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Episode 6: You Too Can Be a Speaker–No, Really!
41 Plays1 month ago
Most writers feel far safer behind a keyboard than behind a podium. But speaking and teaching are powerful ways to support fellow writers, build community, and open new doors in your author career. In this episode, we’re unveiling how we transitioned from introverted authors to confident speakers–and how you can do it too.
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Transcript
Introduction to Speaking as Authors
00:00:16
Lindsay Franklin
Hello everybody and welcome to the show. I am Lindsay Franklin.
00:00:20
Paul Regnier
And I'm Paul Regner.
00:00:22
Lindsay Franklin
And today for our first show of the new year, we are going to be talking about speaking as an author. um You too can be a speaker. No, really.
00:00:34
Lindsay Franklin
hum ah So, um Paul, you and I both have a bit of experience in speaking and teaching. So how was it that you first transitioned from being a writer to being a a teacher or a speaker
First Speaking Experiences
00:00:55
Lindsay Franklin
and where, where is it that you have done this?
00:00:55
Paul Regnier
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was one of those things I never would have thought because like, again, growing up, I was a pretty shy kid. And if you would have told me as a kid back then, like, Hey, you know, one day you're going to be speaking in front of people. are Like, no way. Like, I don't want to do that. Like, forget that.
00:01:13
Paul Regnier
um it would have just been a terrifying thought. i like Even like through my teen years, I would have thought, like boy, that's just not me. It's not one of my strengths. you know you kind of As you grow up, you sort of develop this list of, okay, here's my strengths, here's my weaknesses. like you know I know my place. um But it's interesting sometimes when you push yourself what you can do.
00:01:35
Paul Regnier
And that's kind of what happened to me. Like I really had no intention of even doing it. So when I first started writing, at the time I was a web designer, that was my job.
00:01:46
Paul Regnier
So I was in this local um like writer's critique group and some of the members were putting on this local conference. And it was a conference in Orange County, California. And I think you have actually attended this conference that I'm talking about.
00:02:00
Paul Regnier
Um, and, uh, they had said like, oh, you're a web designer.
00:02:01
Lindsay Franklin
Yes.
00:02:05
Paul Regnier
Like, oh, that's great because we have a lot of writers that are trying to put together their author website. Like, Hey, do you want to come to the conference and teach about like how they can build an author website?
00:02:16
Paul Regnier
And I thought, oh, h okay, well, I know how to do websites. I guess I could teach on that. That might not be so bad. So I agreed, and that was like my first step in.
00:02:28
Paul Regnier
and um It went pretty good. like I felt really nervous the whole time through, and I practiced at home, of course. But when i after I did it, i had you know people coming up to me afterwards saying, hey, thanks. That was like really helpful.
00:02:41
Paul Regnier
And like even the the lady that wrote me into this whole thing, she's like, hey, we got some good feedback on your class. I'm like, really? People actually found it helpful?
00:02:47
Lindsay Franklin
Yay.
00:02:49
Paul Regnier
So it was cool. It was like my first step thinking like, hey, like maybe I could do this. like This isn't so bad. you know and as long as I can talk about something that I know and then sort of have that confidence.
00:03:03
Paul Regnier
Anyways, that's how it started with me. How about you?
Overcoming Public Speaking Fears
00:03:06
Lindsay Franklin
That is so funny because as I was thinking about this and trying to remember what was the very first event or conference or or anything that I was kind of on faculty for, I think it might have been that Orange County um event, that exact one.
00:03:21
Paul Regnier
Oh, really?
00:03:23
Lindsay Franklin
And I think that's the first time you and I met in person, at least.
00:03:25
Paul Regnier
I think so.
00:03:26
Lindsay Franklin
We may, yeah, we may have known each other online. I'm not sure, but I can remember having like an appointment where we chatted and it's like, it's a little hazy because we're talking almost 10 years ago at this point, I think.
00:03:33
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:03:36
Paul Regnier
No, i was I was asking you to edit my pitch because I saw that you were an editor and I'm like, oh, I'm terrible at these. like Can you help me? Yeah.
00:03:44
Lindsay Franklin
Oh my goodness. Yes. Okay. And I remember looking at, did I look at your cover? I don't know. it was, we were talking about your Space Drifters series.
00:03:52
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:03:52
Lindsay Franklin
I i do recall this.
00:03:53
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:03:54
Lindsay Franklin
So I think that was the first time i was on faculty and I was not actually teaching at that conference, but I was in, i think they called it the resource room or something like that, where I was doing kind of mentoring appointments.
00:04:03
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm.
00:04:06
Lindsay Franklin
And that was a really nice nice way for me to ease in because I'm kind of the same where if you had said, oh, yeah, you're going to ever, ever voluntarily speak to a room full of people as part of your job you know and you're going to do this on purpose, I would have been like, no, no, ma'am, that is absolutely not going to happen.
00:04:10
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm.
00:04:26
Paul Regnier
Right.
00:04:28
Lindsay Franklin
um I was the kid, even in high school, I am pretty sure i was supposed to give a speech my junior year of high school, got up in front of my history class and just kind of started crying because I was so nervous.
00:04:41
Paul Regnier
Oh.
00:04:42
Lindsay Franklin
And I think that my teacher, if I'm remembering correctly, allowed me to turn in a written report instead because he took pity on me because it was that sad. um
00:04:52
Paul Regnier
Hmm.
00:04:52
Lindsay Franklin
So I was very shy, very nervous to talk in front of a a room full of people. um Even when i I knew what I was talking about and felt well prepared, um it was still just really overwhelming.
00:05:04
Lindsay Franklin
So having that kind of one-on-one opportunity where I could just sit down with fellow authors, fellow writers, and have one-on-one appointment where I was still you know feeding into them as kind of a teacher or mentor type person, helping them in that way, but not having to be in front of a room full of people.
00:05:26
Lindsay Franklin
That was a really good on-ramp for me.
00:05:29
Paul Regnier
Wow.
00:05:29
Lindsay Franklin
it to get into the teaching space. So that was kind of how I started and kind of went from that to teaching workshops.
