All Saints Church Mudeford Women's Fellowship

On 4 March I spoke for the third time to the Women's Fellowship at All Saints Church in Mudeford, just outside Christchurch. There were 26 there (including one gentleman who helps out with transport for their members) and I delivered my new-ish talk I Must Write That Down! (A Commonplace Book) which went well with this friendly bunch.

The last time I had spoken there, I noticed later on that they had slightly overpaid me (£5 over the amount we had agreed). They were appreciative of the fact that I had pointed this out to them and we adjusted my fee this time to allow for this. Clubs and societies mainly derive their income from subscriptions, raffles, etc, and, as new members are not always easy to attract, every penny counts. I always stick to the fees and expenses that I have quoted.

Years ago, a speaker told me that he had just passed an audition for inclusion in a county's WI Speakers List and had submitted details of his fee and petrol costs, charged at so much per mile. He wondered if would be able to get two talks per day in the same town, say afternoon and evening, and then charge the full mileage to both Institutes - even though he would be in the area anyway!

I doubt if he was ever able to pull this off, firstly because bookings rarely fall so conveniently close together in distant towns and secondly, organisations know - and publicise - when they meet and what speakers have been booked; a stunt like that would soon have led to him being struck off their list!

Public Speaking Tip #168: When it comes to fees and expenses, deal honestly with organisations who book you. You may well be found out and harm your reputation if you don't!

Tuesday Link, St George's Methodist Church, Boscombe

I had a second talk at a church that day, this time speaking on My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer for the Tuesday Link Club, who meet fortnightly at St George's Methodist Church in Boscombe (a group very near my home which, nevertheless, I hadn't heard of until they booked me).

There were about 30 there and I was really able to personalise this one by mentioning that the last time I had been in that building was in 1973 when I was a (lip-synching!) member of the Bournemouth School Choir (the rehearsals for this performance feature in one of the anecdotes in my booklet Nick R's in a Twist!) and also when I talked about teaching public speaking, I was able to bring in the fact that I taught adult education classes for seven years at the Bournemouth Centre for Community Arts which is just across the road from them (or will be until its planned demolition). There were also a number of other Bournemouth references along the way and the two long-standing anecdotes which mention the fact that I am a lifelong teetotaller also had particular relevance for a Methodist audience. All told, it was pretty effortless tailoring of material!

Public Speaking Tip #169: Sometimes tailoring speech content involves no extra writing at all, just recognising the opportunities to highlight certain points in your existing material.

Before my (hour-long) talk started, a gentleman apologised for the fact that he would have to leave after thirty minutes, along with a couple of others, because they had music practice.

This often happens; people have other commitments but want to hear as much of a speaker's presentation as possible before they have to leave. They usually slip out with the minimum of disruption. If they are at the back of the room, I just carry on speaking but if they are nearer the front, and therefore a little more noticeable to everyone, then I may give them a smile or nod or even say goodbye in a friendly way, just so my audience knows that I am aware of why they are leaving!

Public Speaking Tip #170: People seldom slip out early  during a presentation because they don't like the speaker but for a variety of other reasons, such as family commitments, transport arrangements and, very importantly, getting the refreshments ready for when the speaker finishes! Do not let this put you off and do not make these audience members feel self-conscious.