POWERtalk Great Britain

Rovers Club International Zoom Meeting

2026-04-06T16:12:00.001+01:00

The Zoom meeting in February 2026, gave Rovers members an opportunity to see and speak to fellow members from different parts of the world. As most of the clubs activities are in the form of written documents, it is good to develop skills in other forms of communication in a fun, enjoyable way. Members from England, Scotland, Florida, New York and California attended.

The theme for the meeting was “Cultural Traditions and Customs” and members took part in a contest of short speeches of maximum 3minutes, based on the theme.

This proved an ideal choice of topic, with contributions on New Year Celebrations in Northern England; Bagpipes and Haggis in Scotland, West-Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, New York; Gasparilla Festival commemorating a Spanish Pirate Attack in Tampa; Artichoke Festival in California; Differences in food preferences between Scotland and England; and Afternoon Tea in Glasgow.

Following the speeches, members placed the speeches in 1st 2nd and 3rd place. These results were sent to the Contest Chairman using the “chat” feature on Zoom. The winner was Ruth for Afternoon Tea, with Stephanie in second place for Artichoke Festival and Arleen in third for Gasparilla Festival.

In addition to learning about different customs and traditions, members improved their skills in using Zoom. One of the main points with Zoom might be learning to be patient while someone tries to explain or resolve an issue with internet connections or use of features on Zoom!

Margaret Robertson

Spring Weekend 2025 Liverpool By Iris C Gibson

2025-06-12T21:32:00.000+01:00

The Beatles, Gerry and The Pacemakers, The Merseybeats and now, Rovers! Talent, charisma, and a willingness to enjoy life — they had / have it all!

The omens were with us this year — no rail strikes or planned motorway road works, with a forecast of good weather. The majority of the (smaller than usual group (9)) travelled there by train although Iris and Ruth opted to drive down, only to be scuppered by a meltdown in their navigation system. However, not all was lost as they now have a surprising knowledge of the villages to the North-East of Liverpool and a greater appreciation of “old-fashioned” road atlases!

We all met for Friday evening dinner at our hotel — Premier Inn 1 in Hanover Street. This was an excellent, central location and only a few minutes from Liverpool Street Station. The staff were polite and helpful but as usual, were diving about like mad things following the on-going staff cuts throughout the Premier Inn system. This is an increasingly regular feature of similar type hotel chains but, as we were only really there in the mornings and later evenings, it was manageable.

On Saturday morning, apart from Yvonne and her husband Bill who had visited recently, the majority of the group opted to go on the Liverpool On Off Bus Tour on a double decker bus from the Albert Dock. This gave us an overview of the popular sights of the city and included stopping for photo opportunities at the Penny Lane street sign and the gates of Strawberry Fields.

Other sights encountered en route were: John Lennon’s Aunt’s house, who raised him for a number of years; the site of Paul McCartney’s house; Ringo Starr’s house; and the famous statue of the Fab Four at the riverfront.

We also passed the graveyard and church which inspired “Eleanor Rigby”, and streets, pubs, parks (and bus shelters!) mentioned in Beatles’ songs and where Lennon and McCartney wrote some of their famous compositions. I have to say that seeing all these places was really atmospheric, as I grew up listening to them.

Returning to Albert Dock, we enjoyed one of the many restaurants and cafes which have been opened in the rejuvenated dockland area.

Splitting up, we visited a variety of locations and sights including Liverpool One — a modern eating and retail centre. Saturday evening dinner at a nearby, local Italian restaurant was delightful and we were entertained by the numerous groups of hen party ladies who tottered past in a jolly, if wobbly, state!

Liverpool FC had been playing that day and fans were celebrating their team’s victory in a most restrained and polite manner — an unusual experience from someone who stays out of Glasgow city centre when the Old Firm (Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic) meet up on the football field. Some of them had travelled from far flung places like Sweden, Spain, and Bulgaria — very dedicated.

Sunday dawned bright with sunny intervals and lots of fluffy clouds. Other sights experienced were: Liverpool Museum; the Three Graces — which consist of the Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building, all situated on Liverpool’s Pier Head; China Town; Liverpool Philharmonic Building; and Liverpool’s two magnificent cathedrals.

Both of the latter are located at opposite ends of Hope Street and should not be missed. The more modern Catholic Cathedral was begun in the 19th century and designed by Pugin and after many delays related to the Second World War and financial difficulties, it was decided to alter the design and to complete it in concrete and glass. As you’ll see from the photo, it resembles a wigwam but its crowning feature is the stunning stained-glass which features above and around the central altar.

The Anglican Cathedral, the UK’s largest cathedral, is an immense and more traditionally styled edifice whose construction experienced similar delays to Liverpool Cathedral but, is an amazing structure. Towering spire, vaulted ceilings, sculpted pillars, arches, altar, organ loft and the Choir are constructed out of beautiful red sandstone and hardwood which together, create a spectacular sight.

Visiting on the Sabbath after morning services, we listened to choir practice while enjoying coffee and cake inside the in-house café — very civilised!

From March to May this year, the Cathedral was hosting the “Helios” exhibition, — a dazzling masterpiece by world-renowned British artist Luke Jerram. This comprises an amazing seven-metre sculpture of the Sun, at 1:200 million scale, where every

centimetre of the sphere represents 2000km of the Sun’s surface. This allows one to view intricate details like sunspots, spicules, and solar flares—features that are usually millions of miles away. To quote the accompanying poster, “This isn’t just art—it’s an experience. With a custom surround sound composition blending solar sounds, NASA mission recordings, and uplifting music, you’ll feel connected to the Sun’s power, warmth, and significance.” For once, the publicity lives up to the blurb and the event is further enhanced by a circle of beanbags under the sculpture, where visitors lie back and bask in the otherworldly experience. I could have spent hours there.

Liverpool, a port and industrial city like Glasgow has also suffered decline of the traditional industries but has worked hard to redevelop and repurpose areas into ones which are appropriate and inviting for a modern populous.

Unlike Glasgow, where much of the older city was razed and redeveloped in industrial Victorian times, Liverpool has retained a wide range of residential, commercial, and public buildings from a number of periods, many of which are being repurposed and often, gentrified. This process is on-going and, if nothing else, you’ll never be lacking a place to have coffee!

Almost all of the group stayed on until Monday morning which provided us with another enjoyable dinner event, finished off by a nightcap/coffee at the hotel bar. Unfortunately, those travelling back to Scotland by rail suffered a number of delays but all were safely home by the end of the day. Another super weekend — great: sights; food and drink; and company. Many thanks to our VP Diana Porterfield for all her hard work organising it. Bring on Spring Weekend 2026!