00:05:39
Lindsay Franklin
And then eventually over time that that evolved into, well, maybe would you want to teach a continuing session? And it's like, oh, okay, 11 hours of content? Sure. Why not?
00:05:49
Lindsay Franklin
but ah And last year I did my first ever keynote ah speech at a conference, which was um terrifying, but really, really fun and such an honor to be asked to
The Power of Writing and Humor
00:06:05
Lindsay Franklin
do that.
00:06:05
Lindsay Franklin
So, which is a little different.
00:06:06
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:06:06
Lindsay Franklin
Speaking is a little bit different than teaching. So yeah, it's, it was kind of one of those things for me too, where I just thought I will, that's never going to be a thing that I will do.
00:06:17
Lindsay Franklin
And yet here I am.
00:06:19
Paul Regnier
Yeah. You know, it's funny. You just, you like made me remember something that happened to me. Cause you talked about, you had to get up and do a speech in elementary school and it reminded me, like I have this story somewhat related, but it's related to writing and my,
00:06:34
Paul Regnier
kind of it was one of the i always look at it as kind of a milestone in my writing journey because i think it was like fourth grade or something and we were supposed to write this little one page um like a little short story or something like that and i thought oh this is i like to do this kind of stuff so i wrote it and i wrote it kind of like i wanted to like kind of fun and funny and silly and just light-hearted And then I get to class and and the teacher says, oh, okay, so now we're going to take turns and you're going to get up and read what your story in front of the class.
00:07:07
Paul Regnier
And I was like, what? like I was sitting there in terror. like What do you mean? like I don't want to do that. like It's so embarrassing because you know you think, like especially when you write these stories, it's kind of personal.
00:07:17
Paul Regnier
like You're sort of sharing a little bit of who you are.
00:07:19
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:07:20
Paul Regnier
and So I was like like really nervous and I didn't want to do it. But, you know, again, what are you going to do? you got to do what the teacher says, at least in elementary school. You know, you're just like, yes, OK.
00:07:32
Paul Regnier
So I got up there and I started reading it totally nervous. And then I got to like ah like a joke I had in there, like a funny part. And the whole class laughed. And I couldn't believe it.
00:07:42
Paul Regnier
And I was like, whoa. like They actually laughed at something I wrote that I wanted to be funny.
00:07:47
Lindsay Franklin
but
00:07:48
Paul Regnier
And they responded how I want... like It kind of blew my mind, which is silly. You think about it. You're like, well, yeah, of course. But like in my mind, it was like this weird thing like, oh, this actually works.
00:07:59
Paul Regnier
like I can't believe it. So that always...
00:08:02
Lindsay Franklin
I don't think that's silly at all. That is still, still to this day, when I write a joke and somebody mentions it or a part that I'm intending to be funny,
00:08:11
Paul Regnier
Right.
00:08:11
Lindsay Franklin
and someone mentions it in a review or says this book was funny or this character was funny, there is nothing that makes me happier than that because the joke landed and someone else thought it was funny.
00:08:18
Paul Regnier
Right. It landed.
00:08:22
Lindsay Franklin
And so no, like my heart just like soared when you said that.
00:08:22
Paul Regnier
Yes.
00:08:26
Lindsay Franklin
The whole class laughed.
00:08:26
Paul Regnier
Yeah, no.
00:08:27
Lindsay Franklin
i was like, yes, it landed.
00:08:28
Paul Regnier
It was so cool, yeah. And that was sort of, I always look back at that and like, that was sort of a eye-opening thing like, oh, you know what? Writing can be powerful. It can like, and and I seem to be able to work it in such a way, like maybe I could do this, you know?
00:08:43
Paul Regnier
Even at that age, I wasn't like, I'm going to be a writer someday. It wasn't like that, but it was just like, oh, wow, that worked. you know so So yeah, and that was sort of speaking.
00:08:50
Lindsay Franklin
Love it.
00:08:52
Paul Regnier
So it's kind of related in like, hey, you can be effective in speaking, even if you don't really think you're good at it.
00:08:59
Lindsay Franklin
Yes. And as people of faith, you know, we believe that the Lord is directing our steps and all of this. And I i feel really convinced that the Lord has a sense of humor too.
00:09:12
Lindsay Franklin
And that these things that we say, oh I'm never going to do that, or that will never be part of my job, or absolutely no one will ever pay me to do
00:09:13
Paul Regnier
Right?
Unexpected Paths in Speaking and Writing
00:09:21
Lindsay Franklin
x thing sometimes that is the exact thing that god's like no i think that's exactly what you're gonna do and
00:09:21
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:09:28
Paul Regnier
Yeah, wasn't wasn't that the Moses at the burning bush story?
00:09:31
Lindsay Franklin
right yes right i've got a i've got a stutter you know or whatever his issue was whatever his issue was yes
00:09:32
Paul Regnier
Like, oh no, God, I can't do this. I can't be the speaker. My tongue, I'm i i'm slow of speech. i've got yeah Whatever he said, whatever excuse, right?
00:09:42
Paul Regnier
And God's like, didn't I make man's mouth? Come on, get out there.
00:09:45
Lindsay Franklin
but
00:09:46
Paul Regnier
You could do it.
00:09:47
Lindsay Franklin
Right? that's yeah We're all Moses, I think.
00:09:48
Paul Regnier
Yeah. ah Right.
00:09:50
Lindsay Franklin
and so So if you are sitting there listening to this thinking, oh, I could never, Paul and I are examples. ah Yes, you absolutely could.
00:09:57
Paul Regnier
right.
00:09:58
Lindsay Franklin
and And the Lord may say, do this thing.
00:10:02
Paul Regnier
Right, yeah. and And like I said, I think sometimes it's good to stretch yourself. and and And I think what you mentioned was a really good way to do that, like start slow, right?
00:10:13
Paul Regnier
Like I know a lot of conferences have like mentor appointments and things like that where like, hey, um if you're a beginning writer, why don't you schedule an appointment with someone who's published some books and has some experience and maybe they can kind of guide you.
