Speaking in Public

I'm going to summarize my speech on How To Give A Good Speech but first here's where I gave the speech and where I'll be speaking next. I won a ribbon at Harrovians Toastmasters on Monday 16th November 2009 for my five minute prepared talk on How To Give A Good Speech. It was my rehearsal for my talk to U3A.

I rehearsed again on Thursday at Harrow Writers' Circle but was delighted and impressed to hear that another author had spoken to 90 people and sold 40 books at her book-signing at a nearby College where she teaches. If you want to sell books, give a talk based on one book and make it clear that the purpose of the talk is to raise interest in the book.

In my talk to the writers, the example I gave about self-promotion is that you may be speaking to a gardening club about how to grow roses. You must make it clear to the audience and yourself whether your main purpose is to promote your business selling roses or entertain them with a talk simply as a goodwill gesture.

Focus on both I said in my speech to University of the Third Age 10 am to 11 am at Harrow Arts Centre. I had an enthusiastic, smiling audience of about 50 people. Afterwards I was approached by members of the audience to speak to Rotary and JACS.

My friend Brad Ashton, who has written a book on writing comedy, said I should always ask to be paid, £60 or £100. Other branches of U3A pay him. He spoke once for free at an old people's home and they asked him back and the second time he wanted to be paid. He told them, "You charge residents £1000 a week." (And pay all the staff). I expect to be paid."

They said, "But you spoke for free last time. We thought you were a volunteer."
One could say, "But now I need the money." (Is it wise to add, 'I also have medical and dental bills to pay'?)

ANGELA'S SPEECH ON SPEAKING IN PUBLIC
I told the audience I was the speaker.
(At Harrovians I told the audience about how I'd gone to a talk by Mrs Maxwell. I asked the nondescript woman beside me if the talk was going to be any good. She said she hoped so. When the introduction was made I discovered that I had been sitting talking to Mrs Maxwell. I think the speaker should be dressed conspicuously and everybody should know who the speaker is.)

I put on a witch's hat and said,

MEMORABLE
A speech should be memorable. So long as you aren't giving a funeral speech you can be funny and entertaining. You could even be amusing at a funeral speech if the deceased was a comedian or had made a lot of jokes when he was alive.

If you are small, a hat helps people to see you.

PROPS
You are remembered if you have props. People often tell me they remember my talk months later. They remember my puppets. I talk to my puppets. Like this one. He wants to whisper something to me. He says he's not a parrot; he's a toucan. Anything you can do, toucan do.

One marketing speaker used a ruler which she gave to members of the audience. She told the audience to measure. They remembered her presentation. I wasn't even there, but the image is so strong that I remember it.

INVOLVE THE AUDIENCE
Find out who is in the audience and what you have in common and what their interests or problems are.
Ask people why they came to the talk and what they need to know.
Please put your hand up if you've given a wedding speech - thanks - or are about to give one.
How many of you are giving technical talks for work?
Any other subjects - just general speeches on hobbies?

What is often done is that the speaker asks the audience to stand up, shake hands with each other, or speak to the person alongside. Why don't I do this!
Please stand up and shake hands with the person on your right and tell them, 'You're a good person!' (Laughter.)

SPEAK LOUDLY & CLEARLY
Ask people in the back row to wave if they can hear you. Can you hear me in the back row? Good.
You could bring along a helper who sits in the back row. They could wave if they can't hear. Or hold up a card. Or cup their ear.

If you have a beard you should speak slowly and pause between each word to help the listener. Some people in your audience may be lip-reading. The elderly, adults or children. And even people with normal hearing do a lot of lip-reading. We have noise from workman in Harrow Arts Centre. But I can get some words across with a mixture of lip movements and head movements and hand movements. Watch me saying no and yes without any sound. (NO. YES.) You could see when I was saying no and when I was saying yes, couldn't you.

(One lady in the audience says that her friend tells her, 'Keep your glasses on when I'm talking to you.' This has become a standing joke, which they say when they phone each other.)

MY BOOKS
I've written a book called Wedding Speeches & Toasts. You can buy it or get it from your library. It will tell you how to write a speech. When you want to practise your speech, I suggest you go to Toastmasters.

TOASTMASTERS
Toastmasters International is all over the world. It started in America in the 1920s when a man rehearsed a speech in front of a couple of friends. They met again, and other friends came along to listen and support. so they formed a club. Gradually they spread to other cities. Then to other English speaking countries. All over the world. I belong to two groups in Harrow. One meets on Mondays. The other meets on Thursdays. We'd love you to come along. Go on line to Toastmasters International Find A Club. Or contact me. My business cards are on the table here. Please take one at the end of this meeting.

READING
Reading is different from speaking. You'd think it would be easier than giving a speech. You don't have to plan it. Just stand up and read. You probably remember reading aloud in school and how scary it was. You may have grandchildren who read aloud in school and ask you for help. The important thing is make it sound interesting and emphasize the right words. In English we often emphasize the first syllable, unlike the French who emphasize the last syllable. We say Paris. The French say paree.

