Kent Active Retirement Fellowship, Rochester

As I have mentioned before, it's always a pleasure speaking in Kent because of the great audience response and on 13 October I gave an afternoon talk about The Power of Humour in Everyday Life for around 85 members the Rochester branch of the Kent Active Retirement Fellowship who meet in a church hall high on a hill overlooking the Medway.

I was offered an interesting combination of equipment for the talk: a mic on a stand which slotted neatly into the base of the lectern. The club's sound man was worried that the mic would cut out if I wasn't permanently close to it but it worked perfectly throughout. The talk went really well and I sold  a fair few booklets!

Public Speaking Tip #257: Even temperamental equipment can sometimes function properly so unless you know that a microphone, for example, will definitely play up, you have to try it out - you may be pleasantly surprised.

This was a very good club to speak to. My thanks and good wishes to Mr Seaman who gave me a lift in from the station and back into the city. I spent some time looking around Rochester which has a magnificent Cathedral and castle.