Yateley & District U3A, Berkshire

I spoke at a Monthly Meeting of Yateley and District U3A at the Sandhurst Community Hall on 4 August, my second booking for them,

I arrived at Bournemouth station in good time, got on the train and waited for its scheduled departure at 08.45. And waited. And waited... This happens so often but delays on the roads in my area can be even worse (accidents and road works on the A338 can leave motorists stuck there for up to several hours).

There was no way that I was going to make the connection at Basingstoke in time to be picked up from Fleet station at the arranged time so I rang my contact from the U3A and kept him informed as I made my way there. He waited for me very patiently and we reached the venue around 45 minutes later than planned.

Public Speaking Tip #347: If you experience unexpected, serious delays in getting to an engagement (and it can happen to any speaker) you may well feel tempted to cancel and turn back but, in most cases, you should continue with your journey. People are expecting you and are unlikely to be able to organise a stand-in at such notice. The time slot for your presentation may be rearranged or you could still have time to deliver a shorter speech.

After their business meeting, the U3A moved their raffle (usually held after the guest speaker has finished) to an earlier time. I did not have to cut my talk on Patrick Campbell short but I hated being late. About 150 attend these meetings and the last time I had spoken to them I had not only enjoyed a fantastic response but also excellent booklet sales and other speaking work on recommendations from them.

I began by saying that I had two words for them: 'I'm sorry'. 'Not good enough!' a lady shouted, jokingly. 'OK, then, here are two more: Virgin Trains'. That seemed to do all the explaining I needed and the talk got a great reception from this sharp audience who picked up on every nuance.

And special thanks must go that ever-patient Committee member for the lifts from Fleet and back.