
do want to cut out also so jumpstraight into the important

(05:28):
example.
Don't sort of prevaricate.
Support your fellow panellists.
So I love those panels wherethe other panellists have read
each other's books, are able tomake those connections, are able
to invite the other panelistsin for a conversation.
So look for those opportunities.

(05:50):
So, when you are doing the prepwork and you're learning about
the other panelists, think aboutthose things.
What are the themes thatconnect you, what are the
stories that you loved that theytold, even mark up things that
they wrote in their books, orhave some quotes.
I mean, ideally the moderatorshould be doing this, but for
you also to sort of join thisconversation, um, and then, if

(06:14):
they say something, have this iswhat I've learned the hard way
have a pen and paper whileyou're on the panel, because
sometimes someone will saysomething and you're like I have
a great story or I havesomething that I would like to
continue on, but theconversation might flow past
that and then you forget, and soI found it very, very helpful

(06:35):
to make a note for myself.
And then, when it comes to me,I would say, before I answer
that question, I just wanted topick up on that point that
so-and-so said, and I justwanted to add and then add, you
know, interject and then go intothe question that the panelist
asked you, and so that wayyou're sort of continuing that

(06:56):
flow and continuing thatconversation and creating that
energy in that panel.
Also, when you're on the panel,be aware of the fact that other
people are sort of looking atyou.
So, you know, nod and smile, bepresent in the moment and
encouraging with otherpanellists, even if they're not

(07:17):
looking at you, because it'sabout the audience seeing you.
So I'm very aware of the factthat I have a bit of a sour face
if I'm not actively smiling.
I don't have, you know, restingbitch face, but it's more a bit
of a sour face where it lookslike everything is distasteful
to me.
And so I have learned that whenI'm in these situations I need

(07:39):
to actually smile, because theother thing that happens that my
daughter tells me is somepeople have resting face.
I don't, I'm always in my headand I'm always like thinking
things and I have this, you know, moving face, and so I need to
actively sort of listen to thepanellists and be responding and

(07:59):
be making faces and nodding atthem, even if they're not
looking at me, just so that I'mpresent with the audience and
they can sort of see me beingengaged and also to create that
energy and to create that senseof community and a great
experience for all of thepanelists and for the audience.

(08:20):
Really important to respect themoderator and not hijack the mic
.
I have been on panels wherepeople have hijacked the mic and
it's really rude because whathappens is they take up all of
the time and they just keeptalking and they don't really
give anyone else the opportunityto talk.
Now it is the moderator's jobto interject and to kind of

(08:44):
bring it back on track, butalways be aware that you
shouldn't be doing that.
So when I'm doing a talk or I'mdoing a presentation, I always
have my mobile phone next to meif I'm supposed to have speaking
for a certain amount of timeand I have my stopwatch on and
I'm actually glancing at it andI am including that in my talk.

(09:07):
So as I'm getting into it, I'mlike oh, let me just check how
much time I've got.
Oh, I can also add this, and soI'm actively doing that and
sort of paying attention.
And so when you are the one whois on a panel, don't hijack,
don't talk too much.
It's about a conversation witheveryone and so you know, answer
the um question, but be theperson that people want to hear

(09:31):
more from, rather than theperson that they're kind of
waiting for you to finish, um,if you are a person like me who
has a habit of starting a storyand just going off on tangents
and has a tendency not to answerthe question.
I have learned now to go did Iactually answer your question or

(09:53):
did I go off on a tangent?
And that way I can give theperson who is interviewing me
the opportunity to follow up andgo oh actually, or they'll go.
No, that was was okay.
We're going to move on to thenext person, so kind of giving
them that opportunity to decidehow they want to move forward.
Um, a really good thing to thinkabout is sound bites.

(10:14):
So it would be great if you,when you were doing your little
bullet points and you werethinking about you know things
that you want to say during thepanel, that you create them into
little sound bites so that whenyou start with the sound bite
and then you sort of tell thestory and so that way it can
help people, you know, tweetyour lines or they can make

(10:35):
their own notes that can betheir little cue where they're
like oh, that's what thatinformation is about, and so it
just kind of helps with thatpublic speaking aspect of it.
Because we are looking forthose opportunities for those
sound bites and those thingsthat really engage with people
and connect with them.
Now, if you're on a panel wherepeople are talking about

(10:58):
something that could getcontentious and they're getting
a little bit, you know, ifsomeone's disagreeing, don't,
you know, just smile, agree,where you can gently restate
your position.
You don't need to, you know,engage into a debate and make it

(11:18):
a situation Like sometimes adebate can be great, it can be,
you know, a really kineticmoment, something that really,
you know, inspires people.
But sometimes the possibility isthat people might get a little
bit too angry and the atmospheremight get tense.
So just think about how you'redealing with if there is

(11:39):
something contentious and thereare those moments of
disagreement.
If you want to, you know,actually engage in a debate and
actually sort of connect it inthat way, and you can.
The only issue is about doingit in a mature way, in a way
where different people arestating their points of view,
and it's about giving people theopportunity to hear these

(12:01):
different points of view and toagree or disagree.
So it's just about maintainingthat calm energy and just
restating and adding moreinformation and not getting
personal.
In order to create that greatsituation, it's really important
to make eye contact with thepanellists and with the audience

(12:22):
.
So when you are asked aquestion by the moderator, make
eye contact with them, but then,when you are answering,
actually look at the audience,answer to them and also look at
your fellow panelists, invitethem in the conversation, and so
make sure that you are sort ofmaintaining that eye contact and

(12:43):
that you are not focusingeither just on the moderator or
just either on the audienceAlthough, if you're going to do
one, focus more on the audiencerather than the moderator,
because the audience is who youare there for.
They are the ones that arelistening to you, they are the
ones that have paid usually tocome, come and see this talk,

