Southbourne Literary Society

Last Wednesday, 21 November, I delivered my new presentation, 'I Must Write That Down: A Commonplace Book', for around 35 members of Southbourne Literary Society here in Bournemouth.

This was my seventh appearance there so I know the drill pretty well! They have two talks, slide presentations or musical entertainments at each of their monthly meetings, the first starting at just after 7.30pm and lasting for nearly an hour.

As this was a new presentation for me, it might be useful if I explain how I prepared my material to fit the allotted time.

My talk was all about commonplace books, i.e. what they are, how they originated, examples of famous commonplacers through the centuries and how many of today's blogs continue their tradition but the lion's share of the material consisted of quotations, readings and anecdotes from my own commonplace book (if you are don't know what a commonplace book is, see my previous post. As I have said, they are a fantastic resource for speakers). These anecdotes and quotations included a few that I had used elsewhere in other  talks but I would estimate that I was delivering about 80% of this material for the first time.

Presentations usually take longer to deliver 'on the day' but timing the material in rehearsal will give you a fair idea of how long it will take to put across and whether you need to add to it or make cuts. I use a stopwatch for this (as I have done since preparing for my very first speaking engagement nearly 12 years ago).

Public Speaking Tip #79: A stopwatch is an inexpensive but invaluable aid to speech preparation.

I timed the individual segments of the talk as I compiled my notes. The anecdotes I knew very well but the readings needed to be set out in large clear print. Although the talk was mainly about my own commonplace book, I could hardly mark and flick through all the pages of a small notebook so the passages I was using from it needed to be transferred to separate, legible pages. I did, however, decide that one last reading should actually be from a page of my commonplace book so the audience could see what it looked like.

My rehearsal was not only to time the readings but also to prepare for any awkward pronunciations, etc. and familiarise myself with the material so that I could look up and make eye contact with my audience as so much of this talk consisted of reading. Repeated rehearsal of written texts also helps a speaker to add some life to their delivery.

Public Speaking Tip #80: If you are reading as part of your presentation, copy the content using large clear print or writing rather than attempting to read it from its original source.

Familiarise yourself with the material so you can research any difficult pronunciation and prepare for (or even rewrite) any 'tongue-twisters', etc.

Getting to know the content also allows you to look up and maintain a connection with your audience through regular eye contact rather than being buried in your notes the whole time.

The more you practise readings, the easier it becomes to put some life into the words.

I made bullet-point notes for the narrative parts of my talk and inserted the readings (each on their own separate pages) in between. I took along examples of a few commonplace books compiled by famous figures to hold up for the audience to see - a small visual element to an otherwise auditory presentation.

Southbourne Literary Society thoughtfully provide a small lectern for their guest speakers. Now, I know there are some speakers who don't approve of these - they feel that lecterns form barriers between themselves and their audiences - but for a talk involving readings from a substantial body of notes, they are an ideal resting place for these, thus leaving the speaker's hands free for expressive gestures or holding props. New speakers who aren't sure what to do with their hands can hold the sides of the lectern (just don't do it so tightly that the audience see your white knuckles!)

Public Speaking Tip #81: A lectern is a very useful aid for a speaker with notes and props. Any potential barrier between yourself and your audience can be broken down by regular eye contact and tailored material.

Southbourne Lit Soc is always a special booking for me because this is where I delivered my first-ever talk (on 17 January 1996). I often took students from my adult education classes along on 'field trips' to hear other speakers there and I have visited myself when I am not busy speaking somewhere else. It's pleasing that this organisation is still going strong after 62 years and even more remarkable that their Honorary Secretary, Mr Tom Hall, has been with them for all that time (although he looks much younger!)

I wanted to close with a saying which summed up how I felt about this organisation and I found a very apt and touching Dutch proverb but I'm not going to tell you what it was; you must find your own quotations and then store them in your commonplace book ready for use in future speaking engagements.

My presentation lasted just under 55 minutes, which left time for the odd question and gave the speaker after me, who was using slides, time to set up ready for his 8.45 start. I made the odd verbal slip but nothing too disastrous (the material will be further honed with future bookings), the humorous parts got good laughs (they're an excellent audience for subtle comedy at this Society) and I wasn't even fazed by having the retired Deputy Headmaster of my old school (whose specialist subjects were English and History!) sitting in the front row!

I am pleased that it went well because I already have several other bookings for this title.The beauty of this presentation is that the content can so easily be changed for different audiences and there is also plenty of scope for a 'Part 2'...and maybe even beyond!

Public Speaking Tip #82: You should give your audience the best possible material for the allotted time slot but bear in mind that, over time, you could add enough additional material, either through ongoing research or new developments surrounding your topic, for you to be able to return and speak about the same subject without repeating your original presentation.

Following on from this, I was really touched when their Press Secretary, Mrs Ros Hall, presented me with a book of anecdotes about New York theatres and their nearby restaurants, a super gift which I know will also contain material which I can add to my Algonquin Round Table talk.