00:10:14
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:10:28
Paul Regnier
And you can start small that way and then sort of work your way up with like smaller workshops or whatever. um
00:10:35
Lindsay Franklin
Yes.
00:10:35
Paul Regnier
I kind of got thrown into the fire. That web design class, i was telling you like I think 35 people showed up to it or something.
00:10:42
Lindsay Franklin
Oh my gosh.
00:10:42
Paul Regnier
And I was thinking like, who's going to be interested? I'm like, maybe five people because I'm talking about geeky web stuff. And all of a sudden the classroom started filling up. I got more and more nervous. I'm like, oh my gosh, this is horrible.
00:10:54
Paul Regnier
But yeah.
00:10:54
Lindsay Franklin
Yes, that's a huge need in the the writing community stuff, you know, because we all need a website.
00:10:55
Paul Regnier
but
00:10:59
Paul Regnier
It is.
00:11:02
Lindsay Franklin
And a lot of us are maintaining our own websites, but many of us do not have the skills to actually do that.
00:11:02
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:11:07
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:11:08
Lindsay Franklin
So that's a super helpful, like special interest type topic that you can bring to the writer community.
00:11:11
Paul Regnier
Yeah. And it is
Preparing for Speaking Engagements
00:11:14
Paul Regnier
easier now. but back Back when I taught that, it was a little more tricky to do a website. But but regardless, I mean, the principle still remains the same, where if you you can have skills that you don't even maybe think are directly related, but it could be the need of you know the people at the conference or you know wherever you happen to be at.
00:11:34
Paul Regnier
So, yeah.
00:11:35
Lindsay Franklin
Absolutely.
00:11:36
Paul Regnier
um But anyways, like, so it sounds like you you've done, I think, more than I have, like ah like an 11-hour, like, broken up line. That's pretty huge. I haven't gotten to that level yet. um what What has prepared you for that?
00:11:51
Lindsay Franklin
What?
00:11:52
Paul Regnier
Or or what did you do? Or like Maybe a better question would be like, how have you gotten more and more comfortable with that kind of speaking to be able to say like, oh, like not just like, oh, my half hour's done or my hour's done. phhew I'm out of here. Like, oh, no, I've got to do a continuing class. Like, how am I going to prepare myself mentally for this?
00:12:13
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah, it's definitely, oh man, it's a lot of prep work. and And that is something that is important to note, I think, about teaching and speaking, especially at writers' conferences.
00:12:24
Lindsay Franklin
Like you you should, should I say the thing that's maybe a little like controversial? I'm just going to be straightforward about it.
00:12:31
Paul Regnier
Say it
00:12:31
Lindsay Franklin
You should kind of get paid to do these things, guys. I'm just going to say that, like you should get paid.
00:12:34
Paul Regnier
it. Hmm.
00:12:37
Lindsay Franklin
That said, yeah. That said, you are probably, if you factored in all of the hours that you put in with prep work and all of that, like you're probably making, you know, $2 an hour, which is the same as our writing, right?
00:12:48
Lindsay Franklin
If you ah sit there and think about how many hours and hours and hours it takes to do work. that and to promote our books and do all that stuff. So I like to do not crunch the numbers.
00:12:57
Paul Regnier
Oh, don't crunch those numbers. That's dangerous.
00:13:00
Lindsay Franklin
I never like to think, I never like to think about how many hours something took me to do because it's just not, it's going to feel like, oh, ah you know, nothing is ever worth it.
00:13:01
Paul Regnier
You'll get depressed. ah
00:13:05
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:13:11
Lindsay Franklin
And of course that's not true at all. Um, so, you know, you should get paid, but also there's a lot of work that goes into it. And so I, I, uh, the, the prep work for me is very intense and I really, it's something I can't procrastinate on.
00:13:26
Lindsay Franklin
I need to start well enough in advance, um, on this so that I have time. Every time I i start a new project, whether it's a new story idea or a new teaching session or anything that's big, it I have this sense that I have an idea and that it's cohesive and that I know it's in there, but it feels like this big ball of chaos that I have to really kind of slowly pull apart the threads and start to unwind. It's like a ball of yarn, you know? And I have to pull those strands out and really figure out what it is that I want to say and start making it very practical and very concrete. And that takes me a lot of time.
00:14:07
Lindsay Franklin
So I have to allow myself enough time to do it. I have to kind of brain dump initially, just start start outlining and brainstorming and doing doing all of that. And then for me as a person with ADHD, I have to almost write out like a full script of every word I'm going to say, even though I'm not going to stand up there and read that, because that would be really awful for the audience listening that if I just stood there and and read a script, but I have to
00:14:37
Lindsay Franklin
type it all out that way so I know what I'm going to say and I can stay on topic and not wonder. And I can make sure I'm not way overshooting with the the amount of content I have, or I'm always afraid I'm not going to have enough and I always have too much. Literally every time i have this fear that I'm going to get up there and have nothing to say. I'm going to run out of things to say and still have an hour left of my, you know, big continuing session. That has never happened. I always run out of time and could have had, you know, i could have said more things. But um yeah, so that that prep work is super, super important. And for me, it goes through a lot of different stages to get from the unknowable ball of chaos in my brain to these are actually some nice PowerPoint slides and some good bullet points and, you know, a nice helpful thing that I can deliver to my listeners that will be hopefully helpful
Authenticity in Public Speaking
00:15:30
Lindsay Franklin
for them.
00:15:30
Paul Regnier
And that probably helps take away like the anxiety of like, oh, can I do this? Like, so once you get like, it sounds like organization is really key in your life. So once you get everything organized and once you have this, you know, structural outline in place that kind of gives you that piece like, okay, I can do this. I'm ready.
00:15:51
Lindsay Franklin
Yes, yes. And that's a big part of writing out that script as well as feeling like I know exactly how I'm going from, you know, this point to this point to this point. And this is very similar to how I outline my books too. This is just like a process that works really well. for my brain. and I have to be really specific and detailed. And then when I am actually in the moment, I wing it a lot more than all that prep work would suggest. But I just have to do that to kind of feel like it is like the path has already been laid um in my brain. Otherwise, I will rabbit trail. And I probably will have that moment where I'm standing up there and just going completely blank and That is the nightmare for me. So if I can, all all of this prep work is to just kind of avoid the nightmare.