What I Miss Now!

2025-03-24T17:35:00.017+00:00

Joining POWERtalk gives you many opportunities to develop confidence in speaking and thinking on your feet. The one I really enjoyed was organised formal debates. Unfortunately, this has not been part of our programmes lately, partly, I think, because you need quite a number of people to have a really “ding-dong” event.

A debate can be between two people or any number of people. A formal debate is usually between two teams.   The teams can have any number of speakers.   Our country is governed by debates — the House of Commons is a debating chamber.

It is also an exercise that demands self-discipline.   First, you have to do quite a lot of research to gather facts, figures and quotes from authorities to reinforce your arguments when putting your case and secondly, you must decide what arguments your opponents will use to refute your points so that you in turn counter your opponents' arguments.

Then you have to determine your strategy.   Who is going to lead your team, who is in a supporting role, and who says what.

The formal debates where I used to take part usually had two teams of two people in each. The teams can be called Positive and Negative, Affirmative and Negative, Proposer and Opposer, or simply For and Against.

The order of speaking is: First Speaker:       Speaker No. 1 of Positive;
                   Second Speaker: Speaker No.1 of Negative;
                   Third Speaker:     Speaker No. 2 of Positive;
                   Fourth Speaker:   Speaker No. 2 of Negative.

At that point, the event could be open to comments or arguments from the audience.

Then the Summing Up speeches are presented:
                                           Fifth Speaker:     Speaker No. 1 of Negative,
                          and lastly Sixth Speaker:     Speaker No. 1 of Positive team.

A debate motion is usually presented in the form: “This House believes that … .”
The wording of the Motion is important.   It should be short, simple and positive, a subject that can be debated, not one that most people would agree with anyway, such as “Reading widely is beneficial”. And certainly it must be positive, not negative.   You cannot prove a negative.

The first speaker, the leader of the Affirmative, should define the motion.   But the definition must give the opposition a realistic chance of arguing the point.

Consider: “All citizens should carry a national ID card”.     “All” ?    Every country in the world?   Do you mean your own country?   Citizens?   What about Subjects?   In Britain you can be one or the other.   What about foreign students studying here?

The first Affirmative Speaker should also explain what points he/she will cover and what points the other Affirmative speakers will use.   A debate is team work, not a series of separate speeches.

The Negative team has to accept the Motion as defined, even if they do not agree with it.

Points of Information should be used throughout, but debaters should know the difference between Points of Information and Points of Order.

Points of Information
These can be used to seek or provide information.
They should be clear, short, succinct — definitely not a mini speech.
Speakers may accept or refuse at their discretion.
A competent, judicious use of the ability to accept or reject impresses judges and audience.
But they must not be used during the first and last minute of speeches and not at all during summing-up speeches.

Points of Order
A Point of Order is used when a participant believes that the rules of procedure are not being followed.
The clock is stopped for a Point of Order.

Qualities expected in a debate

Relevance
Speeches should be germane to the motion. Persistent irrelevance will be penalised by the judges.

Refutation
The skill with which a speaker counters or undermines the arguments of opponents. This is particularly demonstrated in the handling of Points of Information.

Analysis
Analysis of the issues contained in the motion and of the points made in opposing arguments.

Delivery
The speaker's ability to gain and hold audience attention, including wit, plausibility, use of gesture and ability to deal with Points of Information, as well as tone modulation and audibility. Judges should discriminate against blatant gimmickry.

Evidence
The relevance of the authorities cited and the fluidity with which they are adduced.

Teamwork
The extent to which speakers work as a team, complementing and supporting their partners.

Participation
Each debater should make judicious use of Points of Information and, if necessary, Points of Order.

PROTOCOL

Always respect your opponents. Good manners should prevail throughout. Lack of courtesy to them will be penalised by judges. Don't belittle them or their ideas.
Don't try to be too clever or gimmickry. Both judges and the audience will be offended by a “Clever Dick”.

Nancy Sanderson

nms//23.3.25

Rovers Training Weekend 2024

2024-09-14T18:53:00.005+01:00

Rovers Club in person training weekend was in Carlisle on a glorious sunny weekend at the end of August. Carlisle is a small historic city in the north west of England with a glowering ancient castle, a cathedral, a university (where we were based) and a history of bloody warfare with Scotland (just up the road). On this weekend the English and Scots mingled happily!

Carlisle Castle

We came together on Friday evening with an Italian meal at a small restaurant in the centre of Carlisle. It was far from quiet — Carlisle knows how to enjoy itself!

On Saturday morning, after a wide-ranging AGM, we held the Club Speech Contest, with speeches from members and with the audience as judges. Speeches included the subjects ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, ‘Limit’ and ‘Great Expectations’. The speakers were thought provoking and entertaining, but sadly only one could win.

A gate in Carlisle

The afternoon gave us a useful presentation about using PowerPoint on Zoom — and we all learned. There was then a short presentation on ‘Hats and Headwear’.

The evening was our traditional dinner at the Crown and Mitre Hotel, with our invited local speaker enthralling us with his tales of the current and ongoing excavations of a very large Roman building just north of the town. This link will take you to related material — I recommend you scroll down to the video ‘Uncovering Roman Carlisle’.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=carlisle+cricket+club+excavation#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f1809d76,vid:tgbGGycv0_8,st:0

The next day members lead two workshops. One on evaluation, followed by another with the title ‘Go out and seek joy!’ Then the evaluation of the weekend (we had all loved it) and we set off for home, sad to leave but with the prospect of next year’s Spring Weekend not so far away.

Carlisle Coat of Arms

Reuse, Recycle, Remember! How we used to be environmentally friendly

2023-10-10T20:16:00.001+01:00

Long ago, when I was young there was a shortage of everything — and I suspect in particular money, plus after the War there was a shortage of everything so every one had to “make do and mend”.

The wrapping on parcels was carefully removed, any string wrapped up and the paper folded, all ready to be used again. Everything around the house was treated with care. Furniture and fittings were made to last and any spare food (although not a lot in my house as there were five children) was recycled for another meal, and in fact, in our street was a bin which people put spare food, which I always believed was to feed pigs. (although this was never verified) but it seemed a good use of food waste. All this was fine, but for me the most annoying thing was that as the fourth of four daughters most, if not all my clothes were second had — yes I was the original “Second hand Rose”. To make thing worse, the sister immediately older than me was much taller and better looking than me and I always felt that I was invisible. One Christmas, much to my amazement there were two party dresses, one pink and one blue flowers in amongst my gifts. Now I knew that they had never belonged to anyone in the family and I felt very excited about it.

