About me

PROFILE:
I have been writing poetry and stories since I was a child, and a love of reading was instilled in me from an early age. I am passionate about writing, and hope you enjoy the books I have written. Whilst most of you sleep soundly in your beds, like many Parkinson’s patients, insomnia dictates, so during those hours that sleep eludes me, the house is tranquil and quiet, an atmosphere perfect to immerse myself in writing. My life has been a series of strange events, which have without doubt contributed to my creativity. To publish anything is to bear one’s soul to the world. It is to stand naked and let everyone see who you really are. I have poured my heart and soul out on paper and I hope to share this journey, immersing you in a story, capturing your attention and firing the imagination. Through my writing and public speaking I hope to bring greater awareness to the general public about living with chronic disease.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Public speaking

I was asked a very good question: "Why don't you use a Power Point presentation whilst giving a talk?" I realise in certain circumstances a visual presentation  alongside a lecture, possibly showing graphs and such is helpful to an audience to grasp and understand a particular topic. However, for someone like myself, who talks from the heart (I never read, but merely have a piece of paper with one line headings, to keep me on track) I don't like having slides changing and shifting the focus from the speaker to a large screen. Eye to eye contact is so important when delivering a good talk, and capturing the audience's attention and maintaining their interest are paramount in getting your message across.

It has been scientifically proven that the brain reacts differently to reading bullets on a Power Point presentation, as the brain simply processes the language and nothing more. However, if the speaker is telling a story, not only are the brain's language centers activated but also a part of the brain is engaged, following  the story, bringing it to life as if experiencing it along with the speaker. Therefore speaking straight from the heart as opposed to reading out loud, and without the aid of fancy hi-tech presentations, the audience not only enjoy but remember the talk far better. This is only my personal opinion, but it's what works best for me.

As I suffer from Parkinson's I would never choose to hold a microphone, as the visual disturbance of my hand shaking disrupts the audience's attention. Therefore a microphone on a stand is an absolute "must" for anyone suffering Parkinson's who is giving a speech.

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