There are some bookings I really look forward to, for example, when it's a favourite type of event in an area where I know from previous experience that the audiences are very responsive and when I find myself being booked by an organiser who knows exactly what their own expectations are - and what the speaker's requirements will be - for the event.
This was the case when I was booked for the Kidlington and District Probus President's Night in Oxford last October: a Probus event with a good-sized (80 - 90), mixed audience in Oxfordshire and arranged by Mr Derek Watson who had read this blog and decided that the talk My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer would be the right fit for this function.
And because he booked me some 20 months in adavance I had a long time to look forward to it!
It was a Friday meeting and I travelled to Oxford by train and then took a taxi to the venue, the Oxford Centre. After the excellent dinner I was introduced and, once again, enjoyed a barnstormer in Oxford, one of those talks where I find myself wondering whether I will have to omit planned material because the laughter has gone on so long.
Speaking of which... I had spent much of the day preparing for this engagement with a rolling TV news channel on in the background and the unavoidable story, one which had been building all week but which came to its conclusion that day, was whether Wayne Rooney would stay with Manchester United. As I thought about my talk for Kidlington Probus that evening I considered introducing a line about how their President Derek would be staying with them despite so many other clubs showing considerable interest in signing him. I'm sure it would have got a laugh but I decided not to go with it. I had plenty of material to include already and I didn't want to overrun.
Public Speaking Tip #388: Sometimes there just isn't room for all of your planned content and a good response, for example, the duration of the laughter at humorous material, may be the reason. You are better off editing-as-you-go and sticking as close as possible to the time limit rather than going on too long and losing the audience and perhaps even causing problems with the scheduling of the remainder of the event.
Testimonial from Mr Watson:
"Thank you for a great evening's entertainment at my Probus President's Night at Oxford. I have received many congratulations from our members for having selected such an amusing and entertaining speaker who, without exception, left them all with a broad grin upon leaving! Well done! We all had a superb evening which, in no small part, you contributed to wonderfully. Many thanks indeed, your praises will be sung in this area for quite some time".
This was my second speaking engagement that week. Two days earlier I stepped in to cover a cancellation for Merley Evening Townswomen's Guild where I had previously spoken in June 2009. My topic was Patrick Campbell and once again they were a very good audience. My thanks once again to Mary for the transport back to Bournemouth.
