Public Speaking—Why Me?

So, I realized we’ve been proceeding a bit like you should know why you need to be a good speaker as an artist.  I want to back up a bit and talk about some possible motivations.

Why would an artist be doing public speaking? If you show your artwork in public, you are becoming a PUBLIC person! Speaking well and connecting with varied audience is excellent for marketing and so expanding potential opportunities.  Here are some instances where you might end up needing to speak about yourself and/or your art.

Formal:

>Speaking to a class

>Talking at an exhibition, could be a gallery talk or lecture

>Conferences presentations like Oklahoma Museums Association, Professional Photographers of America, College Art Association

>Accepting an award (woo!)

>Presentations and meetings with potential clients/employers, galleries, etc.

Informal:

 Art openings

 Parties

 Networking events

 Meeting someone new through friends

There are many reasons for giving a presentation and you should consider carefully what you are trying to do with your talk. For instance:

• to inform
• to educate
• to entertain
• to inspire
• to convince

-Consider, why am I doing this presentation, i.e. What is my purpose? Who is my audience?
-Develop a plan and the content for the presentation based on the purpose and audience.


OVAC offers the Artist Survival Kit Retreat: “ARTiculate” April 16-18 at Post Oak Lodge in Tulsa. This will improve the participants’ ability to articulate artistic and career concepts, educate others and make public presentations. Led by innovative educator Jane Varmecky, the retreat will include interactive training about adult education techniques and the dynamics of group training. There will also be time to learn from and share with other participants. Learn more at www.ArtistSurvivalKit.org