Imagine my shock when I discovered that they had belonged to one of my mother’s friends daughters. No longer did I want to wear them and, in fact, they were used to dress up my dolls. A case of one very unhappy little girl and unsuccessful recycling.

However, one year, my mother did make me a new party dress of blue taffeta with a net overskirt and flowers at the waist — I was thrilled and went off to all the parties very much delighted with myself. I am not sure if this was to make up for the earlier party dresses. Naturally my brother, being a boy, never had any second hand clothes, but then I don’t think that this was important to him, being a boy. In any event, being the “son and heir” he always got the best. Nowadays, I think we have, to some extent, a lot of recycling. This is partly due to the fact that we seem to be in a recession and also because we are so much more aware of the shortages of resource on our planet. I know that clothes do not always wear out and that many people (including myself) still recycle clothes by sending them to the Charity Shops, but I, for one, have never bought anything there. I will just put it down to my earlier life.

Liz Duncan

The Power of Positive Speaking

2023-05-31T21:01:00.008+01:00

For many people, one of the scariest things in life is to stand up in front of a group of people and give a speech. It doesn’t matter whether the group is friends — e.g. at a wedding – or whether it is a group of strangers,the feelings are the same. We can prepare well and practise but it does not take away that fear. Of course, the more one speaks in public the more confident one becomes but for many the occasion is a ‘one off’. So how can we deal with these fears and positively enjoy the occasion?

‘Fear’ or F.E.A.R. is simply ‘Future Expectations Appearing Real’. We create our own fearful feelings through our imagination — the ‘What ifs’

‘What if I forget what I am going to say?’

‘What if I stumble over the words?’

‘What if I bore everyone?’

Why does this negative internal chatter affect us so much and how can we change it?

We have a conscious and subconscious part of our brain. The conscious is that part which takes in information and makes decisions. The subconscious controls the reactions to the messages sent to it by the conscious, it never questions or makes decisions, it just believes what it is told. Consequently all those negative messages our conscious is sending to the subconscious are being acted upon. The result is our stomach churns, our mouth goes dry and we feel really nervous. To change the way we feel we need to change those negative voices into positive ones.

The phrases need to be in the first person ‘I’. When the subconscious hears ‘I’ it becomes alert and ready for a command. The instruction should be in the present tense (it’s happening now) and it needs to be specific and positive.

For example –

‘I am speaking clearly and confidently.’

Not

‘I am not stumbling over my words.’

Practise this and replace every negative statement with a positive one.

In everyday life avoid speaking negatively to your friends or colleagues, it has the same effect on your subconscious. Instead of saying ‘I am really worried/nervous about this.’ You could say, ‘I am working at controlling my nerves.’

Finally, remember to believe in yourself and overcome those last minute nerves. I recall many years ago, standing in the wings of a stage waiting to make my entrance in my first amateur dramatic play. I tried to remember my first line (or any other line for that matter) and nothing! I was beginning to go into panic when I stopped and told myself – ‘I’ve learnt my lines, I have successfully rehearsed them, just trust yourself.’ And sure enough, as I stepped on to the stage the words began to flow.

Remember, when you come to make your speech do your preparation, practise your speech, think positively and trust yourself. Do all of these things and enjoy the experience.

Lesley Smith

Improve Your Communication Skills

2023-02-06T23:40:00.004+00:00

What do I write on a blog? Would other people be interested in what I have to say? Who knows? But here goes. I joined POWERtalk GB many years ago — long before I had even heard of the Internet, webpages and blogs. So I definitely did not join in order to become a blogger.

When the Edinburgh Toastmistress club was started up again in 1971 I was working as an Administrator but had just landed a job as a Further Education lecturer. It occurred to me that this might just give me more confidence to stand in front of a class of adults, some of whom could well be older than me, and teach them. I still remember the first topic I was given — “You have won £1 million. What would you spend it on?” I think I spoke for about a minute. But that was the start, both of my Further Education career and my ongoing fascination and involvement with communication in the widest sense.

Communication is so important in life. We are social beings, but not perfect, so to be able to hone our skills in speaking, listening, organising, debating, contributing to discussions in meetings, minute-taking and finally chairing meetings in a welcoming, friendly, supportive atmosphere of a club meeting is one of the major plus points of ITC, now POWERtalk.

At school I was terrified to open my mouth at a debate; at university it was an ordeal to present a paper to my tutorial group. Taking minutes was fine for me after my secretarial training, but to take part and to chair a meeting…

I enjoyed teaching in Further Education. Yes, some of the students were older than me. Some were men and women who wanted to change careers of get back into the workplace after a break. I enjoyed researching the subjects I taught — at the same time as I was enjoying researching for the speeches I was making in ITC. The opportunity for promotion came and I had the confidence to go for it and eventually became head of section. More communication skills were required now — delegating, listening, organising timetables, counselling and meetings.

In ITC I was taking part (and winning) speech contests and debating — how proud my parents were with my achievements. I held office, club right up to region and finally helped organize an international convention here in Scotland. This would not have happened without the support of fellow ITC members, each of us putting our ITC training into action.

I am still a member of POWERtalk, now retired from lecturing, but still learning and improving my communication skills with my friends in The Rovers Club and Stirling POWERtalk.

If you have just been surfing the internet and found yourself reading this, I hope it was of interest — it’s never too late to improve your communication skills for business or for pleasure.

Diana Porterfield

What is Shibui?

2022-12-04T16:49:00.001+00:00

First I would like to explain that one Japanese word usually implies various kinds of meanings and therefore they describe different Japanese words. I assume this is the case with English words. I would like to mention the various meanings of this word “Shibui” here, as follows:—

1. Mouth-puckering
Bitter (tea)
Sour persimmon
Rough wine

2. Glum, sour, sullen
Look glum (blue)
Frown at/on
Pull a wry face
Grimace

3. Quiet and simple
Sober, austere
Be tight, stingy, tight-fisted:
(Don’t wait for Gillian to buy a drink — she too tight-fisted)
Be a miser
(On environmental spending, the president is a miser)

4. Tasteful
Shibui – a sense of beauty：this category fits “Wabi-Sabi”.
In traditional Japanese aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi is world view acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature. It is prevalent throughout all forms of Japanese art.

Wabi-Sabi is a composite of two interrelated aesthetic concepts. Wabi may be translated as “subdued, austere beauty”, while Sabi means “rustic patina”.
Characteristics of Wabi-Sabi aesthetics and principles include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature.

Zen Garden of Ryoanji in Kyoto is an good example of the Wabi-Sabi arts. The clay wall, which is stained by age with subtle brown and orange tones, reflects Sabi principles, with the rock garden reflecting Wabi principles.

