Bournemouth 2 Probus

22 May found me speaking - once again - to Bournemouth 2 Probus, this time about The One, the Only...Groucho Marx!

They last booked me in October 2005 and I had forgotten just what great fun their business meetings are (unlike some other organisations!)  A succession of committee members, all of them very good public speakers, gave reports, made announcements, etc, and the humour was really flowing. It set the mood wonderfully for my own talk.

Public Speaking Tip #220: A humorous business meeting before your own presentation can act as an excellent 'warm-up' act for you.

At one point, a gentleman held up an envelope which had been sent to him in the post with nothing inside. When I mentioned in my talk about how the supposedly mute Harpo Marx used to send people telegrams which said 'No message. Harpo', I was able to get a laugh by inserting 'Perhaps it was him who sent that envelope!' (The fact that he died in 1964 didn't stop the gag working - it was a good example of a tailored, impromptu addition. And besides, our postal service can sometimes be very slow!)

The talk went down extremely well with the 51 members present, the odd Marxian one-liner even drawing applause. The only problem I had was that I had to move to a different, dimly-lit position which made it harder to see my notes. The reason? Water was leaking through the ceiling from one of the first floor rooms at the hotel!

As always, I really enjoyed the lunch with the members after my talk and I must thank the gentleman who gave me a lift into Christchurch afterwards.

This super club is already making plans for their 20th anniversary celebrations in 2011! Long may they continue to meet - but preferably in non-leaky venues!