#26. The Do’s and Don’ts on How to Lead a Successful
Workshop.
This was from one of the RWA workshops with authors
Maria Bradley and Rebecca Zanette.
·
Don’t start a workshop talking about the
downside of writing. If you do, you’ll have to work harder to build up the
attendees’ expectations about the benefits of being an author.
·
Don’t be on a panel solely to sell
books. Don’t push your books down their throats with “Buy my books, buy my
books.” Get to know each person.
·
Don’t hijack a panel, basically whether
you’re behind the table with other authors or in the audience, don’t try to
steal the show, but be respectful.
·
Don’t let everything you say, be about
you. Talk about other authors’ books instead of your own. People like to hear
that you read other authors’ work.
When using a PowerPoint presentation during a
workshop, keep your bullet points between three and seven. Otherwise, you’ll overload
the participants with too much information.
The last part, which I’m not making up, is to brush
your teeth before you speak. “That will freshen your mind as well as your mouth.”
The BIG
do is to encourage aspiring authors to keep writing.
