When you’re trying to get better at things like writing or talking in front of crowds you can do a lot worse than learning from boys and girls who have been doing it for years. That’s not to say they’re old buggers or anything, more that they’ve got the gig down to a fine art. In recent press trips I’ve done and food festivals I’ve attended I’ve been making the odd mental note here and there, and hopefully picking the brains of those who know the ropes.
My week in Bordeaux with the other wine bloggers was great. We might all be bloggers but we definitely have different ways of doing things. All of them – Maddy, Michelle, Regina, Toma, and Jeremy – had their own ways of doing things that really impressed me, and I hope I’ve picked up a few of the best traits. Running a (hopefully successful) blog needs a few tricks here and there, and between the 6 of us I reckon we had most bases covered.
My week in Romania was with 3 other seasoned wine writers. I have this struggle whereby it’s hard to know the line between what I think I should write about, and what I personally want to know to assuage my inner wine geek. The questions get a bit jumbled in head at times and I hope I don’t come across as weird as I think I do sometimes. But the other three seemed to just know what to say. It was almost a reflex for them, and it seemed to trigger an immediate reaction from the winemakers and owners to spill the beans about anything and everything they were up to.
Especially with the way I talk I can get really flummoxed when talking infront of people. I kind of have an idea in my head about where I want the sentence to go, but then it becomes like one of those spinning top kids’ toys, just randomly flying off in different directions. I got the chance to see a couple of seasoned presenters on the go at the recent Taste of London festival. Everything they want to say, delivered in a way people seem to want to hear, and in time. Nailed it.
I guess I’m going to have to get practicing!
Cheers