00:16:37
Paul Regnier
Yeah, and and give you that, like, probably let you relax enough to kind of just do that freewheeling stuff in between.
00:16:45
Lindsay Franklin
Yes.
00:16:45
Paul Regnier
that That makes it more comfortable and easier to listen to than someone, like, standing up there, like, all wooden and, like, this is what I have come to talk about, you know, like a robot kind of thing.
00:16:57
Lindsay Franklin
Exactly.
00:16:57
Paul Regnier
Um, I will say one other thing too. Um, and I'm going to call this my Aladdin principle is, um, and this is, and just fair warning. This is going to sound like some corny afterschool special teaching, but like, I think it's important.
00:17:12
Paul Regnier
Like, I'm sure you've seen the cartoon Aladdin and there's a scene where he doesn't feel adequate and he's like, no, no, I gotta to be a prince. I gotta pretend to be a prince. And the genie turns into a B and says, be yourself, you know, sounds corny.
00:17:25
Paul Regnier
I know, but, um,
00:17:26
Lindsay Franklin
I love it.
00:17:27
Paul Regnier
I think that's a principle that applies to speaking, to your writing, to your life. like um
00:17:34
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:17:35
Paul Regnier
if you like and I'll give you an example. like when When I first got asked to speak, like I thought, like oh, I have to sound like a speaker. and like I asked my wife, I'm like, hey, will you listen to me as I practice?
00:17:47
Paul Regnier
and I'm like, hey, everyone, welcome to... and She's like, wait, wait, what are you doing? like you sound like a used car salesman. I'm like, no, no, no, I'm being, this is my speaker voice. She's like, no, just do your normal voice.
00:17:59
Paul Regnier
And and so I'm like, well, isn't that like boring?
00:18:00
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:18:01
Paul Regnier
like they want like Don't they want a show? like No, they just want someone normal and relaxed so they can feel relaxed. like They're just talking to a human, another human, um not someone trying to sell them a car.
00:18:14
Paul Regnier
So that was like great advice. you know Sometimes those closest to you can give you that really Brutal, not brutal, but you know truthful advice. so But as soon as I did that, it was way better. I even felt better. I'm like, oh, okay. I'm just like talking like I would talk to someone else. so I think that's if anyone's like nervous about like, oh, how do I get up there and speak? like What do I do?
00:18:37
Paul Regnier
Just... act like you're talking to a friend or a couple of friends at a table. Like, let's say you went out to lunch and you're just, and they go like, Oh, Hey, so you're a writer.
00:18:42
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah.
00:18:45
Paul Regnier
Like, how does, how is that? Like, how, how'd you learn that? And like, just like that, like you're explaining to like a group of friends. And, um, it's just, when I started doing that, I'm like, okay, yeah, this is relaxing.
00:18:58
Paul Regnier
i don't have to put on any kind of you know, personality or acting or whatever. I can just be myself and, you know, take it or leave it, whatever. Right. You're never going to please everyone.
00:19:09
Paul Regnier
um But ever since I did that, it's been way easier just to kind of be myself. So that's what I would say to anyone out there that gets nervous. Like, what do I do? Just like, just be yourself. You know, that's, that's the best thing.
00:19:19
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah.
00:19:22
Lindsay Franklin
That's really great advice. And one of the first places that I taught kind of like my like a real workshop ah was at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.
00:19:34
Lindsay Franklin
And that was the first conference I had ever attended as a writer years before.
00:19:34
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm.
00:19:39
Lindsay Franklin
And so and I had attended every year since. So I first went in like 2010.
Connecting with the Audience
00:19:44
Lindsay Franklin
My cat just fully jumped onto my lap. Sorry, one second. He's like, Okay. You need to go somewhere else.
00:19:50
Lindsay Franklin
I am so sorry, friends.
00:19:51
Paul Regnier
ah
00:19:52
Lindsay Franklin
He's like sniffing towards my microphone. So you're going to get like a little, you know, cat snoffing sound if I don't get him down. Okay. Uh, he is gone. Sorry about that. Um, so yes, I, nothing, nothing.
00:20:02
Paul Regnier
And we didn't even get a meow. I wanted at least a meow. The cat's up there.
00:20:06
Lindsay Franklin
Oh goodness. I know he's going to like bat my microphone, but no meow. Um, so sorry, I had ah attended that conference for the first time like in 2010 and then had gone every year since.
00:20:20
Lindsay Franklin
And I taught, I think for the first time, maybe 2017, 2018, somewhere in there. So I had been a lot of years and that environment was very familiar to me. It was like that and Realm Makers are my two home conferences, right?
00:20:34
Lindsay Franklin
So teaching in that space helped remind me that These are my peers that I'm speaking to. i I still attend workshops.
00:20:44
Lindsay Franklin
And even to this day, I will sit in workshops at at writers' conferences, even when I'm on faculty, um you know because everybody always has stuff to learn, right?
00:20:49
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm. Yep.
00:20:53
Lindsay Franklin
So that helps as well to remember that you're speaking to your peers and you're speaking to, even if those writers are newbies, I mean, that's exactly where I was seven or eight years prior to standing up in front of that room and sharing some things I had learned.
00:20:54
Paul Regnier
yep
00:21:09
Lindsay Franklin
I was brand new in 2010 and had never sat in in a workshop of any type or been in any sort of writing class ever, except for in you know regular school.
00:21:20
Lindsay Franklin
So that was a very helpful reminder that being in that familiar environment really like drove that home immediately. It was like, oh, this is just, I am just talking to people who are like me.
00:21:31
Lindsay Franklin
And that that is still true.
00:21:31
Paul Regnier
hu
00:21:33
Lindsay Franklin
When I get up it in any room full of writers. These are my peers. And so you don't, you don't have to put on airs.
00:21:38
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:21:40
Lindsay Franklin
You don't have to feel like you are this, you know, kind of fancy special, you know, person or anything because it's, you know, I'm just going to crash and burn if I get up there feeling like I have to be that guy.
