Kington Magna WI

After updating this blog last Thursday, I set off for a talk in North Dorset. The Wilts and Dorset X3 service was being driven so slowly up the Spur Road from Bournemouth that I began to wonder whether I'd reach my destination by the following day, let alone that one, but at Ringwood our driver seemed to transmogrify into a Lewis Hamilton wannabe who took sharp bends on country lanes at what felt like quite alarming speeds for a double decker. Nothing seemed to be happening quickly in Salisbury, where I walked out of the bank without transacting any business after wasting several minutes in a seemingly stationary queue and then had to wait ages to buy a ticket at the station where only one of the three ticket windows was open and that was busy with a passenger's long and complicated enquiry. But none of these factors were allowed to affect my forthcoming talk.

Public Speaking Tip #49: A professional should not let personal frustrations or difficulties affect the quality of their speaking performance. Believe it or not, public speaking can actually offer an escape from the stresses of everyday life!

It was also fortunate that I knew I had caught the correct train because the guard kept dropping his voice on 'Gillingham' as he announced our list of stops; he could benefit from some lessons in voice projection!

Public Speaking Tip #50: Experience in public speaking means that you soon become aware of the shortcomings of other speakers of all kinds and can resolve to avoid these pitfalls!

I was met at Gillingham by the husband of the Treasurer of the WI at Kington Magna, a delightfully unspoilt village which I would probably never have visited if I wasn't a public speaker. Its church, which is part-Norman, has a medieval fishpond, while the houses date back as far as the 1600s. Kington Magna has no school, pub or shop but it does have a village hall and a Women's Institute, despite having a population of less than 400 (I have known of WIs in much more densely-populated areas which drew smaller numbers and were eventually forced to merge or close down).

There were 15 members in attendance but, as I told them at the end of my talk, their laughter sounded like a much bigger crowd - they gave me a great response!

Public Speaking Tip #51: Audiences deserve the same quality of presentation, whatever their size. You may be accustomed to addressing large numbers but small groups can be surprisingly rewarding to speak to.