Brain Men

After my talk in Romsey, I caught the train for Southampton. I don't think I ever go there without visiting both branches of the remaindered bookshop chain The Works which are situated within a few hundred yards of each other in the city centre. I have often picked up books and recordings which are of use for my public speaking research and on this occasion I bought a copy of Marcus Berkmann's Brain Men for just £1.99. This is a humorous look at quizzes, from the pub variety to big-money TV game shows.

As a speaker, I have hosted three quizzes for Blah di Blah, Dorset's Festival of Words and Literature (these were linked to the BBC's RaW project) and co-hosted two others for the Bournemouth Literary Festival. I am currently putting together a new quiz where I will be the one devising the questions so I hope to pick up a few tips from this book as well as being entertained by Berkmann's writing (and not for the first time; in the late 80s he co-wrote Lenin of the Rovers, one of my favourite Radio 4 sitcoms).

Public Speaking Tip #37: Mastering public speaking can lead to numerous other activities besides delivering presentations, talks and speeches. Becoming a quizmaster is just one example. You could also take people on guided tours, earn money from giving in-store demonstrations, make the announcements at an event...it opens up a whole range of possibilities!

CAMEO in Basingstoke

My talk in Basingstoke that evening was for the local CAMEO group (it stands for Come And Meet Each Other, in case you were wondering!) and there were more than 40 ladies at the Richard Aldworth Science College where I spoke about 'The Power of Humour in Everyday Life'.

The talk was very well received but there was one thing I would like to mention. The group were meeting in a different room from usual and one of the metal legs of the table I had requested for my props, leaflets, booklets, etc., was bent at an angle of about 45 degrees! This led to a slight wobbling whenever I picked anything up or put it down but as this wasn't too distracting for myself or the audience I didn't ask for a replacement (in fact, if anything, it was a good example of unexpected humour in everyday life, the theme for my talk!) but I thought about the teachers or pupils who would also have to use it; wouldn't you think a school which, according to its Mission Statement, aims to 'promote a scientific, technological and vocational learning culture' would have found someone who could fix a wonky table leg?

Public Speaking Tip #38: There are often minor distractions which can be tolerated during your presentation but try to anticipate any major problems before you begin speaking and, where possible, take appropriate measures to alleviate them.

It was a long day and I was rather relieved that I hadn't slotted in that extra booking in Southampton for the afternoon as I had originally considered doing!