Radio Frequency

November 15, 2014

Beth enjoyed speaking with Tom and Lynn on their radio show "Sunday Brunch" last weekend.

Beth enjoyed speaking with Tom and Lynn on their radio show “Sunday Brunch” last weekend.

When you’re a writer and a rider, you have to watch for twists in the road. Sometimes they bring hazards. Sometimes they bring fun. Often enough, they bring both.

The trick is to go around the bend full-throttle.

So when Teri, the delightful lady who handles PR for Pedego, asked me to participate in a radio interview … I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Before I owned a bike shop, I worked as a staff writer for a public speaking organization. This is a great thing about being a writer; you can move around and build a lot of interesting skills while writing about them. At Toastmasters International, they practice impromptu speaking with an activity called Table Topics. It’s a fun way to improve your responses to questions — answering clearly and persuasively. My time spent researching and writing about that came in especially handy last weekend, when I agreed to participate in a radio interview about the bikes. A more-nervous public speaker might have stumbled through this event, or worse, declined to participate. In truth, it had been a couple of years since I took part in Table Topics, so the thought raced through my mind that I should perhaps beware the microphone. I no longer speak in public with great frequency, and I could make mistakes. But I quickly quashed that idea and jumped right in. After all, there was something more important than my pride: It was an opportunity to share news about Pedego electric bikes with the listening public — an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

Sure, I felt a few butterflies at first. But Tom and Lynn, the hosts of “Sunday Brunch” on KOCI, helped me feel comfortable in this game of verbal tennis, tossing ideas back and forth — and I even slammed a few to score points. It felt good to return to the podium. It felt even better to share some important news about Pedego electric bikes. I’m so glad I grabbed the throttle and leaned into the turn. What a ride!

See you on the bike path …