(13:06):
and so they are the ones thatyou want to connect with the
most.
Um, have a thought, have akiller closing line ready.
So when, when things arewrapping up, if there are final
thoughts, try, don't ramble, tryand get into um, leaving
something having a lesson or atone piece piece of advice that

(13:28):
you can do as your final thought.
So usually with panels, there'sa theme that you are talking
about and that you're supposedto be engaging in a discussion
about.
So just think about what is theone final thought and what is
the one piece of advice that youwant to leave people with.
Now, this might be somethingthat you've already said
somewhere along the way in thepanel, or maybe someone has said

(13:50):
it and you are echoing it, inwhich case, acknowledge it and
say you know, just like Mary, Itoo, and you know, restate what
you are thinking.
So just think about how toclose it, how to finish it and
how to leave that impression.
So some other bonus tips that Iwanted to add is I would Suggest

(14:13):
that you dress a little bitmore formal.
Unfortunately, this is alsogendered.
There is an element where womenare expected to be a little bit
more dressed up and presentthemselves a little bit better.
I do feel like men can get awaywith more of a casual look.

(14:34):
So you still need to becomfortable and you still need
to be.
You Don't dress in somethingthat is not you just like for a
job interview.
Don't dress in high heels ifthat's something that you never
wear, because that comes acrossas being uncomfortable.
But just make an effort interms of your presentation and
just that little tiny bit moreof either formality or just a

(14:58):
little bit more of aperformative thing.
Unfortunately, for women, thatmight be.
You know, a little bit ofmakeup maybe.
But again, if that's somethingthat you really don't feel
comfortable and it's really notyou, then don't, but just think
about what can you do just tomake yourself a little bit more.
It's not just about theaudience, I feel.

(15:19):
It's about you also steppinginto this role.
I kind of view it as my armor,and so I don't wear makeup on a
day-to-day basis at all, theclothes that you see here that I
wear in this podcast.
So, for those of you who arelistening, I am wearing a
burgundy wraparound dress thatyou can't see the full dress but

(15:40):
you can see the top of, and Ihave got a black star necklace
that's got two rows and I haveblack earrings and I've put my
makeup on.
And so this is my armor.
This is so that I come in hereand I put on the energy and I
actually really, you know, emoteand connect with you.
Because if I was just wearingmy regular clothes, I would be

(16:04):
talking like this a little bitand I would just be a little bit
more relaxed, a little bit morelike, oh, I don't have it in me
to put on the armor and put onthe kind of cheer and the kind
of energy in order to create apodcast that people will engage

(16:27):
with.
And so that's what I'm talkingabout in terms of thinking about
that performative side of it,in how you present yourself, in
how you dress, formative side ofit, in how you present yourself
, in how you dress, in how youmight show up.
Bring a cheat sheet.

(16:47):
So bring something where you'vegot either a sheet of paper
where you've written out yourbullet points, a notebook that
you've written notes in, becausethere will be moments where you
might be either caught offguard I've actually found myself
in situations where I'veactually been enjoying the panel
so much I forget that I'm apanelist and I'm supposed to
respond, and so I have thismoment where I'm like, oh, I'm

(17:10):
actually supposed to speak andso looking down and going, so it
kind of brings me back into itand puts me back into that
moment.
So bring that with you andreally, you know, bring a pen so
that you are able to make thosenotes.
And so even sometimes, you know, ticking off that you've
already said something or addinga note about when you come back

(17:33):
to that that you want toacknowledge something that
someone said, just to kind ofkeep that rhythm in that moment
because you can lose yourself alittle bit.
So I think you know humour.
You know use humourstrategically.
Sometimes it can be, you know,when you're trying too hard with

(17:55):
humour and it might push it toofar.
But you know where you'retrying too hard with humour and
it might push it too far.
But you know, use a little bitof humour if it comes up and if
it feels natural.
Don't feel like you have to doa stand-up comedy act.
You know, be who you are andalways thank the moderator and
the organisers after andacknowledge them and also

(18:16):
acknowledge the audience.
It just kind of sets the tone.
So I had a really greatexperience at the Brimbank
Sunshine Library.
They organised a talk withthree authors.
All of us had very differentjourneys to publication and so

(18:36):
it was about our publicationjourneys and the moderator was
wonderful.
His name was Scott, he was fromthe library and he prepared the
questions beforehand.
He sent them to us so that wecould think about it and think
about the answers.
But what happened on the daythat was really great is that
all of us as panelists had thoseopportunities to have those

(18:58):
cross conversations, to kind ofpick up what the other person
was saying, and to have a verywarm conversation about
publishing and about ourpublication journeys and
showcase that for the audience,who are hungry for that
information, who are hungry tofind out all of the things that

(19:19):
they wanted to know and to thinkabout how they wanted to
undertake their publishingjourney.
So it really matters.
You know those things that comeinto it.
And so one of the panelists wassomeone who this was her first
panel and she was very, verynervous and so she had a sheet
and she actually referred tothat sheet and she was using

(19:41):
that to talk and then, as wewere talking, she sort of warmed
up and she was able to engagein more of a conversation.
Um, I, you know, just walk inand whatever I say, I say I'm at
that point now, um, and theother author was also quite
comfortable and confident interms of his speaking and stuff.
So it really is.
You know you prepare yourselfbased on where you are in your

(20:05):
writing journey and you go withit.
Don't feel like if you have asheet, oh, that's too amateur,
it's not for any point in yourjourney.
You know it's really important,like I did have a pen and I did
have a paper and I was makingnotes, as I think I did prepare
bullet points for that one too,but I didn't have to use it much
, but I did sort of write downnotes so that I could pick up on

(20:28):
things that the otherpanellists were saying as they
were speaking, so that Iwouldn't forget.
All right, so that was allabout if you are on a panel some
things to think about and toprepare.
So I'm now going to talk aboutif you are moderating a panel.
So you are the person who isactually moderating, managing

(20:52):
the conversation and trying tokeep it moving.
Now, this requires quite a bitof diplomacy and assertiveness,
okay, because if you have amoderator who is not really
taking on this role and is notdoing it effectively especially

(21:12):
if it's like a few people on thepanel or during the Q&A it can
kind of affect the conversationnegatively.
So now I'm going to talk abouthow do you master the role of
moderator.
So when you are a moderator, itis important that your job is
to serve the audience, not thepanel.

