Glenn Gibson wears two OxyMoron hats, one in the context of the work that he does at Hyland and another as an author. It is the latter role that is the focus of our conversation. Glenn’s book is Before the Mic, and it’s all about how to compose meaningful, memorable, and motivational presentations. This book will help anyone who as feared that at some time they or their boss or their staff has been guilty of death by PowerPoint. I read the book before it was published, and so enjoyed the approach that Glenn takes to effective storytelling. But the focus of our conversation was not so much the book itself, but rather the process of actually creating a book. Many among us -- myself included -- have the vision for a book. But lacking sufficient OxyMoron skills, we fail to translate this vision into action. Glenn did.
Critical Background Facts about Glenn:
By PeterF1234 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61299961
Favorite TV binge watch during COVID -- We've got two boys that are 11 and 13. So we dusted off Malcolm in the Middle and watched every season. It was really, really fun to do and our kids absolutely loved it.
Surprising Item from Your Spotify Playlist -- I wouldn't proclaim that I am a metal head. However, there is a band from Birmingham, England called Magnum, which I believe is one of the most underrated and shockingly underrepresented bands that has ever emerged. They should have killed it over AC/DC and Rush.
Favorite Book Over the Last 12 Months -- I mentioned that I’m a big Rush fan. There is a book called 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush. I have a playlist that I made with every song in the book, and I listen to that as I read the stories.
1 - Where did the idea for the book come from?
It really comes from an absolute love of the discipline and the art and science of presenting. I would watch others present and I would be inspired and note effective things that the presenter did. I’d pay particular attention to techniques that could be applied across any presentation. I've spent a lot of time over the last 15-20 years coaching people on presenting as well. So over time, I began to develop a picture of how to structure a presentation on just about any topic. When I worked with people, they would ask, “Isn’t there a book that could help?” I went looking to see if there was a book that I could recommend to people to help them understand the fundamental structures of a presentation, the writing process, and all that kind of stuff. And I couldn’t find one. So, I thought, let's take a swing and try to write one.
2 - How did you -- did you? -- validate what you thought was a great idea?
I have stood in front of people from all walks of life -- from brand new employees to seasoned hardened executives and board members -- and taught some of these principles. The validation came when the light bulbs would go on in people's eyes -- people from all different walks of life. So, the need for the book was validated in the classroom, but translating it into words on a page was a whole other question.
3 - When you began to pursue the book was there anything or anyone who was frustrating or pissed you off?
No single person annoyed me in the process except myself! I learned a lot about myself and a lot about the whole writing process over the last year and a half. One key event was when my wife booked a cabin for me as a present -- to go away and just do this thing. I think it might have really been a present for herself. During a couple of days in that cabin, I started getting really frustrated with myself. I thought I would be turning out the great American novel with pages flying out of the proverbial typewriter. But a lot of the time was just sitting thinking and gathering and planning and chewing over ideas. And I would get frustrated by not accomplishing anything. My wife was a brilliant coach along the way. She would say, “Look, it's going to take as long as it's going to take. Any time you spend working on it is time that is invested in the something you care about, whatever the result.
4 - How much did you worry about failing with the book?
I kept thinking to myself, “There are so many presentation books out there. Why am I even trying to write another one?” But again, my wife to the rescue. She said, “Just because there are lots of cookbooks in existence, does that mean that no chef should ever write another one?” The other thing was really thinking through what I considered success. For me, the lane of success was simply seeing this book in print and come to life. And I thought, “f I can get to this point and create something of which I was proud, that will be success.”
5 - What do you consider to be your secret sauce in pulling this whole thing off -- from a vague wish for a book to having one?
It's a little bit like making bread; you just have to respect the process. Some ideas just take time to formulate. You need to take the long-term view and you cannot rush the process. If I was going to go back in time and give myself advice, it would be to make sure that you're keeping the momentum going. Make it a goal to just do something, even if it is just something small, every single day.
Other episodes in the series: