RIP Geoffrey Smith

The gardening broadcaster and writer Geoffrey Smith passed away recently. Readers of my Radio Magazine column and my other blog Freelance Comedy Writer may know that I was a great fan of Mr Smith's use of humour: dry wit delivered with perfect timing in a broad, Yorkshire accent.

He proved that there are few subjects which cannot be rendered more interesting by an injection of humour from a speaker. Back in 1987, I heard a BBC Radio 4 documentary which featured a public speaker whose subject was flower arranging. They played a clip where he was talking to a large audience about aesthetics and how even a simple dish like baked beans on toast could be made to look inviting if it was presented in a certain way with perhaps a sprig of parsley on top instead of just tipping the beans out of the saucepan onto the plate 'Like this...' (He then made a disgusting, squelching sound). The crowd roared with laughter and the narrator stated that this speaker was booked up solidly two years in advance.

I sometimes wonder if this documentary planted the seed, so to speak, of an ambition to speak to clubs and societies nearly a decade later, albeit about rather different subject matter.

Public Speaking Tip #293: Think how you can add appropriate, naturally-introduced humour to the subject of your presentation, whether in the form of a short anecdote, observation or quotation, just as the late Geoffrey Smith did. It's a garnish that can only make you more effective and memorable as a public speaker.