Christopher Chin's Blog

There were several reasons why I said “no” to writing a book for years. The number one reason: I didn’t think a book was the best way to teach business communication.

I became an executive coach, ran a public speaking community, and made over 200 videos for my YouTube channel because I believed face-to-face interaction was the best medium. But my closest supporters encouraged me to reconsider. Because of my background in visualization, they felt I had the ability to create a truly unique reading experience.

So I began writing in earnest, designed nearly 1000 illustrations, and searched for an expert to help me lay them out professionally. In this blog, I break down how I completed the interior design for my book, Noteworthy: How to Sound Like a Leader People Remember.

Step #1: Consultation

At first, every expert I reached out to said my book would require an astronomical amount of money to organize into a publish-ready format. My use of in-depth examples, in-section exercises, and visual diagrams, made this quite different from a conventional book. But one expert changed the game. From our first consultation, Alan Barnett suggested ways to not only reduce the labor required but also significantly elevate the book’s look and feel.

For example, my original vision for the book had images on every page. Images were placed underneath each relevant sentence to let the reader immediately see what I was referring to. Thanks to Alan, I placed images on the side instead, like figures in a textbook. This had two major benefits:
- It let me refer to the same “figure” multiple times, reducing the number of images I needed from nearly 1000 to under 300.
- With fewer images and overall pages to print, it made the book much more affordable.

Step #2: Sample

Alan then prepared a sample of how the examples, exercises, and diagrams could look with his professional formatting and typesetting. The first time I opened the proof, I remember thinking: “I can’t believe how beautiful this looks. I’m going to be a real author!”

Soon after, Alan and I met to discuss the sample and a few things I wanted to adjust:
- Small updates like tweaking the font.
- Medium-sized updates like changing the design of the interactive exercises.
- Larger updates like shifting the color palette. To make the book eye-catching end-to-end we decided on two primary colors that would signal the beginning of each chapter and section, as well as a few accent colors to let the text pop and give the book a cohesive visual identity.

Step #3: Full Proof

Lastly, with the proof of the entire book completed, I had the opportunity to see it exactly like my future readers would. I noted how every chapter and section flowed:

- Where things dragged…
- Where there were too many examples or too many images…

I cut nearly 100 pages out to optimize. It was painful because I had spent so much time crafting those parts with love and care. But I followed the fundamental principle I teach in the book itself: communication is not for me and to make myself feel better. It’s for my audience to help them see my message.

When my designer sent the final proof, I felt an enormous amount of gratitude. I had found the perfect people to edit and now professionally format the entire book – people who were not only generous and highly creative, but incredibly knowledgeable about the publishing industry and what made a book great.

What’s the next step? Designing perhaps the most important part – the book’s cover! Stay tuned for more updates 🙂

Hiring the right coach is a pivotal decision. With the right person, your learning accelerates in a transformative way. With the wrong person, you can be set back. I’ve had clients tell me they worked with other public speaking coaches in the past but it wasn’t the right fit, leading to a wasted investment.

I therefore wanted to be careful finding the right editor. I wanted someone who shared my values:

- Responsive and communicative
- Experienced and detail-oriented
- Not just looking to make another transaction, but go the extra mile to identify my goals and exceed them

The editor I chose, Sarah Busby, made an effort to get to know me from the beginning: she checked out my website and YouTube channel, and gave me advice about the overall publishing process. In her edits, she went above and beyond to understand the unique approach I was taking with the book (making it interactive and hands-on, rather than pure text), and give meticulous comments explaining all her recommendations.

These were the biggest edits she helped make to my book, Noteworthy: How to Sound Like a Leader People Remember.

Edit #1: Sentences

I’m not good with sticking to grammar or punctuation standards. I used colons excessively, hyphens incorrectly…my editor cleaned up my prose and gave it extra polish.

Here’s an original quote from my book:

"I realized: speaking is not writing. It is not the robotic recitation of a pre-planned, perfectly edited product. Speaking is the animate improvisation of our thinking to the living, breathing needs of the moment."

