The London Book Fair

An event which was going on at the same time that I was speaking in Hereford and Kent was the annual London Book Fair. I attended this trade show in 2004 with the intention of joining a screenwriting workshop but actually spent the day attending a number of other events and presentations. I think I may have gained more in the long term and the freebies, such as books, helped to offset some of the expense of travelling there!

Public Speaking Tip #207: Trade fairs/shows/exhibitions can be a very good opportunity to hear a wide variety of speakers.

I went to a fun quiz called Have I Got Publishing News For You?, based on the popular UK topical comedy show but featuring a panel of (apparently) big names from the book world and with an audience which included the Children's Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson. I can't claim to have understood too many of the in-jokes but the event was very slickly chaired by a PR man from the publishing world.

I also observed a very energetic (but extremely scripted-sounding) double-handed presentation by Bill Lucas and Guy Claxton, authors of books about creativity.

But there was one other presentation which I really want to mention because I think it raises an interesting question.

I noticed that there was to be a talk by one of the UK's top celebrity therapists and motivational speakers who was promoting his latest book and I was delighted to have the opportunity to hear such a high-profile personality. I sat in the venue and the organisers announced that the speaker had been delayed because his wife (with whom he was billed to be co-presenting) was ill. He would now be delivering the presentation solo but he was definitely on his way, in fact he was now in the venue (the massive Olympia exhibition centre), he was making his way up to the hall as quickly as he could, he was nearly here...

The speaker strode quickly into the venue and started his presentation practically before he reached the front of the room. After apologising for being late and the absence of his wife, he launched into an hour's worth of fascinating and inspiring material. He didn't use any notes and he fitted the time slot perfectly. He told how he had been bullied at school, had reached rock bottom as an adult as a hopeless and homeless alcoholic, how he had eventually obtained a menial job in a kitchen and how winning a small prize in a competition had given him the impetus to gain qualifications and eventually become a therapist who had helped many others, including world famous stars, to conquer their own addictions.

The audience from the publishing world had seemed rather cold, perhaps even cynical (despite the millions which the self-help genre brings their industry every year!) but, judging from the applause afterwards, he won them over. It was an impressive performance.

So how does this raise a question?

Well, the speaker's name was Beechy Colclough. Two years after I heard him deliver this presentation, he was struck off the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy register for seducing vulnerable female clients. According to press reports, this had been going on for years before and after the time of this talk.

So, not such an inspirational figure after all. Nevertheless, I saw a remarkable public speaking performance that day and I am left wondering whether we can still learn something from great speakers who turn out to have feet of clay.

I'm not talking about the obvious, evil extremes of communist or fascist dictators here but rather those once-respected public figures who are great at communicating but not so brilliant at managing their own ethics.

Jeffrey Archer may never have any real influence in politics again but, nevertheless, remains a charismatic and entertaining interviewee (even if I do find myself taking some of what he says with more than a pinch of salt!) He is also still in demand for his legendary abilities as a charity auctioneer.

Another Conservative peer who wrongly accused a newspaper of libel (but, unlike Archer, never paid the price for this) was Lord Boothby. Bob Boothby was a brilliant speaker and was featured in Gerald Mcknight's fascinating 1962 collection of interviews, The Compleat After Dinner Speaker. His first-hand account of the Parliamentary debate which brought about the fall of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1940 was an absolutely riveting part of the World at War documentary series.

Public Speaking Tip #208: I believe that we can take something from the communication skills of at least some great public speakers who fall from grace. We do not have to copy the way they live their lives - just their technical abilities.

Or am I wrong? Has their credibility been compromised so much that that their speaking talent is irrelevant? What do you think?