With Carol Brenner, “The Shakespeare Guru”
This March, our guest speaker was Carol Brenner, who shared powerful techniques on public speaking and debuted her professional 8-minute speaker reel, created as part of her certification from The Big Talk Academy in New York City.
A longtime Keeper of the Flame, Carol is a well-known Baconian scholar, writer, actor, and contemporary Elizabethan poetess. She brings years of experience teaching and presenting on Shakespeare’s plays and the authorship controversy. Known as the “Shakespeare Guru,” you can connect with her via Facebook, LinkedIn, or her website at carolbrenner.com.
Speaking Skills for Every Creative
Carol began by sharing her professionally recorded talk at The Triad Theater in NYC, the final project of her speaker training. She joined the Big Talk Academy to enhance her skills, promote her work, and create new speaking opportunities.
Why learn public speaking? Carol emphasized that as creatives, we may need to promote a book, poem, website, or
idea. Being able to clearly and confidently communicate our message is essential to success.
She offered several guiding questions to kick-start your journey as a speaker:
· What are you naturally good at?
· What recently surprised you?
· What inspires you?
· What are you truly passionate about?
Her talk, The Unknown King, is rooted in a subject she’s studied for 40 years: teaching Shakespeare and unveiling the truth about the authorship of the plays. The full video of her inspiring talk is available in the March 2025 meeting recording—don’t miss it!
Carol’s Top Public Speaking Tips
Every talk needs a “through line”—your core message or north star. For her speech, it was: “Francis Bacon, the harbinger of a new age, gave us keys to freedom and success through the Shakespeare plays.”
Spark curiosity—invite your audience to join you in discovering the truth. Build trust—make them care about your message. Open with drama—use music, a poem, or something theatrical. Set the stage—tell the audience what you’ll share, and use the power of storytelling. Engage them—paint a vivid picture and make them feel part of the story. Focus on your audience—always ask yourself: • What do I want them to focus on? • What do I want them to do (your call to action)?
Storytelling unites and inspires. Use it to spark change, challenge perceptions, and move hearts.
In the recording, Carol also explains:
· What a “One Sheet” is (a speaker bio used to land gigs)
· How to overcome fear and nervousness
· How to leverage social media and podcasts
· Where to find speaking opportunities
· Tips on presentation style, scripting, memorization—and even how to integrate AI into your process
Don’t miss the engaging Q&A session, full of practical insights for speakers at any stage.
Reminders:
· We continue to collect articles for the website, please send your article for review to: writing@SummitUniversity.org
· Mercury’s Workshop
They continue to meet on Sundays at 3:00 P.M. Montana time via Zoom. Bring any writing you have in progress. Send your email address to Lynn at lynnwilton@me.com to get access to the workshop.
Linda Kalter – Guild Facilitator If you need to contact Linda, her email address is: lindakalter9@gmail.com
We continue to collect articles for the website, please send your article for review to: writing@SummitUniversity.org
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