Cranborne Women's Institute

23 September saw me giving an evening talk on My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer for Cranborne Women's Institute in North Dorset. This was a small audience - just 13 - but much more responsive than another tiny crowd I wrote about previously!

I am always looking for local references to include, wherever I speak, and for this, my first-ever talk in this village, I mentioned that when I was writing for BBC Radio 2's News Huddlines, a familiar face at the end-of-series parties was the character actor Jonathan Cecil whose aristocratic family have connections with Cranborne going back over many centuries (in fact the meeting was being held in the Michael and Richard Cecil Memorial Hall, a very pleasant venue.

Public Speaking Tip #251: if you think about it for long enough, you should be able to come up with some reference that links you to the place or organisation where you are speaking. It doesn't have to be some great long story or even terribly recent - just something to add that little touch of personalisation amongst your other material.

My thanks to their Chairman and Speaker Secretary Mary for running me in from Wimborne Minster and back. Since then, this WI have celebrated their 89th anniversary!

Solent U3A

I spent part of my birthday on a speaking engagement. No hardship - there are few things I would rather be doing! This was a return visit to Solent U3A in Titchfield in Hampshire. The audience of 80 was very sharp and picked up on the subtler references in my Algonquin Round Table talk. The interesting thing is that there were so many present; the last time I spoke to this group in April 2006 there were about half that number but their membership has increased so rapidly that they have had to move to a bigger venue,

So many of the organisations I speak to are struggling to keep going and sadly a number do have to close, usually because they can't attract enough new, younger members or no-one wants to take over a committee position when someone finally stands down after many years. But there are some organisations which seem to be booming and this certainly is the case with the University of the Third Age. There are also a large number of Probus clubs with waiting lists with the result that new ones are constantly forming.

Public Speaking Tip #252: If you are a speaker for clubs and societies, you should be able to identify a market among certain organisations which are constantly growing in popularity - whatever the trend where others are concerned.

The recent improvements to my Algonquin talk have now made such a difference that I wonder how I ever managed without them. My thanks to their very well-travelled Speaker Co-ordinator Valerie for the lift from Swanwick station and back.

I was home in Bournemouth in time for Val to treat me to a super birthday meal at my favourite Bournemouth restaurant, the Himalay Brasserie, which I first heard about when it was recommended to me by someone I met at a talk years ago!

Downton Good Companions

My last booking in September was on the afternoon of the 30th for the Good Companions Club in Downton, Wiltshire. There were about 25 there to hear My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer and, as with all my bookings in this village, I was very pleased with the response. I also ran out of copies of Nick R's in a Twist! to sell.

Public Speaking Tip #253: If you run out of merchandise at a speaking engagement then look on the bright side - you should have some customers for that item the next time they book you! Of course, in order to get re-booked, you need to a) deliver a good presentation and b) add further titles!

I enjoyed chatting to the members of this friendly club afterwards and, as always when I speak in this area, I took the opportunity to head into Salisbury after the meeting. It was a good way to round off a pretty busy month for speaking - but then September usually is!