(21:33):
So you need to make sure thatthe conversation flows, that
it's lively, that itconversation flows, that it's
lively, that it's accessible,that it's valuable.
In a sense, you need to bepaying attention to the audience
, energy and seeing how they arefeeling, and so if you do have
someone who is rambling on orwho is bringing the energy down,

(21:56):
you do need to redirect.
You need to have some of thosethings.
So there are some strategiesthat you need to be able to use
to do that.
One of them is you really needto do your preparation.
If you are a moderator, youneed to read at least one book
from the authors.
Ideally.

(22:16):
Ideally, there should be atheme that is tied to the one
book and it's the one book thatthey're promoting.
It's just that sometimesauthors might have multiple
books and you know it's too muchto kind of read everything that
they've written.
You do need to sort of focus onon something.
So you need to have, um, a, youknow, like a really good

(22:37):
overview of what they're doing.
You need to have a few starterand a few rescue questions.
So you're looking forintersections between the
panelists, stuff you can connect, you know.
So something might be like bothof you have written about
resilience after trauma.
How do your approaches differ?
So it's about sort of trying toconnect that and do that

(22:59):
conversation.
Now, ideally, panelists willalso be doing that, but
sometimes panelists don't makean effort to read each other's
work or to know about each other, and so the really the onus is
on you as the moderator, to makesure that you're the one doing
that.
So the other thing is it'simportant that you set the tone

(23:24):
in the first 30 seconds for thispanel, that you're warm and
confident.
You've got a good intro.
You're introducing thepanelists briefly.
Now a lot of panelists myselfincluded will will send nice
long bio because we are slightlyinsecure and we want you to say

(23:44):
every single thing about us,but that can really bring the
energy down.
So you know you should not bereading out a five minute CV of
the panellist.
It should be short and sweet.
It should be sort of getting tothe heart of who they are.
So when they send you theirbios, look at the most important

(24:06):
parts and what you're going tofocus on.
Really important that you managethe clock.
So um panels can run long andyou know the issue is you need
to protect the q a at the end inorder for the audience to have
the interaction, and if it'spart of a writers festival,
there are numerous panels orworkshops or events that are

(24:29):
going on, and so it's reallyimportant to finish things at
the correct time in order forthe audience to be able to leave
and to go to the next thing.
So you really need to controlthe clock, you need to watch,
keep an eye on your watch, youneed to keep an eye on panelists

(24:50):
.
You might need to jump in, andI know that this is really
difficult and awkward and it'ssomething that takes a lot of
confidence and a lot of practice, and so sometimes you might
need to.
You know, have these sentencesthat you're using.
I love where this is going, butin the interest of time, and so
you need to actually sort oftry and signal to the panelists,
um, that you need them to tofinish up, and if they're sort

(25:13):
of not looking at you, you mightneed need to go.
Excuse me, scott, just to letyou know.
You know, and moving it along,because it is about making sure
that everyone has time to speak.
When a panel is organized, youknow, people know about all the
people who are there and theymight only be interested in
hearing about one person.

(25:33):
Now, obviously, they're goingto be, you know, be interested
in hearing the whole panel andthe whole conversation, but if
they don't get enough of theperson that they're really
interested in, that can leave areally bad taste for them and
it's just really rude if peopleare on a panel and they're
invited to speak and then theydon't have the opportunity to

(25:53):
share what they are there toshare.
And if you are the one who isthe moderator, it is your job to
make sure that everyone hasthat opportunity.
So you really need to step upand do that.
You need to ask real questions.
You need to ask things that isnot just what they can recite

(26:14):
from their bio, but things thatoffer insight, know offer
insight, that offer reflection,that are, you know, offering the
storytelling.
Maybe disagreement, if this issomething that could lend itself
to that.
In terms of the topic, Iremember one panel I went to.
It was about is the short storydead and so the way that it was

(26:35):
framed.
It was about you know, anargument, a disagreement.
It was about you know, dopeople think is the short story
dead and so the way that it wasframed.
It was about you know anargument, a disagreement.
It was about do you know, dopeople think that the short
story was dead?
And it was about the fact thatin the publishing industry the
traditional publishing industrygetting a short story collection
published is really, reallyhard.
It only happens for authors whousually have, um, a history

(26:57):
with the publisher where they'vehad, you know, numerous books
published, and then publisherslike, okay, we'll do a short
story collection, we thinkthere's an audience from that,
or someone who is incrediblyprolific in short story writing
and they have sort of, you know,won every competition or they
have really created a profile.
And so this panel was is theshort story dead?

