Gracewriters Podcast #77: Author Kirsten Holmberg on the power of public speaking for writers

In this episode, Belinda Pollard, Donita Bundy and Alison Joy interview Kirsten Holmberg, ghostwriter, editor and author of devotionals for Our Daily Bread Ministries. Kirsten, an introvert, has grown to love speaking at retreats and conferences, and coaches other public speakers, including pastors and TedX speakers. She shares practical tips and inspiration for the value of speaking aloud in a variety of contexts, even for the most introverted of writers.

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Episode summary:

• How Kirsten got into devotional writing. How she researches and writes her devotionals.
• How Kirsten became a public speaker despite being an introvert. The enjoyment she now gains from public speaking.
• The value of public speaking for writers, both in terms of using it for marketing and developing your use of language.
• Creating little videos for online marketing. Being okay with being ordinary at first, and practising, and growing.
• Writing out speeches word-for-word and learning them by heart -- versus using bullet points. Which parts to write in full; which parts to bullet-point.
• Ideas for speaking that are tailored for the topics you write about. Looking for themes that encourage even a person who is not your target reader.
• The causes of fear in public speaking, and tips for overcoming the fear, and reframing it as excitement. The biological responses for fear and excitement are the same.