Presenting at Red Pencil with Joanie Eppinga
The deadline for submitting presentation proposals and ideas for Red Pencil 2023 has been extended to Sunday, October 16, so if you’ve got something you want to share with the editing community (or you have an idea you want to suggest someone else share, especially if they’re local!), please get in touch with our conference planning committee. You can find all the details on our call for presenters page. In case you’re nervous about speaking in front of a large group, we want to assure you that Red Pencil is just about the friendliest group you could start with! I sat down with Guild member and past Red Pencil conference and ACES presenter Joanie Eppinga to chat with her about her experiences and advice about presenting.
Joanie Eppinga presenting at our 2019 Red Pencil conference. Photo by Jill Walters.
Q: What were your reasons for wanting to present at previous Red Pencil conferences?
A: Having the conference fee covered is a good inducement! But really, it’s a way of celebrating the knowledge you’ve acquired in your career and a way of giving back by sharing what you’ve learned. I’ve felt a kind of freedom in my career, and I did one of my presentations because it was important to me to let other editors, especially new ones, know that they can chart their own course.
Q: Did you find it helped you to grow professionally? What are some ways in which presenting helped your career?
A: I did find that it helped me. I’m shy, but once I had presented, people felt they knew me a bit and approached me, which was lovely. Some sent work my way afterwards. And had I not presented at Red Pencil and been warmly received, I never would have dared to present at ACES (2022).
Q: Do you rely on a written script or cue cards to help you stay on topic?
A: I do have (laminated!) cards at the ready, but because I’m so familiar with my presentation by the time I give it, I rarely need to refer to them.
Q: What are some ways you diversify your delivery to keep your audience interested? Do you use visual content integrated with spoken content? Facts and anecdotes? Lecturing and audience participation?
A: I use a PowerPoint, and I’m pretty animated as I speak. I move about the stage/room so that people get a different vantage point. I encourage audience participation throughout, and I always weave humor into my presentations. There’s nothing like laughter to relax a roomful of people, and once they’re relaxed they’re open and creative with their questions and comments.
Q: Have you ever been asked difficult questions afterward that you didn’t know how to answer? How did you handle that?
A: If I don’t know the answer to a question, I just say so, and, if I know where the answer might be found, offer that resource. I don’t think I’ve had any awkward questions. (But now I’m ready!)
Q: As someone who isn’t great with public speaking I’m curious, do you do anything to quiet your nerves beforehand or were you already pretty comfortable?
A: I’m wildly nervous before I speak. I take some time alone beforehand, in a quiet room with no stimulation. When the time comes, I put the focus where it belongs: on the audience and the material. Then I enjoy it immensely.
Q: Finally, what are some tips you have for others out there who are thinking of presenting?
A: Go for it! Remember that your audience is rooting for you. In my experience, editors are generally kind and well-intentioned people, so if you make an error, they won’t hold it against you. Just remember that they’re interested in what you have to say—otherwise they wouldn’t be there. And you, with your unique experience, have something to offer that nobody else does.
Thanks for talking with me, Joanie!
There’s still time to submit proposals or ideas to the Red Pencil committee. Remember, the call for presenters is open until October 16; visit our page here for more details. We hope to see you at Red Pencil 2023!
Joanie Eppinga started Eagle Eye Editing & Writing 27 years ago. A fan of variety, she edits for the Smithsonian, the federal government, and publishers, as well as for businesses, academics, and individuals. She also conducts interviews, often with social justice activists, and won two national press awards for an interview published in Sojourners magazine. Currently she’s enjoying editing historical markers for the state of Wisconsin. An Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, Eppinga is also a member of ACES and of the Northwest Editors Guild. She has practiced aikido for 24 years. On Twitter, she’s @EagleEyeEditor.