(27:19):
And it was about peoplepresenting is it, is it not?
And so if the topic is like that, where it's something about
possible disagreements, then yes, ask questions.
You know that could beprovocative.
That could be about do peopledisagree, do they think it is or
it isn't?
Um, you know, just think abouthow do you frame questions where
you're inviting people toanswer and giving them the

(27:41):
opportunity to really sharetheir knowledge.
So you know something, insteadof like tell us about your book.
What scared you most aboutwriting this book?
What excited you most?
What was the most powerfulthing that came out of this?
What was the most surprisingreaction you had from a reader?
So you know thinking about itin that way.
Now, obviously, if they don'thave a surprising reaction from

(28:05):
a reader, they might, you know,reframe that and go.
Well, I don't have aninteraction from a reader, but,
and the surprising thing was, soit's about sort of throwing
things open a little bit.
Spotlight everyone.
It is your responsibility thateveryone gets airtime, that

(28:26):
everyone gets the opportunity tospeak.
There are some people whonaturally hog the mic, like me,
and there are some people thatsort of shrink, and they, you
know, might go a little quietand they're sort of finding
their feet and they're a littlebit more of an introvert.
And it is your responsibilityto really invite everyone in, to

(28:49):
get them talking, to actuallydevelop that conversation and
that rapport.
So, you know, you might say X,you've had experience with this,
what's your take on this?
Or you might have someoneanswer and you might see that
one of the panelists is likereally nodding or is frowning or
something like that.
Go, you seem to have adifferent experience.

(29:10):
Would you like to follow up onthat or share that?
Or did you have something thatyou wanted to respond with?
And so create that organicconversation and that organic
flow and facilitate that.
Watch the energy.
Like the energy is reallyimportant on a panel.

(29:33):
At the end of the day, mostpanels, you know people being
paid paid.
The moderator is being paid,the panelist is being paid, the
audience is paid to come in andto watch this.
It is a performance, it isabout giving them a good time,
about giving them information,and so you really need to watch
the energy.

(29:54):
Um, if something is dying, youneed to liven it up, you need to
bring it back, you need to notlet it get repetitive.
Move it along if it is gettinga bit rambling and just use that
sentence, just say, well, let'sflip the question, let's change
it in some way.
Have some sentences to helpguide you with that, so that you

(30:17):
can just interject and pivot,be ready to politely shut down a
rambler.
Now, this is important not juston the panel, but there are
also people in the audience whoare just waiting, waiting to ask
a question and I'm doing airquotations here in terms of ask

(30:38):
a question, but it's not aquestion, it is just their
opportunity to get on the mic.
I remember watching a panel Ican't remember all the people on
the panel and there was thiswoman.
It was about memoir writing andthis woman got up and goes I
would like to write a memoir,but I feel like I've had, you
know, really good life.

(30:58):
And then she started just sortof sharing her life story, which
was quite banal and not veryinteresting.
And I think one of thepanellists or the moderator was
a comedian, I think it mighthave been Lucy Brine or
something and she went.
Well, you seem to have had areally boring life, so maybe no
one would be interested in yourmemoir.

(31:18):
And the audience kind oflaughed and the woman went, oh,
and sat down because she was notthere to ask a question, she
was not there to contribute tothe conversation, she was there
to hog the mic, to get hermoment and to just ramble on.
And so that's something that ifyou are a moderator, it's your

(31:39):
responsibility to shut it down,and that is also important with
the panelists.
You need to bring it back ontopic.
You need to jump in smiling andfun, but change the topic.
I love your passion for this.
I'm going to pause so that wecan open up a little bit more

(32:02):
and then, mary, could you pleaseand ask them the question and
redirect and get that energymoving, because sometimes people
also might be nervous andthey're not meaning to hog the
mic because they are being rudeand they are being arrogant.
But sometimes when people arenervous, they just kind of lose
themselves a little bit andthey're not quite aware of how

(32:25):
they're coming across, and soit's up to you to redirect that,
bring that energy back.
It is really important to savetime for the audience questions,
because this is what theaudience is there for.
They are there to listen to thetalk, they are there to get
information, but they are alsointerested in asking certain

(32:48):
questions.
There might be something thatthey were listening to and they
want a response to.
There might be something thatthey have been following a
certain author and they reallywanted this opportunity to
engage with them, and so it isyour responsibility to make sure
that there is enough time atthe end for that.
Usually, when you're hired forthe gig of moderator, you are
told how much time you shouldleave.

(33:09):
Usually in a one-hour talk, atleast 15 minutes.
At least the last 15 minutesshould be for audience q a.
Depending on you know where thevenue is there.
Some of them might be even 20minutes.
Um might be 10 minutes, it justsort of depends.
You might get a guide from theyou know venue or from the

(33:32):
organizer of this panel, but itis also up to you Now.
Obviously, sometimes you have anaudience where they're not
asking any questions.
It's all quiet on the Westernfront.
So it is your responsibility tosort of have questions ready
just in case that's happeningand no one asks a question.

(33:52):
And so if that happens and yougive the audience the
opportunity and no one'sstepping up and it's just kind
of you know, getting awkward,then you should ask questions.
But don't be afraid to leavethe pause to create that time to
encourage the audience to say,look, we would really love to
hear from any of you.
Does anyone here have aquestion?

(34:14):
And just kind of give them abit of time.
It's a fine line.
So you really do need to payattention to the audience and
sort of see are there somepeople that are shyly putting
their hand up?
And you can quickly tell theperson who's got the microphone
if it is one of those big venueswhere a microphone has to be
passed down, or that you arekeeping an eagle eye and you're

(34:35):
going oh, the woman in red,you've got a question.
Or that you are keeping aneagle eye and you're going oh,
the woman in red, you've got aquestion We'd love to hear from
you, and then getting them toask a question, always repeat
the question.
So unless it is a venue wherethere is a microphone where
everyone can hear it, thenreally repeat the question
before redirecting it to thepanel to answer, just to make

(34:56):
sure that the audience knowswhat the question is.
So close, strong and say thankyou.
End one to two minutes beforethe official time.
Thank the panellists warmly andpersonally.
Thank the audience.
Don't do that awkward dribblingon the finish line or you know
where someone might have to comeout and be like, ok, shut down.