00:21:51
Lindsay Franklin
Cause I'm not that guy. I'm, I'm just not, I'm, I'm going to be me and I'm dorky and awkward and it is what it is.
00:21:53
Paul Regnier
Right.
00:21:59
Lindsay Franklin
And we're just going to go with that guys. Cause that's, that's the only way I know how to be.
00:22:03
Paul Regnier
Yeah. and And also I think another thing that that helped me is, um like I think when I first started doing it, I was like worried about me. Like, oh, how am I gonna come off? How am I gonna be perceived? Like, oh, what am I gonna do? And then um think it was one lesson I was teaching that they asked me to teach on. I was kind of excited to teach on it. Cause I'm like, oh, cool. I've been thinking about this. I'm really excited. Cause I think I actually might have something valuable to share.
00:22:33
Paul Regnier
And that was when it switched. I'm like, okay, it's about them. It's not about me.
00:22:36
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:22:37
Paul Regnier
and And I could actually be helpful.
Leveraging Diverse Skills at Conferences
00:22:40
Paul Regnier
And then ever since I did that, like no matter what I'm talking on, I always think like, okay, how can I like provide the best like value to these people? like How can I help them? Maybe they don't know about And it always surprises me. like like Something like indie writing, which I do like every day, like the the promoting and the Amazon ads and To me, it's like, oh, yeah, this is like everybody knows this. And I'll talk to a writer and they'll be like, oh, how do you do that?
00:23:04
Paul Regnier
I'll be like, oh, yeah, I i could help you.
00:23:08
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:23:08
Paul Regnier
So when you go into it like that, like, man, how can I help like these other writers?
00:23:08
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:23:12
Paul Regnier
They might not know these things. and And this could like really sort of jumpstart, you know, where they are in their writing journey. That can be really helpful because then it takes the focus off you and that takes the pressure off you and you're sort of like other focused.
00:23:27
Paul Regnier
And and I think that's just the best way to be like with most endeavors. You know what I mean? And it just, and it's it's weirdly like relaxing and more peaceful when you go about it that way.
00:23:39
Paul Regnier
So yeah, there's one other thing I've learned.
00:23:43
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah, 100% agree with that. And that that speaks to an important point too, where, you know, if you're looking to get into teaching or speaking, What are you going to teach or speak about?
00:23:55
Lindsay Franklin
What are some of the topics that if you're going to pitch yourself to a writer's conference or a writer's group or or something of that nature, you know what are you going to talk about?
00:23:55
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:24:05
Lindsay Franklin
What should you be talking about? And so the fact that you started with web design, which was more your day job at that time, brings up a really important point because that's ah that's a really ah good ah kind of center, a good like bucket, bucket of skills.
00:24:22
Lindsay Franklin
We all have these different buckets of skills, right? And so if you have a day job that is tangentially related to writers or a need that writers have, that can be a really good thing and a very comfortable space to start with.
00:24:35
Lindsay Franklin
So I have a very good friend who's day job, main job, is that he is a CPA. He's an accountant.
00:24:41
Paul Regnier
Hmm.
00:24:41
Lindsay Franklin
And so that is, but he's also a writer. He writes nonfiction. And so, you know, he will be teaching at conferences or speaking places. And sometimes he is,
00:24:52
Lindsay Franklin
speaking about writer things. He also has a master's of theology. So sometimes he's you know like almost preaching and then sometimes he's ah talking about writer stuff. But oftentimes he is teaching workshops about business things for writers because if you're a freelancer, if you're making money as a writer, you know, you have to figure out how do i deal with all of that with the IRS and stuff like that. And his workshops are really funny. and We've traveled together a lot over the years. We've been friends for a long time. And his workshops are either like so well attended or there's like two people in the, in the workshop when it comes to his accounting workshops. And we always laugh. I laugh ah as a business minded person. it
00:25:34
Lindsay Franklin
It boggles my mind when there's only two people in the workshop because I'm just like, guys, this would cost you so much money to like sit down and with, you know, with an accountant or an attorney or any of these, you know,
00:25:41
Paul Regnier
Oh yeah.
00:25:44
Paul Regnier
Yup.
00:25:47
Lindsay Franklin
well-paid professionals to get that kind of advice.
00:25:49
Paul Regnier
Yup.
00:25:50
Lindsay Franklin
It's it's really, really valuable, but you know either writers are maybe not ready for it in in the stage of the journey that they're at, which is totally fair, or they just don't realize the value of something like that.
00:26:02
Lindsay Franklin
And so we always kind of laugh about that when there's when there's just not anybody in the room, but um he's always sharing really helpful helpful information. So Sometimes there might be that kind of skill that doesn't seem like it's writing related, but absolutely is something that can be very, very helpful to the writing community.
00:26:12
Paul Regnier
Yeah. Yep. Mm-hmm.
00:26:22
Lindsay Franklin
So that can be a good a good bucket to to draw from. And of course, there are other things that feel especially at our stage of the journey might feel like, oh, well, everybody already knows that. ah You know, everybody already knows about show, don't tell.
00:26:38
Lindsay Franklin
I have a workshop that is all about showing and not telling. And i think one of the reasons I developed that workshop is because that was a concept I had never heard of before I came to my first writer's conference. And I had been writing books and, you know,
00:26:56
Lindsay Franklin
doing that But if you've never been in the writing community or it's your, you know, you're just stepping into it, it's a basic principle
Understanding and Teaching Jargon
00:27:03
Lindsay Franklin
of writing fiction, but you have to learn that for the first time somewhere.
00:27:03
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:27:07
Lindsay Franklin
And writers of all stages attend writers conferences.
00:27:08
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:27:12
Lindsay Franklin
So even those... basic basics that you feel like, oh, no, everybody already knows that. Nope. I guarantee you there are people who, like me, in 2010 sitting in your workshop or sitting at that conference who have never heard of that concept before and they need to learn about it.
00:27:16
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:27:26
Lindsay Franklin
So that can be a really great place to start, too, is just with the basics.
