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Re: Bios - Both Writing and Editing

No one else seems to have responded to Melanie's question so I'll take a stab at it.

I have several different bios that I use depending on the situation. Each time I use those bios, I adapt them to the specific use and what I want the take home message to be.

A bio that will be published or someone is going to read aloud should be just a paragraph or two (think about how it feels to be in the audience and hear the emcee recite a page long bio - BORING!!!)

If you are applying for a job or trying to convince someone of your credentials, a page of bio information is fine.

Being featured in an article or writing the article can each have oomph, depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

For example, if you are being presented as an expert on daylilies, then you'd want the audience to know that there was a quadrillion page spread on you and your dayliliy expertise. If you also wrote about daylilies from the position of being a daylily expert, go ahead and mention it. But if you wrote about someone else who is a daylily expert, I'd suggest leaving that information out.

Regarding your board positions, only mention those that are relavent and only give as much information as the audience needs to know. So, again, if you are being presented as a dayliliy expert, then being on the borad of the AHS is valuable information. I don't think they need to know exactly what your function was as a board member, that's a bit too much information.

When introducing others to the audience, the same rules apply.

Bottom line - figure out what is Need to Have information and what is NIce to Have information. Unless you have lots of time and a very patient audience, stick to Need to Have.

Hope this helps

Nan



Do you always use the same bio, or does it change depending on the audience?
*How much information is enough and yet not too much (oh how I hate those
intro's that go on and on).
*Is being featured in an article or magazine worth more oomph than writing
the article?
*What about past positions on various groups' board of directors? For
instance I rarely include information that I was on the board of the
American Hemerocallis Society as Display Garden Chairperson and then for two
more years as Regional Vice President for New England and Eastern Canada. I
always think the "average Joe" is going to hear the word Hemerocallis and
think "that poor girl, they should find a cure for her hems..."

Looking it at from the other side, what do I include in the introductions of
the other speakers? If their bios are good, I'll just read them as is but if
they're too long do I dare edit out information? One speaker just sent me
his whole resume. Is it in poor taste if I make a joke about the speaker?
Nothing hurtful intended.


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Nan Sterman			Plant Soup (TM)
PO Box 231034
Encinitas, CA 92023		760.634.2902 (voice)
Talkingpoints@PlantSoup.Com	760.634.2957 (fax)

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