What kind of presentation one can give about a glossary has stumped me for a while. It certainly doesn't sound like something people would line up to see, does it? I have a funny story about that, in fact.

During one of my talks on local history, I was hanging around just before the event started, greeting people as they came into the room, and so on. One older woman wandered in and started looking at the exhibits I had set up, including a small sign with the title of the presentation. Standing in front of it, she said to no one in particular: "That doesn't sound very interesting." Some crowds are tough to please!

I was more amused than insulted. I write and speak about local history BECAUSE, while it doesn't sound very interesting, it really is! Invariably, after one of my presentations, someone will say something like “That was much more interesting than I thought it would be.” Backhanded praise to be sure, but I’ll take it!

So, here I am all excited to share my new Agatha Christie glossary, but struggling to come up with a topic that will pique enough interest to get people to show up for a presentation.

I knew that Kenneth Branagh was coming out with a new Poirot movie and that Poirot is a fan-favorite character who was introduced by Christie in her very first book, so I chose him as the basis for my first presentation.

Naturally, I talk about writing the book a little bit, too, but mainly I pull out quotes from Agatha Annotated in which Christie describes Poirot’s family, residences, and eccentricities. I give a quick overview of World War I to explain why Poirot came to in England and I show photos that illustrate Poirot’s fashion choices.

I’ve given this presentation a couple of times now, and although it’s been well-received, it needs a few tweaks still before I take it on the road. In my experience, once people have seen your presentation, they are more likely to either make a purchase or subscribe to your email list, so this is a worthwhile activity even though I am definitely NOT naturally comfortable standing up in front of strangers!

When I coach new authors, I always advise them to practice their presentations diligently. Once you know your material well, you don’t have to memorize every word, but it really, really helps to memorize your opening and your closing. I do this myself so I can start off confident and end strong, whatever happens during the middle part! One client I coached admitted that she decided, despite my advice, to just “wing” a presentation and she found herself floundering and embarrassed. That is frightening!

My other trick is to use PowerPoint slides. I am more relaxed when people are looking at the screen rather than at me, but more importantly, each slide gives me cues about what to say next. While you should never post a bunch of text that you just read out loud to your audience, a short headline can be helpful to them as well as to you. I’m not great at remembering statistics or names, so those are the kinds of details I post on a slide.

Here's one other trick I tell new authors when I’m coaching: Offer your presentations to senior centers for free. They don’t usually buy books, but they are extremely kind to anyone who is still practicing a speech, which makes them the perfect audience for working the kinks out of your presentation. Try, however, to avoid speaking after lunch. That’s a tough time to hold a sleepy group’s attention!

A 45-minute presentation, with fifteen minutes for questions afterward, is a nice size because it fits perfectly into a one-hour slot and you can cut a bit for a shorter time frame as needed. For instance, service clubs often shoehorn a short program into a one-hour business meeting. Usually, the program is a “please support our cause” appeal, so something different is often welcomed.

There are authors who love to do presentations. I’m not one of them. Still, I do believe in their marketing value, and I have become more comfortable with presenting than I used to be. Authors are notorious for being introverted, but presentations are a good way to find readers, so try it, even if you aren’t a “people person.”

And if your group wants to hear all about Hercule Poirot, send me an email! I’m putting the finishing touches on my program now.