The Benefits of Sharing

by Mike Cooper | June 2026

When we talk about sharing our work with the world, we often think in terms of publishing. Another way to share, albeit potentially more frightening, is reading our work in public.

There are enormous benefits to reading or speaking your work to a live audience. I tell all my students that your absolute best editing tool is to read your work out loud. We write as our heart beats and our breath rises and falls. When you read aloud, you’ll hear the phrasing, the rhythm, the pacing, and the musicality of your writing. You’ll hear where your heartbeat races and where you become breathless.

And whereas published work goes out into the nameless, faceless void, a live reading offers instant feedback, like a conversation. You’ll hear people laugh and gasp and cry (occasionally at the parts where you hadn’t intended it). You’ll see if people are smiling or looking at their watch or their phone or have their head down on the table. You’ll know where you nailed it and where you need to do a bit more work. And mostly, you’ll take that solitary act that you labored over and bring it into the light of community.

“But, Mike,” you say, “public speaking is terrifying.”

Depending on who did the survey, our top five fears are: spiders, snakes, flying, heights, and public speaking. Fear of death is usually a bit further down the list, though it seems that at least three out of four of the above have the fear of death in common: spider or snakebites could kill you, and it’s not so much that we fear flying or heights, but the potential of falling.

But how many deaths have been attributed to speaking in public? We could maybe say that Socrates died as the result of public speaking, or Joan of Arc, and President William Harrison reportedly died from pneumonia soon after a two-hour outdoor winter speech he gave without hat or coat. But it’s not high up on the list of “causes of death.”

So what are we afraid of? I think mostly we are afraid of rejection and judgement. It is important to us that we blend in with our peers. We are a species that relies on each other for survival, and we don’t want to lose our credibility or tarnish our image. We may actually experience physical symptoms when faced with a public speaking situation (anxiety, dry mouth, sweats, nausea,).

So how do we overcome and persevere? I think that we need to shift our mindset. One: consider that what you’re sharing is of benefit to your audience—as much as the writing and editing and polishing was to you. You are sharing your insights into the Human Condition, and others may be able to see the world in a broader, more understanding light. Two: bear in mind that—and this is very important!—that your work is not you. It is a piece of art, no more, and no less. And three: consider those physical symptoms as a result of excitement and anticipation rather than fear—like waiting in line for the roller coaster.

So give it a try. Go to a public reading, an open mic, a poetry slam, even an online sharing (like the Blank Pages Salon) and give your voice some wings. It gets better and better, and it’s a fantastic tool to help your writing. Writing is just speaking on the page, after all.

And please join us on Saturday, June 6 at 3PM for the 4^th Annual Forge Smithys Reading at the New Central Library (61956 SE Santorini St. in Bend) or online at this ZOOM LINK. You’ll hear some amazing work!

Applications for the 2026-27 class are open now: The Forge.