00:27:30
Paul Regnier
yeah Yeah, that's so true. and that Now that you're in, you've probably heard show don't tell like a billion times, right? but But yeah, it it had to be new sometime.
00:27:37
Lindsay Franklin
Thousands, yes. Mm-hmm.
00:27:40
Paul Regnier
It's even like now when I sometimes I'm talking with my wife and I'm like, yeah, you know speculative fiction. She goes, you know I don't think very many people even know what that means. I'm like, really? Speculative fiction?
00:27:50
Lindsay Franklin
them.
00:27:50
Paul Regnier
She's like, yeah, just say fantasy and sci-fi and then that's going to be, people are going to know what you're talking about. I'm like, oh, that's true.
00:27:56
Lindsay Franklin
It's true.
00:27:56
Paul Regnier
Because sometimes we get caught up in the terms because we're in this little publishing bubble. So sometimes we we think, oh, everybody knows this word.
00:28:02
Lindsay Franklin
Yep.
00:28:04
Paul Regnier
Everyone knows what this means.
00:28:05
Lindsay Franklin
Yep. The jargon, the jargon.
00:28:07
Paul Regnier
Yeah, all the jargon.
00:28:07
Lindsay Franklin
I have to stop my husband sometimes when he's talking about his work because he'll be explaining something to me and he works in IT. t He's in, you know, this like, I don't know, incident management.
00:28:17
Paul Regnier
Oh, yeah. That's another language.
00:28:18
Lindsay Franklin
Oh my gosh, a whole other language.
00:28:19
Paul Regnier
ah
00:28:20
Lindsay Franklin
And he worked at, yes, and he worked at one place for like 13 years and I got really familiar with all of the terms and exactly what he did and everything there.
00:28:21
Paul Regnier
Literally.
00:28:31
Lindsay Franklin
the structure of the like corporate system there whatever. Well, then he got a different job like five years ago. And so I had to just relearn everything, start fresh because it's a different product.
00:28:43
Lindsay Franklin
They do different things there. And so sometimes he's just going off and he's throwing these terms around. I'm like, okay, You are going to need to stop, go back and speak English so that I can understand this this thing you are trying to explain to me.
00:28:55
Lindsay Franklin
And it's that's true in every industry where there's just there's jargon, there's terms that are very familiar if you've been in it for a long time. But we were all newbies at some point.
00:29:05
Lindsay Franklin
And so you're hearing show, don't tell or speculative fiction or some of these terms for the first time ever.
00:29:05
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:29:11
Paul Regnier
Yep. I was thinking of kind of a practical thing I heard that could be really helpful for those that are, maybe they just got asked to their first speaking engagement or they're thinking about it and they want to practice. um It was this great thing I saw online where they said, okay, so if you're going to speak, get a video camera out and and videotape yourself speaking, right? um Now, when you play it back, um play it back once where you're just, you turn off the audio and you're just watching yourself.
00:29:49
Paul Regnier
Then play it back and don't watch the video, just listen to the audio.
00:29:50
Lindsay Franklin
hmm
00:29:55
Paul Regnier
and then play it back and look at both. And then it was kind of cool because you're you're sort of um taking the pieces of you know the different elements of speaking and you're kind of analyzing and improving like, oh yeah, I could say that better. I could do that better. Or, oh, I just said, um, 5,000 times and I got to work on that, which is, I'm speaking from experience on that one. But ah but you know what i mean? You could sort of break it apart in chunks because sometimes maybe maybe you know how to move up there and it looks really natural. um So if you only look at that, you're thinking, oh, you know I did pretty good. But if you turn away and you only listen to the audio, then you're like, okay, there's some there's some things I need to work on with just the way I talk or vice versa, whatever it is. So anyways, I thought that was kind of a good, helpful, practical guide to speaking.
00:30:44
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah, that is a really cool tip. I'm actually terrified to do that. um Something that is so funny when I am
00:30:52
Paul Regnier
Like it's going to wreck your confidence. You're like, no, I'm terrible.
00:30:54
Lindsay Franklin
ah right
00:30:54
Paul Regnier
I thought I was good.
00:30:55
Lindsay Franklin
her Oh no, what face am I making? That is my thing where, oh my gosh, whenever I am like clipping our videos here on Quilling It and like making our social media stuff, the funniest thing for me is trying to find still frames that I'm going to pull and use in our little, you know, Instagram promo stuff ah for the covers for the reels, because your face, Paul, is always like serene. And you always look very like, like if you're smiling, it could be a headshot. And you're or if you're just listening, then it's like this very kind of calm, normal face. And my face never stops doing so many things. It's like,
00:31:35
Lindsay Franklin
ah it's way more difficult to find a still of me where I look human. And it's just, I have this rubbery face and this is something I actually learned when I started teaching.
00:31:45
Paul Regnier
Should I work on more wacky faces? Should I do more expressions?
00:31:47
Lindsay Franklin
hi I think maybe I should dial it back a little bit, but I don't know. i have tried and this is just like, again, be yourself. It's the Aladdin principle.
00:31:56
Paul Regnier
That's right.
00:31:57
Lindsay Franklin
And this is just what my face does.
00:31:57
Paul Regnier
That's right.
00:31:58
Lindsay Franklin
But that is something I learned when I started speaking because people people would be in the the classroom. And especially my friends, you know, we're like all proud because I'm up there speaking for the first time.
00:32:09
Lindsay Franklin
So they were taking photos. And I have this this snapshot of me. I think I am teaching at Mount Hermon. It would be maybe 2018. don't know But I'm standing up there and I've got kind of my hands spread out like this and I don't know what I'm doing.
00:32:25
Lindsay Franklin
If I'm swallowing, coughing, I don't know what, but I'm making the most ridiculous face where it just looks, my mouth just looks like a block. It's the
Building Experience Through Volunteering
00:32:34
Lindsay Franklin
weirdest thing. And I post it on social media every once in a while because I'm like, look, that's what my face looks like ah because it's just so it is awful.
00:32:43
Lindsay Franklin
It's awful, but very funny. And that is just what I look like sometimes if you catch me at the the wrong moment. So. You know, it is what it is, though. This is my face is expressive.