I would like to emphasize the last “Shibui” meaning. This directly
connects Japanese aesthetic with the basic sense of beauty of Wabi-Sabi. I really hope you will be able to visit Japan and taste (or feel) at first hand this essence of Japanese Arts and Culture.

Reiko Uchiyama
Nagoya, Japan
27/11/22

Rovers Training Weekend

2022-09-04T19:53:00.002+01:00

The final day of the Rovers Training Weekend started with a workshop on ‘Expanding your Word Power’ led by Vice President Iris Gibson. After a break for refreshments the second workshop on writing was led by the President, Rosemary Low, and the Secretary, Laurence Coates.

A brief evaluation session followed before the weekend was brought to a close.

Rovers Training Weekend

2022-09-03T23:10:00.014+01:00

The Rovers Training Weekend in Carlisle commenced with an informal meal at SannaS Sardinian Restaurant on Friday night. Members enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere and there were a lot of favourable comments afterwards about the meal.

Saturday morning commenced with the AGM followed, after a short break by the speech contest. The winner of the contest was Yvonne Baker, pictured below receiving the Tibbie Brown trophy from club president, Rosemary Low.

President Rosemary presenting the trophy to winner Yvonne Baker

After lunch the club parliamentarian, Ruth Maltman, led a workshop on Practical Parliamentary Procedure. The second part of the afternoon was a mini debate chaired by Margaret Robertson.

In the evening we had a meal at the Crown and Mitre hotel followed by table topics led by Nancy Sanderson.

Members and Guests at the Crown and Mitre

Rovers Spring Weekend in Chester 2022

2022-07-07T17:06:00.124+01:00

Janya Statue

The Rovers Spring Weekend took place this year in the historic city of Chester, in Cheshire, NW England from 22^nd to 24th April 2022. We were fortunate to have fairly good weather with little rain — always a plus for any area in the west of the UK!

On the Friday evening, we all met for a meal at our city centre hotel which allowed us to catch up with all the news and to have a reasonably early bedtime, prior to a prompt breakfast before our first activity of the day — a private guided walking tour of the centre from Stephen Shakeshaft, one of the city’s Guild of Tour Guides who provided a fun and educational background to the city.


City Walls

Chester has a compact and easily walkable city centre, Particular highlights from the tour were the Roman walls and amphitheatre and the famous “The Rows.” Unique to Chester, these consist of covered walkways above the shops at street level and are reached by steps from the street. Some date as far back as the 13th century but their origin is unclear with many their facades being restored in Victorian times.

Foregate

In the afternoon, members had free time, shopping, museum visits and sightseeing. Many visited the impressive Chester Cathedral for lunch and an exhibition of some stunning mosaic work. As a bonus, the Chester Symphony Orchestra was rehearsing for the upcoming celebration concert of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and we were treated to stunning renditions of classical pieces like Elgar’s “Nimrod.”

Our Saturday evening’s Members’ Dinner was located at the Georgian “The Architect” bar and restaurant near “The Roodee” — Chester’s racecourse. The experience was most enjoyable with excellent food and an after-dinner presentation, by our tour guide Stephen, on other aspects of this historic city. Meeting face-to-face for the first time since 2019 allowed President Rosemary Low to present Diana Porterfield with the Tibbie Brown Trophy for winning the 2020 Rovers Speech Contest.

Diners in the Architect

Diana with Stephen Shakeshaft and Rosemary Low

Diana with the Tibbie Brown trophy

On Sunday, half the group departed for home, but those remaining enjoyed a variety of pursuits including river cruising, Chester Zoo, more shopping, visiting local museums, restaurants and cafes. Everyone then headed home on Monday after having a most enjoyable weekend — great: company; food; and the chance to learn about this historic city.

Iris Gibson

Chester Racecourse

2022-07-07T15:27:00.002+01:00

Why are horses sometimes called "gee gees"? Read on and find out.

Lots to see in Chester, of course, but how many visitors think of racing horses? The oldest race course still in operation in Britain and maybe even in the world is in Chester. It is consistently awarded the Gold Standard Award.

In Roman times, the river Dee was just about up to the Walls and the area of what is now the race course was an important harbour on the river, enabling supplies to be delivered to the garrison of Deva, the Roman name for Chester. Some harbour anchor stones can still be seen at the present course site.

Today you can see a large sandstone cross at the course. The story is that there used to be a wooden cross but it collapsed, causing the death of the wife of the Governor of Hawarden. The cross ended up in the river, floated upstream, and came to rest at the present site, on an island formed by the build up of silt in the centuries after the Romans left. Later the timber was replaced by the present sandstone.

The cross and site is now called The Roodie, based on ancient Norse and Saxon words meaning the Island of the Cross. In the early Middle Ages a weir system on the river caused much more silt so that the area became a riverside meadow, eventually developing into the present racecourse.

In 1539 the mayor of Chester was Henry Gee. He began the annual horse race on the Roodie, as part of his reformed civic celebrations. So you now know why horses are called "gee gees", commemorating the man who began the famous series of races. The first race was held on Shrove Tuesday. A silver bell was awarded to the winning owner of "the horse that ran before all others".

When the Derby race was inaugurated it was intended to be run in May but the Horse Racing Authority forced them to change the date to June to avoid a clash with Chester.

In the 19th century the race goers were referred to as "the most perfect mix of society from all over the British Isles". In 1817 the first grand stand was built but it burnt down on 28 September 1985.

While racing continued, a new grandstand was built and opened in May 1988.

In 1883, the first Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, bred Ormonde at Eaton Hall nearby. The horse won the Triple Crown in 1886.

In 1903 Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show appeared on the Roodie.

There have been three times when races were suspended - during the English Civil War, the Great War, and World War 2. In 1946, when racing re-commenced, a record 103,993 people attended.

The course averages 25,000 racegoers for each meeting, in the top five for annual attendance.

Nowadays the Roodie hosts 15 days of competitive and quality racing. In three days in May riders compete for the Chester Cup, the Chester Vase, Ormonde Stakes, Cheshire Oaks, and the Dee Stakes. Top racehorses from Britain, Ireland and sometimes France participate.

In 2012 the Olympic Torch came to the racecourse. Jockey Jason Maguire rode the winning horse with the torch down Watergate Street.

Visiting the Roodie makes for a good day out. There is no shortage of first class eatries. The glass-fronted 1539 restaurant and bar situated within the County Stand, open all year, overlooks the race course.

A second hospitality venue, The White Horse, in the racecourse paddock, opened in Easter 2014, with a bespoke nautical themed play area.

A third venue can be explored in the city centre. Commonhall St. Social gives a "fun vibe and eclectic industry-leading craft beer offering".