(35:16):
Because if it is like you knowwhere someone might have to come
out and be like, okay, shutdown.
Because if it is like you knowa festival where then they need
to clear everyone out in orderto bring the next panel in, then
someone will come in and haveto intervene.
So you don't want that.
You want to create a very clearfinish and a thank you to
everyone and the audience.
You're thanking the audience,great applause, really ending on

(35:39):
that high where everyone feelsthat energy and feels uplifted.
So some bonus tips um, bring twopens.
One will mysteriously vanish.
You'll be using it and thenit'll either fall into your
chair or fall down onto thefloor and you won't even notice
and you will suddenly be like Idon't have my pen.

(36:00):
Have the backup questions if noone in the audience raises
their hand, because it canhappen and frame awkward moments
as normal.
So you know, for example, ifyou ask, you know, know, it's
like q a and it's asking for theaudience to um, ask questions

(36:22):
and there's that pause and I was, oh, it's always hard to be the
first person to ask thequestion.
Oh, that'd be great if we could, you know, like making a little
bit of humor and trying tointerject that fun into it and
getting people, you know,excited and into it.
So that is everything I have tosay about being a moderator on

(36:45):
a panel.
Something else that you might beinvited to do as an author is
to deliver a workshop, and so,depending on what you are
writing, you will have differentworkshops that you will be
delivering.
So I'm just going to be talkingabout general tips for
workshops, because the topicwill depend Like I can do

(37:05):
different workshops.
I do short story, I do indiepublishing, memoir writing, and
now I'm going to start talkingabout historical writing and
crime fiction writing as I moveinto my next series, and so
every time you add a new bow toyour string as an author,

(37:29):
there's something else that youwill be able to look at
monetizing and doing skills in.
But it's important to sort ofthink about workshops and how do
you make that a greatexperience.
So you need to structure yourworkshop.
You need to have a goodintroduction.
It's about interactive contentand it's about takeaway points.

(37:49):
Now, my view is that in aworkshop, you should not be
talking for more than fiveminutes at a time, because it's
a workshop.
People are supposed to be doingthings.
They are supposed to be doingwriting activities.
They are supposed to beactually thinking through things
.
So I have a memoir writingworkshop, which part of it is
about structuring and thinkingabout how to write your memoir,

(38:14):
and so when I do that workshop,I do the prompt, I talk about
how I did it, and then I stayquiet and I let the participants
write.
Now, as a teacher, I find myselfwalking around the room and
sort of looking at what mystudents are doing.
I've had to learn not to dothat in adult workshops, because

(38:35):
grownups don't like it when youstand over them.
So it's really important thatyou sort of recede a little bit.
Um, I always set a timer.
So I'm like, okay, we're goingto take five minutes now for you
to do this.
Um, you know activity and thenwe'll be checking it, and so I
set the timer and I let thetimer go off, and so that way

(38:57):
that naturally lets theparticipants know that that time
is up.
I stand quietly, I try not toattract attention, and then I
only go and speak to people ifthey ask me.
So if a participant actuallylooks at me and is like, and
they want me to come over andhave a conversation and help
them, I will then do that.

(39:17):
Otherwise I am staying, stayingout of the way and giving them
the opportunity to get thatinformation.
Something else that's importantis, if people don't want to
share, you can't make them share.
In you know, a secondary schoolsetting I am the evil teacher
where I have to make my studentsspeak because it is important

(39:41):
for them to develop theirspeaking skills and for me to
check in on their information.
But when we are doing writingworkshops, you might invite
people to share what they havedone if they've done a great
first line or, um, you know,have they got a piece of writing
that they did, or did it helpthem clarify something?
But some participants don'twant to and you can't sort of

(40:05):
force that.
Conversely, you might have theother side of it, where some
people will just want to use upall of the time and suck up all
the energy and just keep talkingabout their stuff.
So you also need to sort ofshut that down.
So another way that you can dothat is after the writing
activity takes place.
You then set a timer for thetalking part and then the timer

(40:31):
goes off and you're like okay,we need to move on to the next
writing activity.
Thank you for that, and thatcan give you that graceful exit
if you need it.
I always find myself preparingmore.
I feel, I don't know, just moreconfident when I have more
activities than I need.
So when you are preparingactivities, think about the time

(40:53):
.
How long do you think it wouldtake people to do something?
How long do you want to buildin the time of talking?
And I always build in extra.
I would rather not be able toget through.
You know everything in detailwhere I might need to just kind
of talk through the last fewthings and not give time for the

(41:13):
actual activities, as opposedto running out and then having
that dead space and that deadenergy.
I am an experienced teacher atthis point.
I have been teaching for 12years, so I'm very comfortable
about filling in space andfilling in time and as a teacher
also, I don't need to do thatmuch prep anymore, but I still

(41:37):
find myself always having extrathings.
Just psychologically it calmsme down and just in case I need
to throw to other things haveactionable items you know.
So think about to any writingworkshops that you've done or
writing experiences that you'vehad and use them.
So you know, I did a diploma ofprofessional writing and

(42:01):
editing and was exposed to awhole lot of different writing
activities and I have used someof them.
I remember one of my tutors,jane, had us do a workshop where
we would bring items in, ourfavorite items in, and then we
would talk about you know whatthey meant to us.
So we did a writing piece onthat.

(42:21):
And then also we had to bringitems in and describe them,
without saying what they are butactually describing them.
So we would touch and feel them.
And then we did a writingactivity where we were looking
at smelling things and did oursense of smell inspire us?
And then I had a box and littletubes of different smells to do

(42:42):
writing workshops.
So look at different ideas anddifferent things and try them
out.
Have a raft of things that youknow you might have done or
you've seen other people do andyou know, depending on what the
workshop is about.
Is it a workshop where it'sjust about you know, developing
your five senses so you can dothose different types of things?

