On March 31st, 2012 the lower floor of 50 Penn Place was packed with people.  The chairs were packed.  The walls were packed. A group of people stood behind the designated seating area around the elevators, and there were even people behind the stage who were looking for a vantage point.  After being delayed in traffic due to a wreck on I-35, Ree Drummond (better known as The Pioneer Woman) was ready to begin her book signing event at OKC’s beloved Full Circle Book Store.  The event doubled as a fundraiser for the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter, and by the crowd, it looked to be a good day to help out the provision of those important services.

Drummond mentioned she “gets nervous speaking,” so she used a Powerpoint presentation.  The crowd was interactive as she went through her slides covering the history and development of her online blogging, cooking and TV projects highlighting life on the central NW Oklahoma cattle ranch where she, her husband and their four children reside.  The attendees’ smiles turned to laughter as she finished her presentation by singing “Endless Love” to her Basset Hound, Charlie.

One key to a good audience connection is an open and one-down position.  Drummond interspersed her presentation with many of these moments, including one instance where she had backed up until she ran into a plant behind her.  As she played with the plant fronds bouncing around her head she commented, “I’m so nervous I’ve backed into the plant!”  Continue reading The Art of Standing in Line: Pioneer Woman Book Signing at the Full Circle →