Barton on Sea Probus

On 22 April, I had my fourth booking for Barton on Sea Probus in Hampshire. The previous three were mixed events held at Shorefield but this was a men-only meeting at Hoburne Naish.

My subject this time was The One, the Only...Groucho!, a talk I had not delivered for several months, and I had been itching to include a new reference.

There is a commercial on television in the UK which few viewers can have missed seeing! It warns about identity theft and features a man trying on a jacket in an outfitter's. When he looks in the mirror, he sees not his own reflection but that of a younger con-man who has stolen his ID. He goes through a series of movements which the wide boy imitates, moves which are taken directly from the famous 'mirror scene' in the Marx Brothers' classic 1933 movie Duck Soup (although this routine had also been previously used by Charlie Chaplin and has also been a staple of the best traditional British pantomimes for decades).

I mentioned this in the section towards the end of this presentation where I discuss the Marx Brothers' legacy.

Adverts quickly become irritating but their repetition does mean that they are recognisable to an audience.

Public Speaking Tip #311: Is there some recent reference from current affairs, popular culture or advertising which you can use to illustrate a point in your presentation?

The men-only nature of the meeting meant that I was also able to include some of Groucho's more risque quotations!

There were 44 members attending and after the well-received talk, I chatted to members and then enjoyed lunch where our table was entertained by anecdotes from an amazingly sprightly nonegenarian!

My thanks to Barton Probus member and fellow speaker Don Chipchase for the lift back into Highcliffe.