(43:04):
Is about different ways tostart a story.
Is it about writing a shortstory?
So deconstructing the differentthings about writing a short
story, so deconstructing thedifferent things about writing a
short story.
So you need to really thinkthrough the parts of it you know
, and how are you supporting theemerging writers in that
workshop to get something thatis actionable, something that

(43:24):
will help them in their writingjourney?
It is important to sort of adaptto the audience.
So you know, if it is anin-person workshop, then you can
actually go through what youare going to be presenting in
the workshop and then ask theaudience is there anything else

(43:45):
that you wanted or is theresomething here that you think
you already know that you wouldlike me to skip over and spend
more time on something else, um,so if it's in person and you
can sort of do that checking in,it's really great in order to
make sure that the participantshave a great experience and they
really get something out of it.
Um, and that's why it's alsoimportant to have those extra

(44:08):
things, just in case you go intoa workshop that you've designed
, um, and you, you know, go overthat.
We look, okay, we're going tobe, we're looking at how to
structure short stories, we'regoing to be looking at great
openings, and then we're goingto be looking at, you know, how
do we do writing strategies?
Um, and you know, it might belike where you're doing a
workshop for some writing groupand they're like, oh, we've

(44:29):
already done great openings andyou're like, okay, great, well
then what we'll do is and youhave something else that you can
draw on, um.
I personally prefer providinghandouts beforehand.
I um.
So you know, when I'm doing awriting workshop, I have
powerpoints with images and youknow examples and stuff like

(44:54):
that.
I don't share those.
So you will always have peopleasking you to share their, your
powerpoint with them.
My view is that is myintellectual property.
I have actually gone to thework, gone to the effort of
finding examples of you knowgreat short story openings or
great writing strategies, and Iam providing those in the

(45:16):
workshop to inspire people.
I don't want to share myintellectual property, so I will
create a handout in terms ofyou know the structure.
If I'm talking about structuringa short story, I'll give them a
handout that they are fillingin about how to structure a
short story and then they takethat away from them.
But I don't want to beproviding all of the resources I

(45:38):
have in terms of the examples.
It's their responsibility towrite down the name of the short
story, or to write down thename of the short story
collection or the author and goread them and go find them and
read them.
So that is not something thatyou need to do.
So that's how I get around it,where I provide the handouts

(45:58):
beforehand so that also they areyou know they've got something
to do, but also that they areengaging with me, and then I
don't provide the PowerPoints ifthey ask, I just say, oh, I
provide the handouts, the, notthe powerpoints.
Um, but if you are in thoseearly stages and you find that a
little bit awkward.
That's one way of doing it,where you provide the handouts

(46:21):
and even, if you wanted to, youprovide the list of examples
that you've got.
Um so very important when youare doing a workshop, I should
say actually, um, not just totalk about what they should be
doing, but to actually provideexamples of it.
So, for example, if you'redoing that workshop about
describing your favorite thingor how to describe something

(46:43):
without naming it, it would begreat if you could have examples
of that type of writing.
And so you should be readingwriters that you admire and
books that you admire, andfinding things and annotating
them.
These days you can do a great,you know trawl on the internet
where it can come up withexamples.

(47:03):
So I remember when I was doinga workshop and I wanted to sort
of show the different points ofview that you might write in.
So you know, there's first,there's second, which is not
very common, and then there isthird person, and I had to
search up examples of secondperson because I don't really
like it and I don't like readingit.
But I found a book that hadthose examples and then I was

(47:25):
able to.
You know, use those and showthose to demonstrate.
So really important when youare saying you know, use those
and show those to demonstrate.
So really important when youare saying you know we're going
to be describing our favouriteobject and we're looking at
using the five senses and we arenot naming it, that you
actually provide an example ofthat for them to see and to see
how to construct it.
So you know, when you are atthe like, as an emerging writer,

(47:49):
you should be a reader, itshould be something that you are
doing and you should beannotating and collecting books.
So when I started doing memoirwriting workshops, I went
through all the books that I hadand I found examples of what I
needed for the different thingsthat I was doing workshops on.
Same with short stories, I haveall these short story
collections of short stories andthen I found examples of the

(48:12):
different things so that whenI'm doing a workshop, I'm
showing that example.
So you know, a great experienceI had with a workshop that I
did was a self-publishingworkshop where you you know,
even though I have no voice andI had to get them to organize
the microphones so that I couldproject the preparation came

(48:37):
through and the information camethrough and you know.
So you create that goodexperience, and I have a lot of
people when I do workshops wherethey then connect with me on
social media or they connectwith me, you know, via my
newsletter, because there issomething so special about that
writer.
You know that teacher, studentexperience and that when you are

(49:00):
an emerging writer and you havesomeone who really opens your
eyes to something and helps you,it creates this sort of bond.
And I know myself with some ofmy creative writing tutors.
I connected with themafterwards and I kept up with
them because you know theyreally changed how I thought

(49:22):
about writing and they reallyhelped me in some way.
And so that's what you need tothink about and what you need to
bring.
How are you helping people moveforward?
How are you giving them anexperience where they are
developing their writing andthey're walking away inspired
and, you know, just wanting tocontinue with the writing?

(49:43):
So with workshops, you know,develop a PowerPoint.
I've used PowerPoints.
I'm now sort of moving intoCanva presentations because they
are really great.
Put hyperlinks also to somethings.
If you are using informationfrom other people, if you are

(50:04):
using some other sources,reference them.
You know, let people go andlook at that.
That's what we do as teachers.
We do use things that otherpeople might have come up with
and other ideas.
So just reference them and, youknow, give other people the
opportunity to go back to thesource.
And, you know, focus oninteractivity.

