Multi-tasking at BEA: Speaking and signing while talking sex with Dr. Ruth

At Book Expo America last month, I launched World Wide Rave to the book trade.

My friends at Wiley, publishers of my last several books, asked me to do something I've never tried: Sign books while I deliver a presentation.

There were 150 people in line to get a copy of my book and we had a tight time window because we did not want to keep people waiting.

Yikes. Talk about multi-tasking!

I was also trying to pay attention to individual people in the audience (about 100 people were out of camera view).

At about the 6:00 point of this short video, you'll see me talking about Dr. Ruth and her new book. Dr. Ruth was in the crowd and she LOVED the tweet I did from the BEA floor Now exploring the Top 10 Secrets to Great Sex.

Here's what I find interesting about this. When you know your material really, really well, you can deliver a performance while doing other things. But this level of multi-tasking is impossible unless you are totally prepared.

The first time I recall being aware of this was when I sat in the front row at a Rolling Stones concert at Fenway Park in Boston in 2005. During Satisfaction, Ronnie Wood was playing right in front of me (see photo) while chatting up the cute girl right next to me: “Hello Love!” Ronnie said. “How are ya?”

Do you know your stuff so well that you can multi-task?

Comments

[Kathleen Seide]

This reminds me of cave diving. You have to be a very competent diver to become a cave diver. Knowing yourself in the water must be second nature before you can handle checking all the gauges regularly, keeping track of where the heck you are, and watching out for your buddy. They call this "task loading" and the more competent you are the more tasks you can do without feeling pressure or screwing things up. Congrats to you!

[Bookpleasures]

Check Out Gary Dale Cearley Reviewer For Bookpleasures.com review of World Wide Rave

http://xrl.us/bexrr8

[David Meerman Scott]

I love Gary's review! Thanks!