There is also an on-site hotel, ideal for weddings.

The Roodie is surounded by beautiful manicured lawns, a picturesque setting, in over thirty acres of breath-taking green space. Have I whetted your appetite? Why not attend on Ladies Day, for glamour, fashion and excitement as every one waits with baited breath to learn of the winner of the best dressed Lady Competition with its fabulous prize.

On 8 May 2022, Jackie Chambers 56, from Essex, won the prize for the best dressed. In a yellow Sophie Hunter dress and Steve Madden heels, she was awarded a Boodles diamond pendant and £700 fashion voucher from Matthew O'Brien,

Wow!

Nancy Sanderson

3.6.22

Chester, Old & New

2022-04-24T17:56:00.003+01:00

A relatively modern building, 1274 AD, in comparison to a Roman amphitheatre.

The Bear and Billet is a 17th Century Public House in the half-timbered style typical of many of the buildings in Chester. Annie Jane Millward, the grandmother of John Lennon was born in the Bear and Billet in 1873.

Iris and the Elephant

2022-04-24T09:58:00.004+01:00

As we started the walking tour of Chester our tour guide, Stephen Shakeshaft, showed us the statue of a baby elephant. Iris, who in one of her speeches admitted to “a passion for pachyderms”, is seen here sitting beside the statue.

The plaque in front reads:

“This baby Indian elephant is called

Janya

The bronze sculpture is a gift from Chester Zoo to the people of Chester. To celebrate the strong friendship between the Zoo and the city. Janya means ‘Life’ in Hindi. It symbolises the Zoo’s global role in Wildlife conservation. She was gifted in 2010 by the sculptress Annette Yarrow who grew up in India in the 1930s and 40s, there is a sculpture of another one year old elephant by Annette at Chester Zoo.
Annette’s sculpture is remarkably lifelike, it benefits from her first-hand experience of elephants. Inside nearby Chester Cathedral there is a 14th Century wooden carving of an elephant and castle on a bench and in the Quire. However, the medieval craftsman would never have seen a real elephant so it has a rather strange body… and hooves!
Please feel free to stroke and enjoy Janya. Please do not climb”.

Apparently is is supposed to be lucky to rub the elephant’s ears. Some members indulged in this superstition.

The Rovers in Chester

2022-04-23T19:23:00.004+01:00

Yes, the Rovers are Roving again! The club is enjoying our spring meeting in Chester. At last the members of Rovers in Great Britain have had a chance to get together. On Friday night we enjoyed a meal together in the hotel. This morning we met together to go on a walking tour of the city. Outside the town hall we enjoyed performances by traditional Morris Dancers celebrating Saint George’s day in honour of England’s patron saint

The Perfect Host

2022-04-07T19:55:00.000+01:00

The most important qualities of a good host.

    Assertiveness
    Always pro-active
    Uses initiative
    Has organisational skills
    Is always welcoming
    Easily connects with people

But many other qualities are also required.

    Approachable personality
    Ability to keep calm at all times, not easily flustered
    Is both sympathetic and empathetic
    Willing and available at all times to help and smooth over any issue that arises
    Uses common sense
    Is aware at all times of what is happening
    Is adaptable to all situations
    Always inclusive
    Advance preparation
    Always willing to share knowledge with others
    Listens attentively and absorbs the message
    Exudes friendliness to all, not just "significant" people
     Good at remembering names
    Engaging speaking voice
    Ensures people are introduced to others
    Has knowledge of speaker and audience
    Keeps smiling!

The Perfect Host has a Perfect Check List>>>

What should be considered: Before, During and After an event.

Before:

    Is a committee required?   If so, what will be delegated to whom?
    What venue? If necessary have contacts who can help with finding most appropriate one
    Visit the venue, with president/chairman, familiarise yourself with layout and meeting rooms
    Liaise with president at all times re all details and information required
    Prepare map or directions to venue
    Parking - at venue? nearby? capacity?
    Meet liaison person at venue, discuss requirements, arrange meeting dates
    Investigate disabled access, and location of fire escapes and toilets
    Any Health & Safety issues relevant
    Find out how to operate blinds, curtains, air conditioning in meeting room
    List of those to be invited, when invitations should be issued and RSVP date
    What information should be sent to participants, eg: what, where, when, etc
    Any special requirements for any participant - diet? overnight accommodation?
    Is catering required?   Who organises it?
    Programme - timings, start, finish, breaks, meal, identify speakers
    Know the names of key personnel, especially correct pronunciation and spelling
    Know the correct title and address of those to be introduced
    Obtain short bio details of those to be introduced
    What aids required? Screen, OHP, White board, Laptop, Microphones, extra cables?
    Are there to be questions from audience at any time?   How will they be dealt with?
    Ensure that guests will not be left alone at any time.

During

    Be early at venue
    Check room - layout, water and glasses - especially top table
    Check final arrangements with venue liaison contact
    Be at door to welcome guests and take to chairman
    Make attendees welcome, give special attention to special guests
    Keep constant watch on what is going on
    Inform everyone of housekeeping - toilets, disabled facilities, fire exits, etc
    Know how to deal with distractions - noise, sunlight, air conditioning, room temperature
    Keep discreetly checking on chairman and guest speaker - any requirements?
    Have someone at door to prevent unwanted entrance
    Look out for any potential problems and be prepared to deal with them
    Have pre-arranged signal to chairman if items seriously over-running time
    At ending of meeting: gifts/ payment to guest/s readily at hand?
    Be a gopher - go for this, go for that
    Smile!!

After

    Feedback forms as participants leave? or later?
    Say goodbye to any that the chairman is not attending to
    Make sure the room is left tidy, no papers, files, bags etc left
    Check bill is correct and pass to treasurer
    Thank you letters to be sent?   Or does chairman do that?
    Liaise for final time with venue
    Be the last to leave the room - final check!

********************************************************************************
Nancy Sanderson and Stirling Club workshop

Page X of Y in Microsoft Publisher

2022-02-12T22:17:00.004+00:00

Microsoft Publisher has always been the ‘ugly duckling’ of the Microsoft Office Suite. It doesn’t have the same prominence as other Office programs. Unlike Microsoft Word you cannot create a table of contents that updates automatically for example. Nevertheless, if you want to mix text and graphics is a little easier with Publisher than with Word.

I used Microsoft Publisher to edit our club magazine, The Rovers Document. Manually editing the table of contents (TOC) was not the biggest bugbear. I wanted to have the footer on each page say ‘The Rovers Document’ on the left-hand side, with Page X of Y in the centre and the month and year at the right hand side. X being the page number and Y being the total number of pages.