(50:27):
You should not be talking for anextended period.
It should be talk, model and doand then reflect and
conversation.
The last thing that you mightbe asked to do is to craft an
author talk that leaves a mark.
So a lot of the times you mightbe invited to actually just do

(50:49):
a talk about the experience ofbeing a writer and about sharing
your experiences in terms ofyour journey so far.
And so I've had this a lot withhigh schools where I go in and
I sort of talk about what it isto be a writer and my journey to
becoming a writer.

(51:10):
So it's important that you havethe why.
Why are you there?
What are you there to talkabout?
So sometimes you're given atheme.
I remember once I was invitedto do a speech and it was about
it was International Women's Dayand so it was about the focus
on women, and so I talked aboutmy memoir and writing it, about

(51:33):
my mother and about sharing thatinspiration and that journey.
A lot of the times it might beabout just talking about what it
is to be a writer and and howyou came there and when I've
done that for secondary schoolstudents.
I focus on the resiliencerequired to be a writer and so

(51:55):
about the journey that I had toundertake in terms of the
learning to be a writer and thenseeking publication, and I
created a flow chart of thetimeline, of how long it took me
to get published, and thenabout the submission process and
the fact that my agentsubmitted to five publishers.

(52:17):
Then I got an offer from myfirst, I got a rejection from my
second, third and fourth andthen an offer from the fifth
publisher, and then I would askthe students do you think I'm a
good writer or am I a bad writerbecause I got rejected?
And so to invite thatconversation in terms of you

(52:38):
might still get rejections.
It's not a reflection on you,it is just the way that things
go in life and about thatresilience and moving through it
.
So, thinking through what is itthat you're wanting to get
people to experience and ifthere is a theme of what they
asked you to.
So, obviously, when you'redoing an author talk and talking

(53:00):
about your writing journey,you've had the one journey, it's
the one way that it happened.
But it's just how do yourefocus it?
How do you make it about thetheme, if there is one that they
are inviting you to address?
When you're doing an author talk, think about it in terms of a
story arc.
It's not a sales pitch whereyou're trying to sell your book.

(53:21):
You're trying to tell a storyand something that has sort of a
beginning and a middle and anend and that you're getting the
readers connected.
So you know, if it's your storyof publication, then it's about
the process of, and then thehero at the end, where you've
got your published novel and nowyou're transformed.
I mean, you still might want toadd the reality aspect of it

(53:43):
where you think your life willbe completely different, but
there's still the regular stuffyou need to do and there are
some shocks that you might have.
But think of it in terms ofbuilding that have some core
messages that you are buildinginto your talk that you want
people to understand.
So when I'm doing my authortalk and my story to publication
, as I've already said, it'sabout resilience, it's about

(54:05):
persistence and it's about sortof coming from where I came from
in terms of, you know, a childof migrants and then finding my
way in this new world, enteringthis new world, overcoming
imposter syndrome.
So think about what it is thatyour story has.
What are the moments oflearning or the things that you

(54:29):
have overcome or that you canshare, that can inspire other
people?
You are doing a talk and whileyou might have a PowerPoint or
something that you are sharingvisuals of, it is still about
writing it for the ear and aboutcreating that storytelling

(54:49):
experience.
And if you are doing apresentation, you know just have
photos or a quote, don't havelots of information and that's
not really helpful for people.
It is more about your speakingand you telling that story.
Having said that, photos aregreat.
You know I had photos of all mydifferent drafts.

(55:10):
I had photos of my handwriting.
I had photos of the edits thatI received.
I had photos of me as a youngperson and you know how that
inspired my first novel, andthen that for my memoir.
When I am talking about myhistorical book that I will be
publishing, I'm going to havephotos that I used in terms of

(55:32):
the research and the inspirationand the real life stories.
So, you know, those are great,having those visuals and just
popping them up and having themas you are talking about them so
that people can connect, butyou don't want them to be
distracted and to be lookingaway from you for an extended
period.
It it's about them connectingwith you.

(55:53):
Start strong, you know.
Start with something thatreally connects with them,
whether that's a shocking fact,a hilarious moment, a vulnerable
confession.
When I was doing my talk aboutyou know being an adult author,
I started with that whole thingof you know being a young adult
author.
I started with that whole thingof you know, feeling unworthy
because of, like, where I camefrom and that this world was too

(56:15):
big.
When I start the historicalresearch, I will start with the
fact that I'm writing about amassacre.
I'm writing about, you know,putting people on the page and
sharing a story that I think isimportant.
So you know you're thinkingabout how do you create that
connection with your talk?
Share the real life experiences.

(56:36):
You know actual behind thescenes moments from your writing
life.
I attended Demet's launch andthere was this funny story that
she was talking about how shefinally submitted her final
draft after writing, you know,for five years working on this
book and he said great.

(56:56):
You earned 30 cents an hourwhen you count up all the hours
that she worked on the book.
You know, in terms of thisglamour of having a published
book, but the reality of um, themonetary, uh compensation is
quite hard.

(57:16):
But it was also great becauseit was, you know, the insight in
her relationship into thesupport that she had and the
reality of the writing life thatyou know.
It took her five years becauseshe had two children, she had to
work part-time, she had towrite in the cracks, and so it's
just bringing that reality ofwhat it is to be doing that.

(57:39):
So you want to rehearse a littlebit but you don't want to sound
like a robot.
I had that experience oncewhere I was doing a video talk,
you can still find it, but I'mnot going to be telling you
about where.
Where I was doing a video talk,you can still find it, but I'm
not going to be telling youabout where.
And I was so nervous and it wasthe first time that I was ever
going to be recorded in the face, and I rehearsed and rehearsed

(58:01):
and rehearsed and then when wecame to record it, I sounded
like a robot and they're like,okay, let's do it again.
And it didn't get any better.
I just kept sounding like arobot.
And so it's really importantthat you sort of know the flow
and that you are able to do thatpresentation, but that you
still bring emotions, that youvary your voice, that you bring

(58:22):
the gestures, that you bringthat engagement, that you're not
sort of standing up there stiffand that is very hard, I know.
And so, if you have to recordyourself speaking, look at
yourself as you are speaking.
I'm actually recording this asI am speaking right now.
I am seeing what I do and Ialready knew I was a hand talker
, which is not a great thing fora podcast, and I've actually

(58:45):
been an interviewee on a podcastwhere they couldn't see me and
I was doing a lot of their handtalking and they were like
there's something going on wherethe volume keeps going up and
down and I literally had to siton my hands to stop it.
But you know, it's really goodto sort of see what you sound
like and, if you need, to getother people to look at it and
give you feedback if this isvery early on in your career.