In English we also stress the last word in a sentence. When you read aloud you find that a sentence ending with a word such as 'to' loses impact. Actors who read aloud whole plays, or Shakespeare plays, will underline the important words. That's a useful trick. When you read aloud, you'll find that you can re-write a sentence to be sure you end with the word which is most important.

PLAN THE ENDING
Finally - yes, finally you should tell the audience that you have nearly finished.

Then end with a summary and a last joke or quotation or a variation on the one from the start.
When you have a list of things needed in a speech, the last one will be a call to action. Let me give you a call to action. Read my books. Take my business card. Find me on Facebook under Fans of AngelaLansburyAuthor Diary, and I will write you a poem or a poem about your business or hobby. If you don't have a computer, go to your library and ask the librarian to help you find AngelaLansburyAuthorDiary

To show you have finished, you nod your head and smile and bow, like this!

Question Time

Question (On Masons & Toastmasters)
"What's the difference between Masons and Toastmasters?"
Answer
I don't know Masons but I'll tell you about Toastmasters and you can tell me whether Masons is the same. Toastmasters is a charity, or not for profit organization. Women are allowed to join. You are told not to speak about religion or politics or raise money for commerce or charity at a meeting because it's open to people of any political view or religion or none so everybody should be allowed and encouraged to come along. It's more or less worldwide.

You can come along to meeting without paying just to listen and support - we speakers need an audience to practise on - except in places like Singapore where they meet in hotels and have group meals so most people attending pay for their share of the meal, and in December in all countries you often have a restaurant meal instead or as well and you pay for that, although sometimes some or all of the cost is paid by the club, depending on their budget.

Question (On voice pitch)
"How do you modulate your voice? Mine sounds high and squeaky when I get emotional."

Answer
Take deep breaths or meditate before speaking to feel calm. Tell yourself you are calm. Think of the listener instead of the subject which is upsetting you or yourself. Take a deep breath. And speak slo -o-owly. Practice in front of the mirror speaking with a lower voice - you know you can do it because you just demonstrated a higher tone and a lower tone to us.

Question (On breathlessness)
I run out of breath. What can I do about it?

Answer
Take a deep breath before starting each sentence. Pause between sentences so you can breathe in again. Practice reading your speech in front of the mirror. If you write long sentences you will run out of breath. Reading aloud will show you which sentences are too long. Write shorter sentences. Instead of reading your own thoughts word by word, write key words and then speak normally.

Question (On wedding speeches)
"How do you give a good wedding speech?"

Answer
Get my book on Wedding Speeches and Toasts from the library or buy it on line new or second hand. Join Toastmasters to practise your speech. When writing the speech, remember that half the audience don't know the groom, and the other half don't know the bride. It's a classic speech of praise where you must not talk about yourself but about the person you are praising.

You also have to create or maintain goodwill towards the bride and groom. it sounds obvious and easy, but there can be people sitting in the audience, even the family, upset about the hotel or the catering, why the rest of the family weren't invited - I can tell by the nods and laughter that this isn't as rare as we'd like to think. In the olden days the best man would cause trouble for the groom. I've spoken to lots of hotel managers who say they won't allow anybody except the bride and groom into the bridal suite - because they've had the best man claiming to deliver flowers and then wrecking the bed or the entire room. Your job is to ensure maximum goodwill towards bride and groom or whoever you are praising or thanking, so the person the speech is about, and everyone else in the room, feels warm and friendly towards the couple.

So you praise, praise, praise. Say how talented and worthy the bride is, lots of good stories about her talents and kindness, and good things about the groom. And if he's never done anything in his life except tell a few silly jokes, say what a happy soul he is and how lucky she is that whatever troubles life throws at them, he will always be lighthearted, look on the bright side, and help her to be happy.

Question (On Poetry)
"Does a poem need to start with a surprise?" (Speaker then quotes his own comic poem about how the Swiss cope with an avalanche but the British have trouble dealing with a few inches of snow.)

Answer
A lovely comic poem. A film should start with an avalanche or an earthquake, they say. I agree that it helps to get the audience's attention from the start, especially if we are talking about spoken poetry. But even when you are writing it for somebody to read on the page, it's good to start dramatically, with a first line memorable enough for people to quote. May I digress on the subject of avalanches and earthquakes?

Question (On Speaking to Children)
"I'm speaking to group of schoolchildren, giving a Powerpoint presentation about Rotary. Have you any advice?"

Answer
Find out the interests of the children by asking the teachers or parents or grandparents of children the same age. If their interests are computers, or football, or bikes, find something in the history or membership of your organization which is relevant to their interests or show how the two could be linked.

If they have to attend your talk as part of an exam or course, show how they can use the information in their job or university studies, or an exam paper question, or an essay or research, or in an interview as a candidate for a job or university place.

If you are pointing to a slide, or writing on a board, don't stand in front of the picture you're showing. And don't talk to the picture. Face the audience. Stand at one side. Point to the area of the slide from a distance. If there's no pointer, improvise, with a walking stick or an umbrella.