00:32:54
Lindsay Franklin
and it just It does what it does. So I'm actually like,
00:32:58
Paul Regnier
But that's better. you don't that's like Otherwise, it would be boring. So that's good.
00:33:02
Lindsay Franklin
it's, you know, it just I've got to I've got to be me. And if I try, that's the thing, if I try to control it, I think if you try to force it one way or the other, if you have a super just chill, calm energy, and you try to be really animated, that's going to look really bad, too.
00:33:15
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm.
00:33:17
Lindsay Franklin
That's going to be very forced and not because it's not going to feel like
00:33:17
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:33:21
Lindsay Franklin
real and it's the same for me if I try to keep my face really calm it's just not gonna look right on me because that is not what my face wants to do right exactly welcome to my website workshop
00:33:21
Paul Regnier
Yep.
00:33:26
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:33:28
Paul Regnier
Or like me when I tried to be the used car salesman of the speaking, like, Hey everybody.
00:33:37
Paul Regnier
Who wants to learn about writing? Yeah.
00:33:40
Lindsay Franklin
no
00:33:40
Paul Regnier
yeah um Well, that's good.
00:33:41
Lindsay Franklin
oh goodness yeah
00:33:43
Paul Regnier
That's good. i'm I'm trying to think. I think I'm i'm all out of ah writing tips, but I'm sure I missed something. There's got to be there's gotta to be something else that could be helpful. I don't know. i Do you have anything still going through your head that might be helpful to someone else that's helped you in the past with you know what you've done?
00:34:02
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah, I think that if there is a particular conference that you are targeting, that you are like, man, I would love to speak here. I feel like I really have something to offer to this community um or it's a community that has given me so much I want to give back.
00:34:13
Paul Regnier
Right.
00:34:19
Lindsay Franklin
A really good thing to do is to volunteer some time first so that they can become familiar with you, familiar with who you are That can be a good way to kind of get your foot in the door if you know it's not a conference that is open to just cold pitches. And some are. Sometimes the conference directors are like,
00:34:37
Lindsay Franklin
Apply. Apply to teach. And you know they they will pull from that ah pool of applications every year. But other times, it's like you kind of have to be known to them before you can get in. And that can feel really frustrating if you're on the outside and they don't know you yet.
00:34:51
Lindsay Franklin
How do how do they get to know you? Of course, attending the conference helps. But when you are there, volunteering in some ways can also help. And so those mentoring appointments are sometimes done on a volunteer basis, which you know as the mentor, and you could say, look, these are my credentials.
00:35:07
Lindsay Franklin
This is how long I've been in the industry or, you know, these are the the ways that, you know, I feel I could be helpful. I could take, you know, mentoring appointments in these specific areas. Those are often very like on a volunteer basis where you are are giving your time.
00:35:21
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:35:23
Lindsay Franklin
And If you do well with that, people book those slots with you and they give good feedback to the conference director. That can be something where the director is like, I wonder if this is a person who would be good to teach a workshop.
00:35:36
Lindsay Franklin
And so that can be a good way to get your your foot in the door if there's a particular conference you're
Speaking as a Marketing Tool
00:35:42
Lindsay Franklin
targeting. Yay.
00:35:42
Paul Regnier
Yeah. I just, yeah. And I just, I had two more thoughts that just popped back into my head. then another thing is, um, like one year it was at Mount Hermon conference, um, uh, Jill Williamson and Shannon Dittmore invited me to co-teach with them on like, it was like a teen track for writing.
00:35:58
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:36:01
Paul Regnier
And that was also a little bit more like, um, less pressure. I felt like, like, oh, okay, I'm not the only speaker, I'm sort of co-teaching. So that could be another way to kind of ease your way into maybe like you're trading off and all the pressure's not on you. um That could be easy.
00:36:18
Paul Regnier
and And also, like, I just thought on on a practical level, like, So this is sort of like the cold business minded way of looking at things. Speaking can be great for getting your name out there, getting your books out there.
00:36:32
Paul Regnier
A lot of times when people speak you know at the end, they're like, oh, and by the way, there's a table outside the you know the room with my books.
00:36:38
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:36:40
Paul Regnier
So check it out. you know And when you're speaking, you're probably talking about your book. So it's just another way of like getting your books out there. um So it's it's like a good marketing promotion thing as well.
00:36:52
Paul Regnier
Of course, like we're not, that's not the the main reason we look at it, but I'm just saying it's a nice little side benefit, right?
00:36:59
Lindsay Franklin
Absolutely, it absolutely is. And because of what I mentioned before, being very straightforward about the fact that, you know, we're not going to think about how many hours we put in and what we get paid to do these kinds of gigs.
00:37:10
Lindsay Franklin
um Because of course, it's not really about that.
00:37:10
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm.
00:37:12
Lindsay Franklin
um But that is something else to factor in if I'm speaking versus, ah I say, just, yeah you know, only taking mentoring appointments, which are one-on-one.
00:37:23
Lindsay Franklin
And I love to do that. I love to do that at conferences. It's still like a really cool space where you could just really dive in with one person and and help them specifically with what they're looking to do.
00:37:34
Lindsay Franklin
So I love to do that, whether it's volunteer or more of ah a paid situation. But if I'm speaking to a room full of people, I am always going to sell more books in that conference bookstore than if I'm just doing those one-to-one appointments um or if I'm just attending.
00:37:45
Paul Regnier
m
00:37:49
Paul Regnier
Interesting. you've seen the You've seen the contrast of both?
00:37:52
Lindsay Franklin
Oh, yeah.
00:37:52
Paul Regnier
Oh, wow. That's interesting.
00:37:54
Lindsay Franklin
Absolutely. And even at the same conference, like i um have taught, let's see, at the Vision Christian Writers Conference, which is kind of the new iteration of the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference because it's held in that same location, but it's put on by vision um and they do a great job there.
00:38:06
Paul Regnier
Hmm.
00:38:11
Lindsay Franklin
they' They've really taken up that mantle and then kind of made that conference their own. It's a great conference. if
00:38:17
Paul Regnier
Mm-hmm.
