Nick R Thomas - A Public Speaker's Blog

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Tuesday, March 31

Adding 'family value' to your speech

by Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) on Tue 31 Mar 2009 06:21 PM BST

Mudeford Wood Age Concern, Christchurch

It's funny how the bookings fall sometimes - you can find yourself speaking to a number of organisations in the same area within a very short space of time. On 11 March, I found myself back at Mudeford (and indeed at the Mudeford Wood Community Centre) yet again, this time for the Pop In Centre run by Age Concern.

This was a repeat booking for this group (I spoke to them for the first time in November 2005) and my topic for the 40-or-so members and helpers this time was The Power of Humour in Everyday Life.

This is very much a 'pick 'n' mix' talk where content is concerned. There are certain 'banker' anecdotes which go in every time but other items vary. For this particular audience, I decided to include a piece of original verse from my late mother's talks, 'Radio Remembered', which I thought they would appreciate. It drew a gratifying round of applause so I was right!

Public Speaking Tip #299: If you are delivering personal material, don't forget to draw upon your own family as a resource. They may have some great, original stories, etc, that will be perfect for your presentation and deserve a wider audience.

I spoke for around 55 minutes and it went well, including another airing for the new 'dangers of puns' anecdote I have 'running in' recently!

After the talk, I spent some time chatting to John and Ilse Cole who have done such a great job organising this much-needed club for many years. Then it was time to start thinking about my fourth booking that week - an engagement at a writers' circle in Surrey where I had never spoken before...

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Monday, March 30

Comic timing

by Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) on Mon 30 Mar 2009 11:14 AM BST

Lymington Lentune Townswomen's Guild

On March 10, I gave a talk for Lentune TG in Hampshire. They meet in the Phoenix Building, a small but light venue at the back of Lymington's Community Centre.

Some groups (like this one) put their guest speaker on before the business part of their meeting. Although this means there is no chance to tailor your material to something you have just heard in the announcements or reports, it does at least allow you to leave after the refreshments so you can spend some time in the town or village where the group is based!

Public Speaking Tip #298: The schedules of different branches of the same organisation may vary, for example, an afternoon talk might be at 14.00, 14.15, 14.30, 14.45, 15.00 or 15.15! Always study the details in the letter or email confirming the booking.

This is a small group (there were 17 ladies at the meeting) but My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer got a good response from them.

My thanks to speaker hostess Vera for helping me set up.

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The show went on - respectfully.

by Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) on Mon 30 Mar 2009 07:47 AM BST

UNITE, Christchurch

The second week of March was my busiest for speaking engagements for quite a while. The first booking was a return visit to UNITE, the former National Federation of Royal Mail and BT Pensioners, where I last spoke last August.

When I arrived at Hoburne Naish, I was greeted by their Secretary Laura who informed me that their Speaker Secretary, Mr Rex Button, had passed away at the weekend. I was very sorry to hear this as I always enjoyed speaking to him on the phone and he had been very helpful in looking up travel arrangements for me. I had noticed that I hadn't received his customary call a few days before the meeting just to confirm that I was still coming; now I knew why.

The topic he had booked me to speak on this time was The Power of Humour in Everyday Life and so I immediately asked Laura if she felt this was still appropriate, especially as many members would only hear the news about Mr Button during the business meeting before my presentation. She was most insistent that he would have wanted this talk to go ahead.

After the announcements, which included a minute's silence in Mr Button's memory, Laura introduced me and mentioned that I had been concerned about whether my talk was still suitable. The audience loudly concurred that it was.

This is important because last summer, a reader posted a comment on this blog questioning what would happen in the theoretical case of an audience being informed of someone's passing just before a humorous speaker was introduced. I think this real-life example proved that my answer to the comment was correct!

Public Speaking Tip #295: If a change of circumstances, such as a committee member's death, occur between your accepting a booking and the day of the event, you should ask whether your talk will still be appropriate. You will nearly always be told that it will bring welcome relief.

But...

Public Speaking Tip #296: If you are going ahead with a speech after a change of circumstances for your audience, you might want to review your material in case any item now seems in poor taste.

During the business meeting, I very quickly reviewed my material looking for any humour which might seem insensitive. There was one story which definitely had to go, an anecdote about the passing of a famous film star. It always gets a huge laugh but there was no way I could use it on this occasion. But what item of similar length could I replace it with during a talk which I would be delivering in just a few minutes' time?

During my presentation for Havant Writers a couple of weeks earlier, I had 'premiered' an anecdote about the dangers of using puns. Although originally intended as part of a 'how-to' for writers, I realised that this tale has an appeal to a wider audience and fits perfectly into my Power of Humour... talk.

Public Speaking Tip #297: Is there some material from one of your specialised presentations which has a broader appeal, perhaps for a humorous speech?

I spoke to the audience of around 60 for about 35 minutes, the new story got a great laugh and the talk was well-received, especially in view of the circumstances.

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