Speaking in Public

…is something anybody can do

It just takes a bit of thought, and practice.

Recently, I attended a big industry conference. Most speakers spoke from behind a lectern, following a script, with text-heavy slides, overran the allotted time, didn’t engage the audience in any meaningful way, and might as well have been muttering to themselves in the shower.

At lunchtime, one of the organisers whispered to me that she was SO bored.

Come on people!

The weird thing is that over lunch I heard one of those same speakers talk with real animation. Over a plate of chicken and rice he showed emotion, delivered facts, told stories and generally looked like a real, living human being.

It was obvious that he deeply cared about the topic he’d been invited to talk about. And yet, when it came to his speech, AI could have done a better job.

If he knew how to use it effectively, he could have got AI to write him a coherent, engaging script that kept within his allotted time and even reminded him to pause and look at the audience every so often.

Of course, to prompt AI effectively, he’d need to know how to write a good speech in the first place.

But leaving that aside, there’s something AI can’t ever do: stand before a live audience, one human being in front of others.

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I wrote a book about writing and delivering speeches, having done it myself on four continents, to as many as 5,000 people at once.

I got into speaking in the first place because I was invited to talk about other books I’d written.

I did that in person, on big stages like the one above. I also did broadcast media:

I came at this as a words person. I can get quite nerdy about things like classical rhetoric.

To complement my text-based approach to speaking, I trained with Keith Johnstone, the great pioneer of theatrical improvisation.

Now I teach others, using that same combination of rhetoric and impro.

Even the very best people can learn a lot from that mix:

Please don’t assume that my impro training is all about being funny.

I’m delighted to report that it can also move audiences to tears, and other emotional states:

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Talks, Workshops and Other Engagements

I’ve delivered talks and workshops at many events, festivals, companies and other organisations.

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