There is no inbuilt way to put Page X of Y using Publisher so I looked for a way of doing this using VBA. A web search yielded a macro that adds a text box to every page with the page number and page count. That is not very satisfactory for a number of reasons. It is difficult to update and it does not use the header or footer.

Publisher uses master pages as templates to contain items that should appear on more than one page. In particular they contain header and footer elements. If you want to put a page number marker in a header or a footer you insert a page number marker by pressing Alt+Shift+9.

The marker displays as a ‘#’ character but, of course, it isn’t. If you use ‘#’ it does not work but if you use VBA to try to read that character it reads a ’#’. Publisher VBA is not well documented, lacks a macro recording ability and there is no sendkeys facility. So how do you program placing a page number marker in the footer exactly where you want it?

So start on one of the pages where the footer has to appear (this makes sure that you access the correct master page) and run the macro. ActiveDocument.MasterPages(2).Footer in my publication is the footer on the master page used as a template for all pages except the TOC. Note that I have started a new section after the TOC.

strPagesCount is the count of pages, reduced by one to exclude the TOC. Then strIssue is the Month and Year converted to string format.

This is an updated version of the macro because I discovered that ~.TextRange.InsertPageNumber inserts a page number marker after the text, meaning that I do not need to use the CommandBars route to place a page number marker. I simply set the text, insert the page number marker and add the page number count and the issue date at the end.

Sub NumberPages()
    Dim strPagesCount As String'The number of pages
   Dim strIssue As String 'The month and year
    Const conDocName As String = "The Rovers Document" 'The document name to be placed in the footer
    strPagesCount = CStr(ActiveDocument.Pages.Count - 1) 'Subtract 1 because the TOC is not to be included
    strIssue = CStr(Format(Date, "mmmm yyyy")) 'Find the current month and year
    With ActiveDocument.MasterPages(2).Footer.TextRange
        .Text = conDocName & vbTab & "Page " '(Re)sets the footer text
        .InsertPageNumber 'Insert a page number marker
        .InsertAfter (" of " & strPagesCount & vbTab & strIssue) 'Insert text following the page number
    End With
End Sub

The Windmills of My Mind

2021-11-16T21:47:00.007+00:00

Some months ago, I was asked to find a speaker for a charity dinner. I consigned the question to the windmills of my mind, in the firm belief that the sails would turn, wheels and cogs would interlock and a speaker would be found.

Now I’m a sucker for ‘freebies’ and last week I picked up a free Rotary magazine from Sainsbury’s.
One of the articles was about leprosy. The very word conjures up fear. It is a wasting disease where the peripheral nerves die, causing pain and numbness, but also leaving the body vulnerable to damage. For millennia it was recognised as infectious and a sufferer was immediately banished from the community.

I was reminded of a famous letter written by Robert Louis Stevenson concerning leprosy. Stevenson had gone to the South Seas in the hope of recovering from tuberculosis, then an infectious and incurable disease. In Britain at the time, families were often ostracised if one of their members had the illness. He empathised with the social rejection of the lepers and decided to visit the island of Molokai where a famous priest, Father Damien, had just died.

A Belgian missionary, Damien had volunteered in 1878 to go to live in the leper colony on Molokai, a lawless place, ruled by violent gangs. Sixteen years later at the age of forty-nine he contracted leprosy and died, but not before establishing a civilised community, providing care, justice and peace. His total commitment to the lepers of Molokai gained him world-wide acclaim.

Stevenson was greatly moved by the care shown by the doctor and nuns in the hospital but repelled by the smell and sight of the lepers with their disfigured faces and bodies. Back in Hawaii a public figure, who had never visited the island of Molokai, wrote a letter in answer to a colleague’s enquiry about Fr. Damien. In his response he referred to the colony’s insanitary conditions and maligned the name of Father Damien. The letter was published in an Australian paper.

On reading the letter, Stevenson was outraged. In a lengthy open letter to the world’s press, he publicly humiliated the writer in a stinging rebuke. Stevenson’s invective was so severe, that he thought he might be sued. He never was. In the letter Stevenson suggested that Damien might someday be made a Saint. The Vatican officially declared Damien a saint in 2009.

The treatment of leprosy advanced, but up until 1916 the only effective medication was injectable chaulmoogra oil, which had very unpleasant side effects. In 1916 a black American chemist, Alice Augusta Ball was working at Hawaii University. She was the first woman and first black American to teach chemistry and obtain a master’s degree at the University. At the age of 23, Alice discovered a method of radically improving the medication. Her discovery, led to the most effective treatment for leprosy until the 1940s, when a full cure was found. Sadly, Alice died in 1917. Four years after her death, her notes were published and her superior, the Dean of the University, was exposed as trying to claim the discovery for himself. He had even given the new medication his name.

Today leprosy has been almost completely eliminated globally. Any pockets are quickly identified and treated.
From an article in a Rotary magazine, my windmills had interlocked. I had journeyed from Glasgow to Molokai and Hawaii, encountering en-route, saints and sinners, writers and reprobates, chemists and cures.
At the end of the article there was, written in small type:
‘Anyone requiring an after-dinner speaker should contact ‘administrator@stfrancisleprosy.org.’
In the words of the song,
“As the images unwind, like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.”
My windmills had finally resolved the initial question and provided me with a potential speaker.

P.S.
The full text of R.L. Stevenson’s letter can be viewed online. There are several films about St. Damien on YouTube.
A film was made of Alice Augusta Ball’s life ‘The Ball Method’.

Brendan Berry

Beyond the Fifth Element

2021-11-13T19:11:00.005+00:00

Was Sean Connery the 'quintessential' Bond or was Daniel Craig? Personally, I don't care because I want you to focus on the strange word 'quintessential'. It means 'the perfect example'. The 'essential' part makes sense, but what about the 'quint-' prefix? It's Latin for 'fifth' but why?

The origins of the word go back to ancient times and early attempts to understand what the world is made of. I shall explain why it divided astrologers from alchemists and how it gained its modern meaning. Finally, I'll move on to what the world is really made of and some important ideas we have to consider today.

The story begins in ancient Greece in the sixth and fifth centuries BC where the pre-Socratic philosophers were thinking about the primordial substance from which everything else was made. In time they decided it was not just one substance but four: earth, water, air and fire. These correspond to what we would now call three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas plus energy.

Aristotle felt that the heavenly bodies were composed of a fifth element. Although he did not use the term himself, it came to be called the Aether. So why, even today, do people talk about four elements when the idea was outdated when Alexander was a lad? Probably because twelve is divisible by four, but not by five, and there are twelve signs of the zodiac. So, three star-signs share one element.

