Practice ahead of time, not only the text of your talk, but also the way you plan to sit, stand, or move around. I recommend standing to do booktalks. Practice holding the book up, displaying it, and working with your notes. If you are going to use props, practice what you will be doing with them as well.
Practicing with a VCR so you can watch your own performance is very effective, even if it is painful. Other less painful ways to see yourself are standing in front of a full-length mirror, or using an audiotape. You can also do your talks for your peers, and ask for feedback. A booktalking support group is excellent for this, as long as all of you can be totally honest about each other's performance.
Don't memorize your talk--learn it! Use different words and phrases each time you practice it, so that if you forget one word or phrase during your presentation, you'll have others ready to use instead, and you won't get stuck.
Learn as much as you can about the group, and what is expected of you during this presentation.
What is the goal of your presentation? Focus everything you do towards this goal.
Don't make the assumption that you can visit only the "standard" classes--these days, books are used in almost every part of the curriculum.
If you are going into a school, be sure the administration knows you will be there. Consider inviting the principal or librarian to your presentation, so they know what you're doing for their students.
Plan the tentative order of your presentation, and practice the talks in that order.
Consider using a theme or several mini-themes to help you organize the flow of your presentation.
Your first book (with difficult audiences, your first two) needs to be a guaranteed winner, of interest to everyone in the audience. Then alternate books for boys and girls, ending up with another guaranteed winner or two.
Have your notes where you can see them easily, in case you need to look at them during your presentation.
Project your voice, and enunciate clearly. Vary your tone, pace, and pitch to make you sound more interesting and easier to listen to.
Speak slowly enough so your audience can grasp what you are saying. You can read faster than you can listen--and they are listening. Pause for laughter after a funny passage, and don't go on till your audience has stopped laughing. Speaking slowly can also heighten suspense. Remember that your pauses sound ten times as long to you as they do to your audience.
If you make a mistake, don't worry about it too much. Correct it if you can, or if it is really necessary. If you can't correct it easily and it really isn't important, forget it. Your audience hasn't read the book or your talk, and they probably have no idea that you made a mistake.
Relax and enjoy yourself--it's the easiest way to make sure your audience has fun too. Make the booktalk more important than you are. You want your audience to think about it, not about how you are presenting it, or whether you look nervous or not.
And most important, remember that booktalking is just introducing some of the friends (or enemies) you met in the book you're talking about to your friends in your audience, and explaining to your audience why they'd like to meet them.
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