Here’s the revision my editor made:

"I realized: speaking is not writing. It is not the robotic recitation of a pre-planned, perfectly edited product. Speaking brings our thoughts to life through improvisation; it’s how to respond, spontaneously, to the living, breathing needs of the moment."

Here’s another original quote:

"Based on last section, you now understand the way conversation should flow. It should not be you dismissing, deflecting, or outright denying someone else’s point of view. It should be you meeting them where they are and aligning with their way of thinking (with the other person doing the same if you’re incredibly lucky)."

And here’s the revision my editor made:

"Based on the last section, you now understand the way conversation should flow. It should not be you dismissing, deflecting, or outright denying someone else’s point of view. It should be you meeting them where they are and aligning with their way of thinking (and, if you’re lucky, the other person should do the same)."

With a few tweaks, she better and more clearly captured the essence of my ideas.

Edit #2: Sections

After spending so much time with my material, I also became too close to it. My editor helped pinpoint spots where my logic wasn’t clear.

For example, I originally had a section on goal-setting, where I talk about the importance of setting specific, objective goals for your communication. In other words, you want your goals to be specific (and ideally quantitative) so you can measure your progress, and you want them to be an objective, consistent standard. My editor helped me see the word “objective” was a little confusing. (Goals aren’t really “objective” since each person sets them for themselves!)

We decided to go with the word phrase “specific, realistic goals” instead, which felt better aligned with my intent. Changes, additions, and subtractions like that throughout the book ensured the reader understood the material just as well as me.

Edit #3: Structure

My formatting in the book got a bit complicated. I wanted to include plenty of examples of effective vs ineffective conversations, effective vs ineffective stories…As a teacher, I’ve found my clients benefit most when they can see what to do vs what not to do (rather than just being fed theory).

Unfortunately, that led to special formatting for quotes, hand gestures, tone of voice, keywords, and much more. My editor helped preserve the essential parts, and cut down on the excess.

She also helped me realize I had overlooked an entire portion of my book! I had written titles for each of the 9 chapters, but neglected to include titles for the 3 sections in each chapter. By adding in those section titles, it helped make it immediately clear to the reader what milestones they would pass and what benefits they would gain along the way.

I am so grateful to have worked with someone who pushed my ideas to their fullest potential and am very proud of the book in its final, written form.

What’s the next step? Illustrating and formatting – this is going to be a visual book with plenty of beautiful diagrams and illustrations! Stay tuned for more updates 🙂

A book is like a child. At the beginning of a child’s life, you give everything. Every detail of their everyday is crafted with the utmost care so they’re as happy and comfortable as possible.

In the same way, I spent weeks outlining every single chapter, section, and sub-section of my book on the music behind effective business communication, Noteworthy: How to Sound Like a Leader People Remember. Crafting every piece with the utmost care, so they connected to each other in a logical way, and felt part of a larger whole. I spent sleepless nights then filling in the words until, after months of toil, my vision finally came together!

BUT as we all know, a child eventually grows up. And a book … eventually takes on a life of its own.

When I started to re-read my manuscript from the beginning, I realized how many gaps there were! These were the most egregious ones:

Gap #1: The Introduction

I put so much pressure on myself to get the introduction right – because if I didn’t, who would want to read the rest?

My original introduction jumped straight into my story as a shy kid who was terrified of talking to anyone, and the teacher who changed my life forever. But upon re-read I realized: Who cares?

I don’t mean anything to the reader at this point, so my struggles aren’t relevant. I decided to revamp the introduction to highlight struggles the reader likely feels: not being heard in a noisy world, feeling like they’re speaking but not having impact – all the reasons they opened the book in the first place.

Then I end the introduction by showing how I close that gap: I don’t just teach communication technique. I teach how to think – critically and holistically so we intuitively understand what good communication is, and how to effortlessly deliver it.

Gap #2: My Section on Communicating Data

My book is about effective communication for business leaders in any industry, technical and non-technical. I wanted to include a section on communicating data, since data has become a fundamental part of modern decision-making, but I really struggled with where to put it.

