I have to talk for two hours...

I have a talk at a really nice museum at the end of January next year, about Japanese art. It's a way off, but as I'm preparing my list of topics I find myself wondering how I am going to keep people from falling asleep during a two hour talk. Any suggestions?

Also, when you get up in front of a room full of people, how do you break the ice and get things going?

I want to give people their money's worth... they are having to buy tickets to hear me talk, and I'm actually getting paid for doing it. I don't want anyone to leave saying that they could have put the money to better use if they'd bought a gun and shot themselves.

Quote :

I don't want anyone to leave saying that they could have put the money to better use if they'd bought a gun and shot themselves.

WIthout knowing them personally, it's hard to say. Perhaps it would be a better use for the money


I suppose doing the talk topless and juggling is out of the question?


Well, then... just off the top of my head... it seems to me that an interesting aspect might be the mirror image influences between Japanese art and the U.S. From Perry on the Japances have always been ripe for Western fads that influence what they do.
And there are periodic waves of influence of Japanese art on us. A LOT of impression from Hokusai and other woodblocks, and it looks to me like there are influences of things like sumi e on everything from punk posters to new age stuff.

Just a thought

Dear Gina,
If I had to talk for two hours, they would listen to my whole book, word for word, see pictures of every animal I ever thought about writing about, have time for a few breaks (important to let them have half hour breaks and lunch, perhaps tea) then let them give you their thoughts on anything and everything.

For a final splash, have Lin present his mirror image influences and periodic waves of influence of Japnese art on us. I do love punk posters, too.
Love,
Betty
I do have too much fun!

Hi Gina,

What a wonderful opportunity! Everything seems to be going for you: you have plenty time to prepare, you willl be paid to speak and the audience are going to pay to listen! What could be better?

You said that the muscles in your face ached after the book signing -- caused by lots of laughter. There's the key. Start with something amusing, show lots of interesting slides and finish on something amusing before the mid-talk break, which will make you approachable during the break for light conversation to keep the mood going.

Watch out for the glazed eyes that show that you've lost the audience. Pull them back in by a quick change of subject. Jump to the next slide or ask a question to engage the audience (think Question Time).

If the response to asking a question is good, leave plenty time at the end for questions and answers.

Be yourself. You can do this!

Topless and juggling... well, if it goes badly that might be all I have to work with.

The poor buggers don't get a break. They get me for two hours solid. It will be like an art history seminar at college, which is why I am a tad worried that they may lose the will to live before I finish talking.

I hadn't thought of beginning with something amusing and asking questions during the talk, to get my victims involved. That makes me think of using props too, to give them something to focus on except for me and my slides (it will be a powerpoint presentation... something I've not put together before as I have always been a slide and projector kinda gal).

One good thing... it will be the week before the Chinese new year celebrations at the museum, so everyone will be very jolly hopefully (it's too much to hope that they'll be drunk too )

Props would be good. Hidden out of sight, of course, and only brought into view at the appropriate time.

They don't get a break but you will have to give them one (we all need a break ) even if they can't stand up and walk around. Pass round a prop(s) or picture(s) halfway through and allow the audience to communicate with one another.

I like the idea of passing something around the room... as long as it comes back.

Gina if you visit speakers' and trainers' websites you'll get some great ideas. People have very short attention spans, so one rule of thumb is to change what you are doing every 7-10 minutes (think of spacing things for TV, with commercials appearing every 7 minutes). So, if you speak for 7 minutes, then you actually want to shift pace and ask your audience a question, have them do something, make them think, speak or write. Lots of people expect slides and I would think with your work you must have some stunning pictures for them...just don't read text that is also projected on a slide; it makes people bonkers.
You've got enough time to see some pros do their thing if you pop in to see some speakers in conference rooms doing their thing. Avoid the celebrities - some of them are awful at speaking - and watch the pros. And have fun - once you start this thing, it takes on a life of its own and is lots of fun!

How about getting an inkblock, some brushes and rice paper and letting people try to do some sumi e or other bruthstroke art on their own. Get an idea of how it works and how remarkable it is that painters got that sort of nuance that way.

What ever you decide to do, relax, enjoy yourself and let your own enthusiasm for the subject shine through. (Enthusiasm is contagious, as are smiles!)

Lin, that's brilliant. No wonder I compulsively hang around here...

lin wrote:

How about getting an inkblock, some brushes and rice paper and letting people try to do some sumi e or other bruthstroke art on their own. Get an idea of how it works and how remarkable it is that painters got that sort of nuance that way.

I'd love to. Unfortunately it's Japanese prints I have to talk about. I should have said that before... Japanese prints, not just Japanese art. I blame the three pints of vodka I had for lunch.*

But the lady who's at the bookstore I'm doing a signing at just four days after this talk must be psychic, because she's going to get out ink and brushes and paint some banners. And your suggestion has just given me an idea... I have an original 18th century sumi-e painting that would have been made for the block carver to carve the design into the wood... I'll see if I can get that matted and I'll take it with me for them to look at.

Pam, I'm going to keep the 7-10 minutes in mind... make sure I don't linger and go on yapping away.

And I'm going to go to a talk at the museum in a couple of weeks to see how that event's put together. Maybe some of the people who attend, as the subject is Asian art too, will be going to my talk too, so I might get the chance to smile at them a lot and win them over with my charming personality and good looks. If that fails there's still the juggling.

*This is a blatant fib, as I don't drink.

Gina you are truly well on your way! I am looking forward to hearing how it all turns out!