Comparing and Contrasting Speaking and Writing Skills with Geralyn Gendreau.

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Speaking on stage and writing a book are often seen as two entirely different disciplines — and with good reason. But is it really that cut and dry? In this episode, prolific speaker and author Geralyn Gendreau compares and contrasts speaking and writing based on her own experience. Tune in and discover if you have a speech or a book in you — and if you do, how to find your voice and clarify your message.

A licensed psychotherapist since 1995, Geralyn is a playful, soul-provoking life coach who believes one of the keys to happiness is being able to laugh at yourself. A master storyteller, she is the author of Jungle Jean, the biography of her mentor, Jean Liedloff, who traveled into the pristine regions of the Venezuelan rainforest in the 1950s and subsequently wrote the seminal book The Continuum Concept.

A First Experience on Stage

Geralyn's most memorable first experience came when she met Duncan McIntosh, a London taxi driver and accomplished Shakespearean actor who had taken to reciting ecstatic poetry — specifically Rumi, the first whirling dervish. She memorized a Rumi poem called "The Indian Parrot" and performed it at one of his shows. She was nervous beforehand — dry mouth, racing heart — but the moment she stepped on stage, she went from nervous to what she describes as hyper-lucid. She could feel and see everyone in the room. She didn't stumble on a word or forget a line. It was a breakthrough.

Geralyn considers herself a storyteller first. The easiest way for her to speak on stage is to speak in story. Despite being an introvert much of the time, she's found that putting a microphone in her hand brings out a different version of herself entirely.

Nervousness and Excitement Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

When asked whether the physical sensations of nervousness feel similar to excitement, Geralyn says emphatically yes. She reframes her racing heart not as a warning signal but as a signal that she has something important to say — that she's being pumped full of energy to share with the room. It's all in how you label it.

When she loses her train of thought on stage, she simply asks the audience to help her find it. That kind of vulnerability, she argues, creates connection rather than undermining credibility.

Connecting Before You Speak

For speakers who are terrified and feel they can't refuse an invitation, Geralyn recommends finding — or imagining — a friendly face in the front row and anchoring to them. Relationship, she explains, is what most readily regulates the nervous system. Another strategy: step off the stage, make people laugh, and humanize yourself immediately. Her example is Elizabeth Gilbert, who opened a talk by dropping the F-bomb and then saying "So there it is — we can get over that." Vulnerability invites likability in a way that polished professionalism never can.

Peter adds that whenever possible, he goes out to the audience and meets people as they're filing in — something that warms up the room and calms his own nerves in the process.

What Makes a Great Talk — or a Great Book

Geralyn shares a list she wrote for a writing client that applies equally to speakers. Great books and great talks spill out of people who have a passion and a vision — and one or more of the following: an original idea; keen insight into a relatively new idea or phenomenon; new information from scientific study; an utterly fresh perspective; rarefied understanding in a well-explored subject area; a wealth of experience or case studies from which to draw poignant conclusions. And then there are those who hold the ace — the gift of storytelling, plus a wild ride of a story that takes the audience somewhere they've never been.

Whether you have a talk in you or a book, Geralyn's work as a writing coach and author helps people clarify their voice, nail their message, and make a unique contribution. You can learn more and find her book Jungle Jean at junglejean.com.

Thank you for listening to another episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.