Another new talk just completed, well not exactly a 'new' talk, more a special version of an existing one.

I've been booked to give a talk at a boat club I first spoke to in March, then it was Highwaymen but not surprisingly, considering who they are, they would like my Canals talk.

The only snag is the talk as it stands never mentions the particular canal this boat club is situated on!

Cue a re-working to omit certain sections of the original talk and to add in some detail and photographs, from my own collection, of 'their' canal.

Coal barges on the Aire and Calder Navigation

This is in the same vein as the Remembrance talk about war memorials where I endeavour to research the war memorial in whichever town or village I am giving the talk in order that the presentation becomes personal to the group I'm speaking to.

Accordingly, I now have a whole collection of  Remembrance talks, most of which will never see the light of day again, but I don't mind. I enjoy the research that goes into making a successful talk and the whole idea is to please my audience, which I hope I  always do.

ANOTHER NEW TALK

I've been pondering for some time as to what my next talk should be about.

I considered doing Witches Wizards and Warlocks but don't seem to be able to decide on a format so instead I'm currently working on Four Famous Murders - and Murderers, Dr Crippen, Reginald Christie, John George Haigh and Ruth Ellis.

They all have one unique characteristic which sets them apart and I think will make an interesting subject, and as they are all 20th century crimes there is plenty of information available on them.

They all pre-date the abolition of capital punishment in the UK so all the murderers ended up on the gallows, which should make for some interesting questions and comments afterwards.

                                The gallows at HMP Wandsworth

PS - The above talk is finished and ready to go, all I need now is a brave speaker finder to give it a whirl so I can find out if it's any good. 

It is always difficult to judge one's own work and usually all my talks have been revised after a first outing, in fact some have been in an almost constant state of revision as I've ironed out any wrinkles in the story.

 A NEW TALK

I've mentioned before about a special mini talk I'm doing on Friday for one of my regular groups, but this talk, originally about Hardwick Hall, has developed into something more.

My good friend and fellow speaker Jackie Depelle, having been asked to give a talk to a group of American tourists, has recommended that the tour group approach me instead.

This particular group are visiting England specifically to visit various stately homes, including Hardwick.

Hardwick Hall - more glass than wall.

The Hardwick mini talk is not really enough to satisfy such a group so I have expanded the talk to include Chatsworth House, which has a good deal in common with Hardwick through their common owner, Bess of Hardwick.

So a new venture for me with a new audience, if it goes well I'm thinking of adding the talk to my repertoire as there may be interest in the subject from other groups.

 Model Villages continues to be a popular talk, I did three in February. It is a talk which always generates a good deal of questions and general discussion and I invariably learn something new, especially about villages which don't feature in the talk..

March is going to be a busy and varied month:

3 March (afternoon) - Wonderful Things

3 March (evening) - Monuments

4 March - The Pontefract Murder

5 March - Votes for Women

7 March - Highwaymen

11 March - Model Villages (again)

12 March - Stay Safe On-Line

13 March - Highwaymen

18 March - Crime and Punishment

19 March - Votes for Women

20 March- Monuments

Then on the 18th I've a special presentation for a regular client, outside of my normal talks program, on Hardwick Hall and 'Bess of Hardwick'.

Whew!

 

 Stay Safe On-Line

Well in my last post I was bewailing the lack of interest in 'Stay Safe On-Line', only to present it today to the Hessel U3A.

It was very well received with lots of note taking by some in the audience, and confirmation from others who recognised, and had been subjected to some of the scams I mentioned and cautioned against.

This led to some very useful and informative exchanges as people related their experiences so everyone could better understand the dangers present in the virtual world, and which made the whole presentation more personal, rather than just academic.

I understand that elements of the talk will be incorporated into the group's journal for the benefit of those not present.

I continue to hope that more groups will take this talk as it was upsetting to hear of one lady's experience, which could have been avoided had she only heard my presentation earlier.

 A talk this evening to the Aireborough Historical Society of one of my least requested subjects, 'The Battle of Culloden'.

It's a subject beset with myths which can make it difficult to connect with the audience, but tonight's seemed to be an exception and I was complimented on my impartial research.

I've another rarity next week, this time it's on 'Barnbow', the WWI munitions works near Leeds. I'm not alone in offering this talk, I suppose because it's local that a number of Yorkshire Speakers offer their own version of the creation of the works, and the explosion that occurred there in 1916.

Consequentially the market for this talk is pretty thin, most societies having had one such talk from one of the speakers at sometime.

Even so, I've given the talk 20 times since 1917, it was the second talk I gave, and in addition to next week I have another booked for later in the year.

My most popular talk continues to be 'The Gunpowder Plot' by a substantial margin, with  'Canals' in second place and 'After You're Dead' and 'Model Villages' not far behind.

Even though it's a relatively new talk I'm pleased that 'Highwaymen' has done as well as it has although I'm disappointed that more people don't book 'Stay Safe On-Line' as with the ever-increasing 'scams' now so prevalent it is more important than ever that folk are wise to the dangers that modern technology brings.

 A strange set of circumstances this last few days.

A local group I've spoken to a couple of times asked if I could possibly fill a vacant speaker engagement at short notice, as the Speaker Secretary had been unable to contact the previously booked speaker.

I agreed but much to my surprise, the morning before the scheduled talk, I received another 'phone call saying the original speaker had made belated contact and was ready to go.

We agreed to let the original booking stand and I withdrew, or so I thought!

Another 'phone call on the evening of the event, this time in full-on panic mode. The speaker had arrived but had no screen, and this particular venue does not have a suitable blank wall for projection onto - please, please could they borrow my screen?

Of course I agreed but it made me wonder just how some speakers get away with it. You only have to trawl through Speakernet to see how many speakers expect the venue to provide a screen, and sometimes a projector as well. Some speakers turn up with their presentations just on a memory stick and expect the venue to provide the whole gamut of equipment necessary for the talk.

Personally I think this a cop out, if you profess to being a professional speaker then you should arrive at the venue  prepared with all that is required to make your talk a success.