(59:09):
I was fortunate in one way thatI became a teacher very soon
after being a published author,and so I have had a lot of
experience presenting, speaking,talking, doing workshops,
teaching, feeling the energy.
So this is something that I'mvery, very comfortable with, but
in the early days it was reallynerve-wracking, it was
terrifying.
You know, the thing that savedme was that I can speak under

(59:34):
pressure and that I am good atpicking up energy and I am good
at sort of feeling where peopleare at and adjusting myself.
So you know, think about that,master your ending, don't sort
of trail off.
Try and, you know, finish in astrong way with a good closing
line to sort of end it.

(59:55):
Tech problems, expect techproblems, um.
So you know, I have now allthese things that I can plug in
um because I use a mac.
If I find out, do they have acomputer?
I bring a memory stick and abackup memory stick.
I send an email to myself andto them so I can log into that.

(01:00:17):
So you know, really build inthat problem, solving part of it
Because I have a Mac.
I have an adapter that can thenbe put in my Mac and then be
connected to overhead projectors.
You know, really make sure thatyou are being very clear about
what is the equipment, what isthe tech support and using it.

(01:00:41):
The longer that you do this,the better you get at it.
But every once in a while thingsjust don't work.
You know there might not be anoverhead projector, even though
you expected one, and that's whyyou know there might not be an
overhead projector even you,even though you expected one.
Um, and that's why you know Ihave the handouts beforehand.
Um, if you know people don'tprint the handouts, then, um,
you know, you need to be able toroll with it.

(01:01:02):
Um, so you know, for example,people don't print the handouts
and you show up and there's nohandouts, well then you need to
write things up on the board,maybe, if there's a board, so
it's just being able to to adaptand prepare.
So you know, also have thewhiteboard markers and, um, you
know, all of those things havesome paper.
So trying to, um, you know,sort of have your go bag when

(01:01:25):
you're doing presentations andwhen you're doing workshops so
that you are prepared and thatyou can make sure that it runs
the way that it should Love theaudience before you meet them.
Really, the energy matters.
Today, for example, I'm reallykind of not feeling very
energetic.
I had a flu vaccine and I'vebeen a little bit sedated this

(01:01:49):
weekend, but I'm putting it on.
I'm putting the energy onbecause I'm here to record this
podcast, I'm here to engage withyou, and so this is what people
mean when they say fake it tillyou make it.
Put on the energy, put on thatperformance, because you need to
have, have that.

(01:02:09):
You need to do that to connect.
This is you don't know whenyou'll have another talk or who
is going to be there.
You need to make a greatimpression so you don't have
that caffeine shot.
Do your 30 squats to get yourenergy moving.
Do whatever you need to do toget in there.
You know, have the lollies,have the sugar, hit whatever you
need to so that you get on thestage if there is a stage and

(01:02:33):
that you just put it on and youcreate that great experience.
So some bonus tips Always havea glass of water nearby.
As you can hear, my throat isgetting dry again, but I'm going
to finish up.
Before I stop, write a onesentence summary of your talk.
What is it that you're tryingto get across?

(01:02:54):
Because you know that will makeyou focused.
Create, you know, have a bit ofhumor, do a joke to really move
things along and make sure thatyou've got your books with you.
You know, I now have all thisparaphernalia to be able to
display my books so that it'snext to me while I'm talking so
that people could actually seethe physical copy.

(01:03:16):
I also bring my books for saleand have a card reader for sale
so that I can process ATM sales.
So that's something that youmight also want to think about,
so that you can get those salesWrap-up and takeaways to own the

(01:03:36):
stage like a pro.
So it doesn't matter whatyou're doing, whether you're an
author, speaker, panelist or amoderator, it's not about you,
it's about creating thatconnection, it's about the
audience.
Prepare, you know, preparationis half the battle, but presence
wins the war.
Show up ready, but stayflexible.
Things might happen, thingsmight change.

(01:03:58):
Lead with energy, withstorytelling, with generosity to
really create that goodexperience.
Short, sharp points are betterthan long rambling answers.
So if you do that preparationwhere you have those bullet
points so you can just sort ofdo those short, sharp points,
have fun.

(01:04:19):
You know, it is wonderful to bein this opportunity to be able
to connect with people, to beable to talk.
Being a writer is such a lonelything.
Most of the time we are in aroom by ourselves doing things,
and so when you have thisopportunity to really connect
with people, to talk to you know, share your journey and share

(01:04:41):
who you are, it can be a lot offun.
I find myself really energizedthrough these experiences.
I'm talking to myself right now, but I'm imagining that I'm
talking to other people and Ihave made myself feel energized
through that.
So that is the power of it, ofjust putting yourself in that
moment.
I hope this has been helpful.

(01:05:02):
I'd love to hear anyexperiences you have about your
journey in terms of doing any ofthese things being on the stage
.
If you have questions, pleasefeel free to ask me.
There are show notes and ahandout on my website
amrapajalichcom slash podcast.
So a, m, r, a, p, a, j, a, l, Ic dot com slash.

(01:05:28):
Thank you for tuning in toAmra's Armchair Anecdotes.
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