After a lot of trial and error, I decided to add it to my section on slide design. My reasoning: when presenting, we need data to show sources other than ourselves are making a claim, and to make our assertions more clear and precise.

- If I say something is “better”, for example, how much better? I need data.
- If I say something is a “premium” market, what exactly does that mean? I need data.

Numbers facilitate comparison, letting us evaluate current progress vs future goals, so we can make specific, well-informed decisions.

Gap #3: My Section on Delivering Presentations

Because I spent so much time teaching this material for years, I’d forgotten what was common knowledge. I unintentionally skipped over certain steps throughout the book because I assumed they were known.

For example, in my chapter on presentation I realized I forgot to discuss:

- Why you should take the time to know your audience
- How to understand an audience’s needs if you can’t speak with them directly
- How to customize a presentation for different audiences
- How to speak to mixed audiences (containing people with a variety of goals and challenges)

I had to completely revise the chapter to add in the new material, and make sure it seamlessly connected to the rest.

Ultimately, I am grateful for this writing experience. By forcing me to account for every gap in my knowledge, I became a better speaker, teacher, and trainer – because my understanding of the material became that much deeper.

What’s the next phase of book writing? Doing even more revisions and then … hiring a professional editor. More updates to come!

In 2023, I started my first business, teaching communication skills. In 2024, I gave my first TEDx talk.

In 2025, I started planning my first book and in 2026, I promised I’d finally write it.

In this blog series, I break down the surreal journey I took to fulfilling my most precious childhood dream, and becoming a first-time author.

This is Episode 1.

I knew for a long time what I wanted my book to be about: thinking quickly, speaking clearly, and presenting with confidence. Starting with those pillars, I fleshed out a full outline...

Act 1: Faster Thinking
- Chapter 1: How to Manage Nerves
- Chapter 2: How to Think on the Spot
- Chapter 3: How to Speak Concisely

Act 2: Clearer Speaking
- Chapter 4: How to Listen and Persuade
- Chapter 5: How to Tell a Great Story
- Chapter 6: How to Enhance Your Voice and Body Language

Act 3: Powerful Presentations
- Chapter 7: How to Design Clear Slides
- Chapter 8: How to Craft a Compelling Talk
- Chapter 9: How to Be an Unforgettable Presenter

I then jumped straight into writing Chapter 1, but realized three big challenges stood in the way…

Challenge #1: How do I distinguish this from every other communication book out there?

The Internet, after all, is replete with advice on public speaking. I had to make this book different.

- Maybe I’d leverage my multidisciplinary background in data and music composition…
- Maybe I’d lean on the unique methodology I’d perfected over the years to teach private and corporate clients…

I decided to go with both: make this book a creative AND analytical approach to communication – a complete system from mind to mic, on the stage and off the cuff for speaking like a leader.

Challenge #2: How should I structure each chapter?

I wanted the book to be fundamentally based in neuroscience and psychology. But I also didn’t want it to be a giant research paper.

“Hmm”, I thought, “what about storytelling? Stories are one of the most memorable and engaging devices we have for learning”

Ok … But HOW to mix research and story together?

- Should I insert random personal stories in the middle of a research deep-dive…
- Or should I make the whole chapter one big story, and insert trivia facts here and there…

Ultimately I decided to make the book centered on research, with hand-on, story-based examples to demonstrate the major principles.

Challenge #3: What should my writing style be like?

This was the biggest challenge. Because even though I’d been writing on my blog and social media for years, writing a full-length book felt different.

I was wrestling with being super serious and professional, or being super humorous and light-hearted. I re-wrote my first chapter at least five times because the tone just never felt right.

Then I realized … I have to take the advice I give my public speaking clients: don’t try to be another person when you’re on stage. Speak naturally and that’s how you best connect with your audience.

Instead of trying to sound like an “expert” author or “entertaining” writer, I just needed to write like I speak.

That epiphany let everything begin to flow, and I finally put the finishing touches on Chapter 1 of Noteworthy: How to Sound Like a Leader People Remember

The book is still a looong ways to go, but I’m very happy with progress. More updates to come!