My thought of the day.
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Author Visits: Are about the Presentation!
What works, what doesn't, and discovery!
If you take the time to watch the video below, (Do Pirates Go to School?), understand that this skit, the way it is done today, has only gotten better with time. Every laugh, every cheer, and every action that causes the audience to respond in a certain way are all found moments; those moments then became part of the script.
I have completed over 1000 author visits in the last 18 years, and I do anywhere from 210 to 230 assemblies a year, for grades K-8th, so I have been pretty successful. But regardless of my success, the quality of my presentations wasn't built overnight.
Learning what works in a presentation and what doesn't takes time to master. In all honesty, it can take years to blend your books, your life experiences, your writing experiences, and the kids' reactions into a well-rounded program.
There is no substitute for active practice. You learn by doing.
Every time you step in front of an audience, you will be on a journey of discovery, as one day you will say something or do something differently than you've done before, and the audience will laugh or cheer. These little gems are hidden in all that we do, and all that we are, and expose themselves a little at a time.
Whether you are a beginner or a pro, I think you all can appreciate what it takes to get an audience filled with children excited and to be able to keep that excitement throughout the presentation.
I like to think that I can help people learn how to do author visits, which, in some ways, I can. But the one thing I can't do for you is find those moments that turn into Gems, that ignite the audience. That you have to find on your own.
So, as you listen to the kids laughing, keep in mind that at one time, that laughter wasn't there. The cheering from the kids wasn't there. The kids rooting for their classmate, wasn't happening. As the boy is chasing me around the room, remember, the first time it happened was by chance.
If you find yourself smiling as you watch this video, remember as you do it, what caused you to smile was a moment I discovered along the way.