In medieval alchemy the fifth element was very important and they called it 'quintessence'. Quintessence was thought to be a panacea for curing illnesses or even the philosopher's touchstone that would transform base metal into gold.

Incidentally by medieval times alchemists recognized two more elements, sulphur and mercury. So, according to astrologers you could be fiery, earthy, wet or windy but if astrology ever moved on you could be vitriolic, mercurial or ethereal. Of course, the adjective we are missing is 'quintessential'. Alchemists saw the fifth element as the purest element so the term 'quintessential' came to mean the perfect example of something.

Sulphur and mercury are real chemical elements. There are another ninety naturally occurring elements. Water isn't one of them but gold is. There is no Rumpelstiltskin out there spinning gold out of straw so let's ditch fairy tales and antiquated philosophical concepts because we need to look to the future not the past. We need to understand the modern concept of an element to deal with the state of the planet.

To be clear, the modern definition of an element is a substance that cannot be broken down using chemical reactions. These are the fundamental building blocks of our world. If you search the Internet for 'periodic table' you will see them listed from the simplest to the most complex.

The first element is hydrogen, meaning the water-former and you are going to hear a lot about green hydrogen from now on. If you pass a direct current through water you can break it down into its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is 'green' if the electricity is generated by renewables. When you burn hydrogen it recombines with oxygen to produce water. Green hydrogen will one day power aircraft.

Lord Bamford, the chairman of JCB argues that it would be better to run all vehicles on green hydrogen. His company has developed a kind of internal-combustion engine that runs on hydrogen rather than fossil fuel. Bamford says that you cannot use electric engines in the type of heavy plant machinery his company produces. He also claims that his new engines are closer to the kind of engines that mechanics are used to. The counter argument from Energy UK is that the expense of hydrogen production and the cost of deploying new infrastructure rule out the use of hydrogen-powered cars at least in the next decade.

The real fifth element is not particularly exciting. In fact, it is named boron. Boron is found in the mineral borax and in the heat-resistant glass used for casserole dishes. The sixth element is a different matter, much more important. The adjective should be 'sextessential' but that sounds like a late-night Channel Four programme. A web search suggested an interesting alternative, 'existential': of, or relating to existence. The existential element is carbon because all life is based on carbon and its ability to form long-chain molecules such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, DNA, RNA etc..

I have given you a few definitions to ponder. I have shown you how the concept of elements has developed from ancient times to our modern understanding and how the latter feeds into climate debate. The carbon cycle is out of balance and we have to be careful to be balanced in our response. Language matters. Campaign groups overuse the term 'existential threat' to justify anarchic behaviour and terrified teenagers believe they may see the end of the world. No, Greta we do not need 'blah, blah, blah'. Not even from you. In Classical Greek, words are 'lexeis' but logical reasoned arguments, or words that lead to actions, are logoi. The success of COP26 will be judged by how many logoi it produces.

Speaking at a formal function – getting organised.

2021-11-03T15:50:00.001+00:00

You don’t remember why you said yes – you’re not even sure you did – but now your ‘best friend’ has reminded you that you agreed to get them out of a hole by speaking at their formal club event / college prize giving / fund raising dinner or whatever. My advice – return the monkey now to your friend’s back and let them take at least the initial strain.

So this is a list of ten questions – and none the worse for it. Give it to your friend, or work your way through it together; once you know the answers to these questions, you’re more or less organised - just throw in some words of wisdom or suitable jokes, and you’re there. Or at least, that’s my theory. Good luck with it!

Numbers – how many people will be at this function and what sort of people? What links them? (E.g. students, Rotarians, parents, members of a particular club … ).
Dress – is there an appropriate or expected dress? Are medals to be worn?
Timing – how long is this speech to be?
Opening – what’s required? (E.g. My Lords, ladies and gentlemen; Lord Lieutenant, Principal, ladies and gentlemen, … )
Is this speech either a formal toast or a reply to a toast? If so what’s required? Who’s replying or if that’s you, who’s making the toast? Get their contact details – can be useful to consult each other in advance.
Are there any peculiar customs you should know about? (E.g. loving cup or similar ceremony, interruptions to speeches, spontaneous singing … )
Seating – where will you be sitting, who’s beside you, who are they?
Speaking – when during the function will you speak, where do you speak from, do you have a lectern, what’s the lighting like?
Microphone – is there one? What kind (e.g. table mike, throat mike … )? How does it work – where’s the on / off switch? Can you get a quick try-out before the function?
Who will introduce you? Try to take control of your own introduction – write it yourself (ideally short, topical and amusing), send the person introducing you a copy in advance and carry a paper copy to thrust at them on the day.

Ruth Maltman

What is a Speakers Club?

2021-06-08T13:00:00.010+01:00

What comes to mind when you hear ‘Speakers Club’? Do you imagine a school environment where you are tested and scored on capability; where you either pass or fail? Do you imagine a room full of business people in suits and ties, swapping business cards and trying to ‘outdo’ one another? Or do you imagine a room full of people from all backgrounds and capabilities who share one common goal and that is to invest in themselves?

If you imagine the third scenario then you are 100% correct. Our meetings, although hugely beneficial when it comes to the art of public speaking, offer so much more. In a relaxed environment, where social interaction is encouraged, we teach you how to build your confidence, present to an audience, control your nerves, speak with clarity and conviction and learn from others. Together we can achieve great things and our goal as a speaker’s club is to help you achieve greatness.

So much of our life revolves around the fight or flight intuition. This is part of our genetic makeup where our ancestors needed to protect themselves from predators in order to survive. Often, it’s the easier option to chose ‘flight’, but visualise the empowerment of standing up and winning the ‘fight’. Having the confidence to go for that promotion or a new job, speak out in meetings, become the life and soul of the party instead of shrinking into the background, make an impact in everything you do. This can be you! And we can teach you the skills and techniques to get there. So, stop procrastinating and come along and see for yourself.

We meet every second and last Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm currently on Zoom but we have everything crossed for being able to meet in Moseley, Birmingham in July/August. Drop us a message to book your place.

Top 10 Tips to Avoid Death by PowerPoint

2021-03-16T11:53:00.003+00:00

Avoid Death by PowerPoint

PowerPoint can be a great aid to use to support your speech however, it can also work against you. Rather than enhance what you are saying to your audience, if not used properly it can actually turn your audience off completely.

Here are some top tips to consider the next time you need to write a presentation.

1. Before you even get to your computer, consider what your subject is and what you need to cover. Have you done your research and is everything correct? What are your objectives? Are you trying to persuade, entertain, inform etc? How long does it need to be and finally, what is the outcome that you are looking to achieve?