00:38:17
Lindsay Franklin
If anybody is looking for a Christian writers conference, I highly recommend it. um But I did a continuing session there, I think in 2024. twenty twenty
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
00:38:26
Lindsay Franklin
four and then this last year, I did one-on-one mentorship, which I'm doing again this year in 2026. And I love all of that. And I don't even really have a preference. It's just different, you know, different roles. um But yeah, being up in front of the room for, again, those 11 hours over four days or whatever, um definitely sold more books that year than when I'm just working with four individuals one-on-one. And
00:38:53
Lindsay Franklin
You know, both of those things are great. But yes, if you are putting in the time to develop workshops and a continuing session, keynoting, all of that, you are definitely going to sell books at that conference. And so that is another benefit to sort of add on to, ah you know, whatever stipend or fee you might also be collecting. So definitely a thing to consider.
00:39:14
Paul Regnier
Yeah, no, excellent. Yeah. And this is timely because both of us are going to be speaking pretty soon at conferences. You're going to be speaking next month, I believe in February at the Realm Makers Winter Retreat.
00:39:27
Paul Regnier
Is that right?
00:39:27
Lindsay Franklin
Yes, yes. We are doing the winter retreat in Florida this year. So I will be escaping from the cold here in the Pacific Northwest and going to the beach in Florida.
00:39:39
Paul Regnier
Cold. You're in California. What are you talking about?
00:39:41
Lindsay Franklin
Now I'm in Washington.
00:39:43
Paul Regnier
oh okay.
00:39:44
Lindsay Franklin
Yes, I originally am from California. So um Paul is not wrong. I spent 40 years almost in SoCal. That's where I'm originally from. But we moved up to Washington State in 2011.
00:39:55
Paul Regnier
Oh, I didn't even know that. OK, there you go.
00:39:57
Lindsay Franklin
yes So the chilly, chilly weather in February, but still not that bad. I'm just kind of on the other side of the river from Oregon. So I'm not like we don't get a ton of snow here, but it does get quite cold. So I will be headed to the beach next month for the Realm Makers Winter Retreat and super excited for that. That's more of one of those. kind of soul care type spaces where you really can dive in more. It's almost a blend of the writer's conference thing where you are up in front of the room and facilitating the whole retreat, but you get more one-on-one time with people. So it has more of that mentoring vibe too. So I'm really excited for that. Retreats are really, really fun.
00:40:38
Paul Regnier
Yeah, that's cool. I feel like I would be more comfortable even speaking at something like that, where it's kind of like a smaller, more intimate group, and it's a little more conversational, right?
00:40:49
Paul Regnier
Feels like it would be.
00:40:49
Lindsay Franklin
Yes.
00:40:50
Paul Regnier
Yeah, awesome.
00:40:50
Lindsay Franklin
Yes. A little more, little more casual, a little more chill. um Yeah.
00:40:54
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:40:54
Lindsay Franklin
But you also have something coming up in April, I think.
00:40:58
Paul Regnier
I do. In April 11th, there's a local group here in the Treasure Valley of Idaho, which is kind of near Boise area, if you're not familiar with it. um And it's called Idahope.
00:41:10
Paul Regnier
It's a local group, and they put on two conferences every year. One is a spring conference, which is the one coming up in April, and then they do like one in October.
00:41:20
Paul Regnier
So yeah, I'll be teaching about middle grade fiction, which is kind of my newest venture with my my last book and the one that's going to be out like probably in about a month.
00:41:32
Paul Regnier
So yeah, it's going to be exciting.
00:41:33
Lindsay Franklin
Oh, yay.
00:41:34
Paul Regnier
Yeah. Mixing it up, teaching about something different.
00:41:38
Lindsay Franklin
That's so fun. I love middle grade.
00:41:39
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:41:40
Lindsay Franklin
I love middle grade. And I love to see kind of more of it popping up out there. I hope it's a trend that is starting. So I love middle grade.
00:41:47
Paul Regnier
I hope so.
00:41:47
Lindsay Franklin
Yeah.
00:41:48
Paul Regnier
Yeah. It's weird when I first got into it, I heard all this like, be careful, middle grade, out it doesn't sell well. And I'm like, that hasn't been my experience so far. It's been pretty great. you know And and there's they're very enthusiastic readers, it seems like, because the feedback I get seems to be more like, ah, excited.
00:42:00
Lindsay Franklin
Mm-hmm.
00:42:04
Paul Regnier
and And that's exciting as an author to be able to generate that kind of excitement. and it's It's really cool. energizes me to like write more and that maybe I'm on the, I'm finding my niche, which is another, oh man, we got to do an episode about finding your niche in your writing.
00:42:14
Lindsay Franklin
Love that. I'm writing notes.
00:42:23
Paul Regnier
Yeah.
00:42:23
Lindsay Franklin
I'm writing notes, guys. Future episodes. I always have a notepad here because we're just like, oh, we need to do an episode on that.
00:42:28
Paul Regnier
that That is such important.
00:42:28
Lindsay Franklin
Yep, finding your niche.
00:42:30
Paul Regnier
That is probably, yeah, it's been like a 10-year journey for me finding like, where what kind of books should I be writing?
00:42:30
Lindsay Franklin
ah
00:42:38
Paul Regnier
It's not always like so intuitive. you know And then there's those people that know right away and their first book's a hit and then they keep writing in that same genre, and um which marketing people love.
00:42:50
Paul Regnier
Like, that's the way you're supposed to do it. Like, yeah, okay, that's the way some people can do it. But...
00:42:56
Lindsay Franklin
Not all of us.
00:42:56
Paul Regnier
Anyways, again, that's another episode, right?
00:42:58
Lindsay Franklin
Yes.
00:42:59
Paul Regnier
I could ramble on and on. Okay. Well, we hope that's helpful to everyone out there that's thinking about speaking, considering doing teaching, even if it might might not be your thing or might not you may not feel it's your strength. It could be. and And the more you do it, the stronger and better you get at it.
00:43:16
Paul Regnier
as Lindsay and I can attest. So um again, we hope it's been helpful and thank you for listening and we'll see you on the next episode.