Bitterne CAMEO

On 11 June, I had a return booking for a morning talk to the ladies of CAMEO in Bitterne, Southampton, who I last spoke to in February last year. I arrived at the Methodist Church Hall in very good time and 45 members attended the meeting.

I had been asked to use a cordless microphone but when their Chairman was speaking, it starting making a popping sound, not the type you sometimes get on a letter 'p' but at regular ten-second intervals, whether anyone was speaking or not - so we dispensed with that one!

It was a very warm, sunny morning but the audience was most attentive and it was a good talk.

As always after bookings in Southampton, I found myself in the bookshops in the city centre. Both branches of The Works have now closed but I went in County Bookshops where they have a good range of biographies and took a look at the life story of Duncan Bannatyne from BBC's Dragon's Den. He mentions that before his broadcasting career started, he went to a voice coach because he had a strong Glaswegian accent and was dropping the ends off words. He doesn't do this now but he retains the accent.

Some of my public speaking students over the years have worried about having regional accents - some even seeming apologetic about them! In fact, an accent is a huge advantage for a speaker - ask any comedian! As long as your audience can understand you, they will find that it can add interest, impact and memorability to your message.

Public Speaking Tip #222: A regional accent is generally a positive feature for a speaker.