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THE SPOKEN WORD
Tim hits the speakers' circuit
Category: General
Posted by: tim
Encouraged by some recent public speaking engagements, I have decided to give Henry Rollins a run for his money and tackle the spoken word medium. It's funny what life throws at you sometimes - this is nothing I ever planned for myself, but after speaking at the Australian Primary School Principal's Association national conference, and a few writers' festivals, I have discovered I quite enjoy public speaking. The writer's lot is often a pretty solitary one, devoid of immediate feedback, and it's nice to get up in front of an audience, discuss your ideas, read your work and get a sense of what people respond to, when you are able to hold their interest, and when they start rolling their eyes, yawning or throwing rotten fruit at you. I haven't copped any rotten fruit as yet so I am taking that as a positive and have signed up with Claxtons Speakers International, for corporate speaking gigs, and Booked Out Speakers Agency, for schools' visits. My talks centre on themes of resilience, leadership, the health-promoting properties of surfing, and life lessons offered by the ocean. I am particularly keen on the idea of talking to school groups and getting young people excited about reading and writing. I think the surf books are a great vehicle to get some otherwise reluctant readers into books. If you're interested in booking me for speaking engagements please follow those links above and find out more.