Nick R Thomas - A Public Speaker's Blog

Speaking at a Lymington Town Sailing Club Winter Talk

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:51:27 +0100

This picture was taken at the first of three speaking engagements in little over a year as part of Lymington Town Sailing Club's Winter Talks programme.

Speaker Secretary Neil Eccles and his wife Bron were wonderfully hospitable. And because Neil is a retired BBC TV producer, the technical aspects of my presentations, from sound to slides, were given expert attention.

He takes a good photo, too!

Public Speaking Tip #71: A speaking engagement can sometimes result in other useful promotional tools besides testimonial quotes, such as a decent photograph.

With Roy Hudd and my partner Val at the Pier Theatre, Bournemouth

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:51:55 +0100

The first comedy programme I can ever remember seeing as a child in the 1960s was the Illustrated Weekly Hudd.

I never imagined that 25 years later I would be one of Roy Hudd's scriptwriters but in 1990 I had my first one-liner broadcast on his flagship BBC Radio 2 topical comedy show, the News Huddlines. After a couple of series I was made a commissioned (ie retained) gag writer and a few weeks later a commissioned sketch writer too. Over the next 11 years, until the 'Hudds' finally came off the air at the end of 2001, many writers came and went but I always managed to keep my commissioned status. Altogether I had around 100 sketches, a few songs and about 250 one-liners broadcast in the 23 series I wrote for the show. Material was also used on 2 BBC spin-off audio cassettes, in a Huddlines book, on a BBC TV Pebble Mill feature (also repeated on BBC TV's South Today) and on Radio 3's Turns of the Century.

In 1995 I was asked to appear on a Meridian TV revival of the classic panel game What's My Line? Roy and his Huddlines colleague June Whitfield were resident panellists and the idea was to bring me out as a 'mystery contestant' and see if they could guess on the TV that I was one of their writers from the radio. The show still occasionally gets repeated (Challenge TV showed it 10 times in 2002 alone!) and Roy mentions it to this day.

I originally agreed to this TV appearance because it was an honour to be asked to go on the programme with Roy and June. I also thought the publicity might bring in a little bit of writing work. In fact, it ended up leading, in a round about way, to a speaking career which continues 12 years later!

Public Speaking Tip #72: Accepting a single invitation to speak in public could lead to a huge number of other, unforeseen opportunities, sometimes for many years afterwards.

The picture shows me and my partner Val with Roy after his excellent one-man show at Bournemouth Pier Theatre, Whitsun 2005 - exactly 10 years after that What's My Line? recording. The photo was taken by Debbie Flitcroft (Mrs Roy Hudd).

Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart recording a session for my 1995 documentary Well Above Average: The Continuing Story of 10cc

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:46:52 +0000

I attribute my interest in topical humour and wordplay to listening to the music of 10cc as a teenager. More than 20 years later, when I was writing for Radio 2 programmes, I proposed a the idea of a 60-minute documentary about founder members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. The BBC rejected this at first but then changed their minds and commissioned the programme at short notice but I still never imagined that I would actually get to spend an hour interviewing these heroes, let alone get to watch as they recorded special versions of songs, old and new, for the show - but that's exactly what happened.

The documentary covered Eric and Graham's musical careers over four decades so it was inevitable that I would have to ask them questions that would include some they would have answered hundreds of times over the years. Despite this and the fact they were in the middle of a gruelling promotional campaign (not to mention Eric having the 'flu), they gave cheerful, lively, fresh-sounding, self-contained answers.

But it wasn't until the following year, when I was booked for my first talks where I was required to answer questions afterwards, that I realised how much I had learned from having 10cc as my interviewees that day. Since then, I myself have been asked many of the same things over and over again, but I always try and answer all questions in the same patient and enthusiastic way in which Eric and Graham responded to mine.

Public Speaking Tip #73: Members of an audience can't always guess how often you are asked the same question, whether as part of the presentation or when you are chatting to people before you speak. Try to answer as if this is the first time you have ever been asked something - even if it's actually the 101st!

(Photo by David Graham-Baker)

With 10cc and BBC Radio 2 Senior Producer Sonia Beldom at the Maida Vale Studios

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:48:22 +0000

This picture shows a moment of intense concentration listening to the playback of the music at the recording of my 60-minute Radio 2 documentary, 'Well Above Average: The Continuing Story Of 10cc' at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in February 1995.

Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart of 10cc are at the back, the broadcast assistant Trudi is in the middle and the front row consists of award-winning producer Sonia Beldom, sound balancer Dave Dade and (still with some remaining hair in those days) yours truly in the corner.

The following morning, I turned up at Sonia's office and found her sending off thank you notes to Eric, Graham and the other 10cc member who had played on the session, Rick Fenn. She was also sending them each two packets of Radio 2 shortbread biscuits in padded envelopes!

I was puzzled. These guys have made fortunes from recording, songwriting, production, studio ownership and touring, not to mention non-musical activities, such as luxury property and classic car renovation - and here was my producer sending them each a couple of packets of biscuits which probably each had a retail value back then of 37p!

I pointed out that they could probably afford their own but Sonia had a simple explanation: 'People like it', she said. She went on to tell me how she had worked with another very famous and successful musician and had sent some to him as well. A year later, she had bumped into him again and the first thing he said was 'Hi, Sonia - thanks for the shortbread!' He remembered her gift, he remembered her and he remembered her name - despite the huge number of media people he deals with.

This made a big impression on me and I include it in my corporate presentation The Power of Humour in Business, pointing out that humour can be the equivalent of Sonia's shortbread!

Public Speaking Tip '74: What little touch will make your presentation or speech memorable a year later? A fascinating story or a profound quotation, perhaps? Or maybe a really funny but appropriate joke, observation or anecdote? People too often discuss a speaker for a long time afterwards - for all the wrong reasons. But sometimes it just needs that that little extra something to leave a positive, lasting impression.

Sonia moved into TV production (she was responsible for developing the recent, highly-acclaimed series 'Victoria's Empire' featuring Victoria Wood). She is also now (not surprisingly) a motivational speaker. Her website address is listed under my Favourites on this site.

(Photo by David Graham-Baker)

With the Right Worshipful Mayor of Hereford, Councillor Chris Chappell, and Herefordshire Federation of Women's Institutes Chairman, Mrs Angela Southwell

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:23:16 +0100