Question (On how to avoid misunderstandings when Americans and others use English words differently)
I went to the USA where the word pavement means the centre of the road and they use the word sidewalk for what the British call pavement. What can one do to prevent this happening?

Answer
You need to go through an American-English book or on line list. You can also find them for Singlish - Singaporean English which has a few similar words with different meanings.

Show your typed out speech to two or three people, some who speak English as a first language, others who speak American or another version or are foreign language speakers. You could ask them to summarise what you have said to see whether they have understood.

In the meeting itself, ask people to raise their left hand whenever you use a word they don't understand, or if your meaning is not clear.

I evaluated a speech in Singapore, and I spoke about the plot of the story a girl had read. Afterwards she said my comments on English pronunciation were most helpful. But what was the meaning of the word plot!

Question (On adding a speech to a toast)
"I'm speaking at my grandson's barmitzvah, giving a toast to the State of Israel. Can I say a few words about my grandson? What do you suggest?"

Answer
You are supposed to be making a Toast on that subject. So you can't talk about your grandson, except maybe a one-sentence introduction to say how much he likes Israel, or visited it or wants to go there - is the barmitzvah in Israel? No - people are shaking their heads. You will lose the audience if you don't stick to the subject of the Toast -

A person the audience just said it's not a toast to the State of Israel but to the President of Israel. When you make a speech, the rule is talk more about the person you are praising than about yourself. But a toast is simply a request for the audience to raise their glasses and drink a toast. The Toastmaster will announce you as, 'Please fill your glasses - so and so will now make a toast to the President of the State of Israel.'

The Toastmaster, has your slot down as one minute, and the audience expect you to keep to time so that the ones with diabetes and epilepsy don't have fits because you've talked so long they've been stopped from starting on their soup, or the staff went home before they could serve dessert.

If you want to talk about your grandson, maybe the boy's parents could arrange for extra speeches - like some African or Caribbean weddings where the microphone is passed around and everybody can give praise and advice about the bride or groom - I've also seen this done at funerals and birthday parties. But no long speech during a toast. Too many people are tutting and muttering that a toast is a toast.

Question (On arousing sleepy schoolchildren)
How do I keep the audience awake? I'm giving talks to a school all through the day, and the master says the hardest session is the first when they are half asleep.

Answer
Use music, ideally a song - especially if they can join in the chorus. Does your group have a song? No? - Then write a song - or I'll write one for you. Any kind of music or sound will do. Somebody told me he'd been at a meeting where the speaker woke the audience by firing a pistol. I think that's scary. Somebody might have a heart attack. Isn't there a piece of music which jolts people awake? The Surprise Symphony? Thank you. I'd rather do something jolly, like a waltz. (I have the Radestski march on my mobile phone.)

Question
"What was on the slides we missed?"

Answer (On text of missing slides)
Did everybody hear the question? What's your name? Fred asked about the slides. Fred wants to know what he missed. (Laughter.)
The slides started with portraits of people I was quoting. Hillel - if not now, when.

Slides should not have every word of your speech. They should tell the speaker the subject as a quick reminder at a glance. Changing the slides helps keep the audience watching. Anybody who is hard of hearing, or doesn't speak English, or if the speaker muttered, or there were noises from outside, or a visitor came in late, they can see the subject from the slide with one quick glance, without getting distracted from the speaker.

I have a big picture of my witch's hat. An ear for the section on being heard.
Another slide showed the summary of my speech to come.
The last two slides say The End, then Question Time.

Now Fred knows what he missed. And so does everybody else. (Laughter.)

Toastmasters-style Evaluation of Angela's speech by another:
Commend : The audience was happy and smiling. You say you were lucky with your audience but it was mostly down to you because any speaker can alienate an audience and you kept them interested and attentive.

Recommend:
A couple of details to bear in mind if you give the same talk again.
1 During question time, don't stand too near the front row because half your body is hidden by the front row.
You also want to avoid shouting over the head of people in the front row.
2 Don't promote your books to much. In the UK it comes across as pushy. It's enough to hold them up for one minute during the talk and one minute at the end.

Commend : You are 99% there. When speaking about speaking you have to demonstrate that you can do it and you did. You passed with flying colours. Relaxed. Smiling. Cheery. Joking.
***
Angela's Verdict - What I learned
Have a checklist of props.
Rehearse with electrics a week in advance - if necessary go to the previous week's session, take your equipment and try it out after the meeting's over.
Wash your hair the night before, not the morning of a morning talk.
Have a pen in your pocket to write down the points made by people who come up afterwards.
Record your talk on video.

Offer to sign books - and ask the person introducing you to say so.
Have a sign saying the price of the books. People may be too shy to ask. You want feedback on the price.
If you are selling books, they should be on the topic of the talk, or the topic of the talk should include a brief reading from each book.
Have an aisle so you can walk towards people who ask questions during question time.

PHOTOS Will be added later. Please come back.