Gordon Brown On The Warpath

The Prime Minister is angry over the "Fredgate" pension row. This on the BBC website

Iain Dale and Sir Fred Goodwin

In his latest blog post, Iain Dale has made a strong attack on the former head of RBS, Sir Fred Goodwin. Dale's comments are centred on the scandal about Sir Fred's pension which is reported to be in the region of £650,000 per year for life.

Wendy Richards Dies at 68

British TV star, Wendy Richards has died from cancer. Read this from the BBC Website

On This Day In 1964

1964: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) defeats Sonny Liston in one of the greatest shocks in boxing history.

Source: BBC

Iain Dale On Setanta Sport

Iain Dale is going from strength to strength. You can catch him on Setanta Sport this Wednesday. Here's what he had to say about it on Twitter a little earlier:

Setanta were clearly pleased with my performance on Saturday. I've been asked back on Wednesday eve to cover the West Ham Middlesbro game!

Iain Dale Speaking On BBC TV

Iain Dale was due to be on BBC Politics Show this morning. Iain, who apart from being an avid blogger, now can be followed on Twitter

Geoff Burch Speaking In Barnet

Last December, Geoff Burch spoke at Communicate With Clarity at Barnet FC. The event was called "Cold Calls To Hot Leads" and explained how one gets business appointments by phone.

The Brit Awards

Here's some footage from The Brit Awards which were held in London earlier this week. Here's K T Tunstall arriving

Ways To Calm Down Before Making A Speech

Life Hacker is a wonderful resource for all manner of things. This was posted last year about how to calm down before speaking in public.




Ed. I recommend deep diaphragmic breathing, like this

Know Your Audience

This was first published at Corporate Presenter last year. As a speaker, corporate host or presenter, it's so important to know your audience and to be tactful.It highlights two "Golden Rules" of public-speaking.

Thursday, May 22, 2008
Know your Audience


2 things not to do when public-speaking

Trevor Phillips, who chairs the Commission for Racial Equality was left with egg on his face after making a terrible gaffe whilst attending a function on the Queen’s official birthday on Saturday. His was a guest speaker at the Imperial College London’s Centenary Ball when he made a joke about the Queen Mother and her colostomy bag. Guests were shocked and disgusted at his ill-considered joke.

I’ve heard Trevor Phillips speak before and he doesn’t strike me as someone who would make such a basic error. If you are asked to entertain an audience with a joke or funny story then make absolutely sure you won’t offend anybody. Ask beforehand if necessary and if in doubt cut it out. The other golden rule is KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

Morris Dancing

Morris - A Life With Bells On is a new comedy film about Morris dancing. Check out the promo video. It seem like fun. Top UK Blogger Theo Spark has placed it on his successful site and it's receiving rave reviews.

Iain Dale Makes Sunday Times Top Bloggers List

Iain Dale's Diary is listed in the Sunday Times top bloggers list.

Speaking Badly

This short article appeared in today's e-zine from The Media Coach, Alan Stevens:

HOW TO GIVE A REALLY BAD SPEECH

As Yogi Berra used to say "You can learn a lot from watching". Well I've been watching people make speeches for over thirty years, and many of them were fantastic. Some were just average. A few were - well, utterly dreadful would not be too harsh a description. So I've come up with a checklist of how to give a really bad speech. Here it is.


Start badly
Not know how to use the microphone or other technology
Have a confusing message (or no message at all)
Patronise the audience
Read from a script
Turn your back on the audience
Try to tell jokes
Use jargon or technical language
Run out of time
End poorly

No prizes for guessing what you have to do to give a really good speech.




"This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk."

Orlando Cachaito Lopez.............

.from the Buena Vista Social Club passed away yesterday. You can read about him here. And here's something for you to enjoy.

That Speaker - Aileen Bennett

An Englishwoman doing rather well over there in the States is Aileen Bennett. She has one of the most funky speaker websites you are likely to see. It's called That Speaker

The Week Ahead

Sunday 08 February
Grammy Awards, Los Angeles
British Academy (BAFTA) Film Awards

Monday 09 February - Friday 13 February
Church Of England General Synod Spring Meeting

Tuesday 10 February
Israel: Parliamentary Elections

Wednesday 11 February
Football: World Cup 2010 Qualifier: Rep of Ireland v Georgia, Dublin
Football: World Cup 2010 Qualifier: San Marino v N.Ireland

Thursday 12 February
Abraham Lincoln born 200 years ago
Charles Darwin born 200 years ago

Thursday 12 February - Monday 23 February
Houses of Lords & Commons rise for Half Term Recess

Friday 13 February - Tuesday 17 February
Cricket: W.Indies v England 2nd Test, Antigua

Friday 13 February
Unlucky Day: Friday the 13th
UK Film Release: Pink Panther 2

Saturday 14 February
Football: FA Cup Fifth Round
Rugby Union: Wales v England
St Valentine's Day
25 years ago: Torvill and Dean won Olympic Gold

Public Speaking Resource Blog

Six Minutes is one of the best public speaking resource blogs around. Worth dipping into from time to time.

How To Look Professional When Speaking

This piece is taken from the website of Simply Speaking, a London-based consultancy who offer voice and presentation training.

Look Professional: Body Language Speaks

Body language is just as important as words when it comes to getting a message across. But what should you do with your hands when you're talking in public? And how should you move your body?

Do you ever feel physically uncomfortable not knowing quite what to do? Should you gesticulate frequently or keep gestures to a minimum? Should you wander around or stay stock still?

A convincing speaker uses powerful body language, including strong, defined movements and stillness. But unless you are taught to use your personal body language effectively, it can be really hard to know what to do.

For your speech to have impact, your body language must reflect your words, and vice versa. We will teach you to match these comfortably so that your audience can simultaneously see, hear and understand what you mean.

"Won't I feel uncomfortable changing my body language?"

We try to make the process as pain free as possible. We will take you out of your comfort zone a little, but you will be in a safe environment where it doesn't matter if you make a mistake. We are here to support you.

The body speaks very loudly, but many people don't know exactly what their non-verbal communication is saying to their audience. We will give you expert feedback on your body language and gently encourage you to try new techniques.

However, we realise that your body language is part of your personality and as everyone is different, the body language that works for you will be very individual and we won't suggest doing anything uncomfortable or unnatural.

Making eye contact

Another vital part of public speaking is making eye contact with your audience. This draws people in and makes them listen because they feel you are addressing them personally.

But although it sounds simple, lots of people find it difficult to make appropriate eye contact, particularly with a big audience. There are lots of misconceptions about what to do, and we will clear these up for you. We will show you how to make effective eye contact, increasing your authority and audience rapport and establishing a professional presence.

BBC Presenter Jeremy Clarkson In Trouble

BBC presenter and corporate host Jeremy Clarkson landed himself in hot water this week by calling Prime Minister, Gordon Brown a "one-eyed Scottish idiot". Jeremy later apologised.

Iain Dale has blogged this about the situation an draws parallels with "Thatchergate"

Storytelling In Public Speaking

Jason Peck wrote a very interesting blog post on this subject just a few days ago. Many successful speakers and presenters tell stories when speaking.

Iain Dale on BBC Radio 4

Iain Dale was on the Today programme this morning. He was asked his opinion about Carol Thatcher whose been axed from The One Show. She was reported for making an off-air "racist" remark.

How To Speak About The Weather

The UK has been hit in the last 48 hours with the worst snowfalls since the late 1980's. Speaker Nick R Thomas says that adverse weather is no excuse not to give a talk!

Understanding Your Audience

Professional speakers will know their audience ahead of any speaking engagement. Speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite from California, highlights this in one of her recent blog posts.