Before I knew her, Katie started her professional life as a stage and screen actor after receiving her degree in drama from CMU. Anyone who knows anything about theater training knows CMU has one of the best drama programs there is. Some of the famous actors to have graduated from the program and who are profiled on its website include Ted Danson, Holly Hunter, Judith Light, Leslie Odom, Jr., Billy Porter, and Blair Underwood. Katie certainly studied among the best, and her talents show it!
Among Katie’s stage and screen acting credits, as listed on IMDb, are the movies Creepshow and Passed Away, and she has also done voice work, including as narrator on the documentary Langmuir’s World, about the Nobel Prize winning chemist Irving Langmuir. Not only has she both acted in movies and done movie narration, but, as noted on her website devoted to her voiceover work, she has also narrated a wide range of television commercials and other videos, as well as several books.
As if this impressive career weren’t enough, Katie is also a public speaking coach. The coaching company she owns and operates is called On Speaking Terms, and this is where Katie and I have a professional overlap. With my background in rhetoric and her background in performance, we’re both interested in communicating with an audience.
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Actor, public speaking coach, and author Katie
Karlovitz. (LinkedIn/Katie
Karlovitz) |
In her coaching company, she’s worked with such power-hitting clients as the ACLU, CitiGroup, WebMD, and Campbells, to name a few. She’s also taught public speaking, communication, and script writing courses at the Pratt Institute, The New School, and Chatham University, among others. You can find all of this information and more on the About page of her On Speaking Terms website.
Perhaps most relevant to this blog entry, though, is her authorship of the book It’s Not About You, It’s About Your Message: How to Hook and Hold Any Audience. This book is full of useful advice when it comes to public speaking, such as the importance of rehearsing and how to bring style to your performance. In the interview that follows, which we edited collaboratively, she reflects on her experience with writing this book as well as with writing her blog entries.
If you’d like to know more about Katie, you can reach out to her on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or her website. I hope you enjoy meeting Katie through her interview and learning about her thoughts on writing. As ever, feel free to leave a comment at the end of this blog entry to let me know what you think!
When did you first know you might become an author?
Good question—it was probably when I realized I’d been taking notes on the same subject for 25+ years!
What or who motivates you to write?
I’m motivated to write by a genuine desire to help people overcome their fear of speaking in public.
What is your favorite part of your writing process and what do you most like about it?
My favorite part of writing is getting into a rhythm and feeling my writing chops getting stronger. Sometimes I’ll read something and say “Oh, did I write this?” (Note from Karen—if you’re not familiar with the term “chops” in this context, the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines it as “the technical facility of a musical performer” or “expertise in a particular skill or activity.” Katie in a follow-up conversation said that “when musicians are playing well,” we might say “their chops are up,” and similarly, when she’s writing well, she feels her “writing chops are up.”)
Where do you do most of your writing and why is that your chosen place?
I start in my back room, which is filled with light. The room is nice because it has a lot of windows, and you see a lot of the sky all around. It’s very sunny when it’s sunny outside, and it has no electronics, so it’s sort of a very pure space. I begin with an artist’s drawing pad, which has no lines. I use colored pencils. Then I move to my desktop.
Whose books do you most like to read and why?
I’ve been in my Book Club for 35 years and enjoy the wide variety of subjects and genres. I’m especially fond of contemporary Irish writers for some reason. Donal Ryan is fabulous. He wrote a book called The Queen of Dirt Island, which I quite like.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Combine your writing with other activities that inspire and fulfill you…good movies, spending time in nature, art, playing/watching sports, cooking. Know your ideal time of day to write and length of time. For me, 3-4 hours of writing at a time is maximum.
Anything else you'd like to share?
A good editor is invaluable.