Sarah Sundin, @sarahsundin

Recently, I had my first speaking event for a year and a half! Since I love speaking, this has been a difficult sabbatical. While preparing and attending that event, I kept finding myself saying, “Oh yes, that’s how I used to do things.” Here are some of my tips for speaking events—most of them learned the hard way. Just for fun, I’ll include my . . . boo-boos.

1. Arrival

• Bring written directions and contact phone numbers. Yes, I sound like Gen X. I am Gen X. But after relying solely on my GPS for one event—and having my GPS wig out in a thunderstorm and going through elaborate means to phone my contact—well. Print them out. Just in case.
• Arrive very early. Sometimes it’s hard to find the correct building in a complex. Sometimes you have to flag down an elusive tech or facilities person. Sometimes you have to trace the cord for the projector through a Gordian knot of cords. Sometimes guests arrive early and want to chat while you’re trying to set up. The earlier you can get there, the better.

2. Prepare for Setbacks

• Be ready to go no-tech. If you use PowerPoint, have a no-tech option available if at all possible. One sweet event coordinator, who had promised I could use slides, pointed at the screen and said proudly, “There’s the projector.” Uh, no. That was the screen. They had no projector. I went no-tech.
• Come empowered. Make sure your laptop or tablet is fully charged, and bring a power cord. Make sure that power cord isn’t frayed so it dies halfway through your presentation—this happened to me. I went no-tech.
• Come connected. I have a PC with HDMI input, and I always bring a VGA-HDMI connector. If you use a Mac, be sure to bring an adaptor! Many facilities are not set up for Macs. Likewise, bring a thumb drive with your presentation in case they have their own computer.

3. Display

• Set up an attractive table. If you’ll be selling or signing books, bring items to make your table attractive but not cluttered. I lay down vintage aprons and tea towels as a tablecloth, which fits with my WWII novels.
• Set up an informative table. Set up signs in stand-up acrylic holders—I have signs for each of my three-book series with a very short blurb about the series and showing the three books in order. Place bookmarks in an acrylic holder—or something cute. Have your email newsletter sign-up sheet on a clipboard—if you can, pass it around during the event. Have your business card and speaker sheets on the table—one speaking gig often leads to another. Have multiple pens in case one runs out of ink.
• Book sales. If possible, have someone help you ring up sales so you can concentrate on attendees. Bring plenty of one-, five-, and ten-dollar bills for change. If you use a Square or similar credit card reader (highly recommended!), make sure it’s charged and updated, and have a hotspot on your phone/tablet in case of spotty WiFi.

4. Speaking

• Have a waistband for clip-on microphones. Or a belt. Or a pocket. Or—in a pinch—a tall boot. Yes, I did this once.
• Have notes ready. If you use written notes, make sure you have them ready to go. Put them on the podium beforehand if possible. Once I was called up, started speaking, realized I didn’t have my notes, returned to my table, fished for my notes, started speaking again, realized I hadn’t brought up my reading glasses, thought I’d try without them, realized I was an idiot, went back to my table AGAIN, and retrieved my glasses. Do NOT be that speaker.

5. Overall…

• Rolling crates. These are the best! You can find them at office supply stores—a big plastic box with a lid, wheels, and a pull-out handle. I store my supplies for speaking events in my rolling crate. It fits easily in my car, and I can even stack a few boxes of books on top. Keep a plastic garbage bag in the crate to cover books in case of rain.
• Keep a checklist. I keep my speaking checklist in my rolling crate and run through it while packing for an event. Notes—check. Power cord—check. Adaptor—check. Belt or waistband—check. This, of course, is a constantly changing document. As I constantly make mistakes.
• Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Like when you have to clip your mic to your boot. Or when you’re the keynote speaker at a women’s retreat and forget your BIBLE! Those became running jokes through my talks, and the women loved it.
• Be grateful. Thank everyone who helps you, over and over. If someone is trying to help but can’t, be sure to put them at ease and let them know how much you appreciate their effort. Thank those who attend, ask their names, make eye contact, and greet them warmly. They came to see YOU—maybe even paid to do so. What a privilege.

What’s your favorite hack for speaking events?

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When Twilight Breaks

Munich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession and to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country—or worse. If she does not report truthfully, she’ll betray the oppressed and fail to wake up the folks back home.

Peter Lang is an American graduate student working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party—to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can’t get off his mind.

As the world marches relentlessly toward war, Evelyn and Peter are on a collision course with destiny.

Sarah Sundin is an ECPA- and CBA-bestselling author of World War II novels, including When Twilight Breaks. Her novel The Land Beneath Us was a 2020 Christy Award finalist, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sea Before Us received the 2019 Readers Choice Award from Faith, Hope, and Love, and When Tides Turn and Through Waters Deep were named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.”

A mother of three adult children, Sarah lives in northern California and enjoys speaking for church, community, and writers’ groups. She serves as Co-Director for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference. You can find her at http://www.sarahsundin.com