2.Once you have a clear agenda or story, break down your main ideas into bite-sized statements for each of your slides. This will help you control the length of your presentation and decide what needs to be there and what doesn’t need its own slide.

3. Choose a single background to your presentation and use it throughout. If you use a different background it will look ill-prepared and distracting. By all means, use the tools that PowerPoint has to float words onto the screen or fade in or out, but don’t overuse these. Keep it simple and clear.

4. Use simple and clear fonts ensuring the text is big enough. Think about the audience in the back, they need to see what you have written too.

5. Use bullet points rather than sentences. You only want to give your audience a snapshot of what you are going to talk about, not the whole of your speech. When you are presenting try not to read from the screen either. Your audience can already read your presentation. When you go through each point, that’s when you can elaborate.

6. Use key words to emphasise your points. Use strong punchy words that get the point across without giving away everything.

7. Make sure that your slides follow a logical order. Nothing is more off-putting than a presentation that jumps all over the place. Think about a story needing a beginning, middle and end.

8. Use pictures. If they support your presentation then use pictures to support your key points. It will help to keep your audience interested and engaged.

9. Avoid a lot of text and too many slides. If you have ever heard the saying ‘Death by PowerPoint’ this is why. The more your audience needs to read, the less they will listen to you and the more what you are saying will fall flat.

10. Rehearse and time your presentation. Sounds obvious, but lack of preparation before your presentation will show. You need your words and your PowerPoint presentation to work in complete harmony. You are only able to see if your speech and presentation work together if you present it out loud. Present to a friend or family member and ask for honest feedback. By the time you are ready to deliver your presentation, you will be confident that your PowerPoint presentation and your speech meets all of the points mentioned in tip 1.

Bonus Tip: Love what you are presenting. Passion comes across in your voice, so enjoy your subject and good luck !

Impromptu Speeches: Some ideas and tips to get started

2021-03-05T15:09:00.002+00:00

Most people find it hard to stand up and speak fluently off the cuff. Perhaps you want to respond to someone’s talk, but do not have the confidence or know the right words – how often do you say nothing and then when you get home you suddenly think “now why did I not say…”. At a meeting you may be asked for your opinion or asked to comment on a particular subject. You may know the subject, but having to comment right there and then….
Perhaps you need a bit of practice — and you can do this at home, no-one else needs to be around.

Step 1: Take a noun e.g. DREAMS

Photo by Benjamin Sow on Unsplash

Step 2: Write down words beginning with each letter
     e.g.      Danger
                 Realise
               Excitement
                 Anger
                 Mist
                 Satisfaction

Step 3: Take 5 minutes to draft a story using these 6 words. It does not matter in which order you use them, just make sure you use them all in your story.
Step 4: Read out the story you have just written (remember this is just to yourself, but it is better to say it aloud)
Step 5: Repeat step 2 — same letters, different words.
Step 6: Now, don’t write anything down, but still compose your story as you speak it, i.e. impromptu.

And now that you have tried that, you can choose any other word and repeat — until you feel more confident that you are not going to get tongue-tied next time you want to stand up and say something at a meeting or are asked for your opinion!

Diana Porterfield

Top Tips for Writing an Awesome Speech

2021-02-16T10:55:00.001+00:00

You are sat down with a blank piece of paper, ready to write your speech; an hour later the page is still blank. You want to be entertaining and engaging, funny even, but the words just aren’t coming to you.

Here are some top tips to inspire you to write an awesome speech.

1. Know your audience. Identifying who your audience is will help with setting the pitch tone and content of your speech, use the right language and engage your audience appropriately. Is your speech in front of professionals or a casual setting? Setting the pitch and tone at the right level will help you to get maximum engagement from your audience.

2. Write an outline. Much like writing a story, a speech needs a beginning, middle and end. By writing an outline of what you want to say will help when it comes to adding detail. What are the main points that you want to cover? What is the reason behind giving the speech? What do you want to achieve?

3. How long does it need to be? Keep this in mind will help when it comes to fleshing out the details. You may have a set time that you need to stick to or the freedom for it to be as long as you like but make sure that no matter what the length, you keep to the time you set otherwise, you could run the risk of waffling which will detract from the main points you want to cover.

4. Get creative. Now you have your main points, it’s time to flesh out the details. Let your typing or writing run amok. Give yourself complete and utter freedom to write down whatever comes to you. The more writing you do at this point the better your speech will be. Even if you think of something crazy, write it down. At this stage, it doesn't matter.

5. Editing and proofing. Following your outline as a guide, it is now time to give your writing some structure. Take out the bits that don’t support your speech, focus on your intentions, take out any waffle. Expand on the bits you know to be important.

6. Practice. Perform your speech in front of a friend or family member and ask for honest feedback. This not only gives you the opportunity to time your speech but also to cut out or add anything to make it better. Once you have edited your speech, then recite it again and again until you are comfortable. The more you know your speech the more natural it will be when you come to deliver it.

7. Enjoy. Even if you are delivering to a room full of professionals, if you prepared well and comfortable with your speech you will come across as confident and enjoying sharing with the room.

Next time you need to write an all-important speech, following these tips will help you to not just write a speech, but to write an awesome speech.

Platform Presence on Zoom

2021-01-25T23:54:00.003+00:00

What is good platform presence and why is it important on Zoom? Good platform presence helps to command and hold the attention of your audience, whether you are physically in front of an audience in a meeting room or appearing on a screen on the wall or even on a screen in your own home. You may not be too worried if you are simply making social contact on Zoom, but if you are in a business meeting you may need to impress and you certainly need to get your message over, to make your presence felt.

The following gives you some suggestions to ponder over before you venture onto Zoom.

A Two Step Approach

Preparation

Make sure you have practised on Zoom beforehand — you can always try it out with a friend. But remember that there are different levels of Zoom, each providing slightly different facilities. Search of the internet will give you lots of practical advice on how to use Zoom and how to get the best out of it technically.
If you are using Zoom from your home, decide which room you are going to use and make sure your set-up is as good as it can be. Avoid busy and untidy rooms in your house. Alternatively, Zoom offers you the ability to change the transmitted background using a selected wallpaper. However, be careful what sort of background you pick. If it is too busy it will distract from your presentation. Also be aware of how any movement you make may affect the apparent focus of the background. This is definitely something to try out beforehand.
Make sure that your lighting is suitable, you cannot impress if your audience cannot see you clearly. The best source of light is one that you are looking towards. Light from one side can be adequate but will highlight your pores and blemishes, so it depends on how vain you are!
Make sure that you are in focus and that you can clearly hear and be heard. Again a practice with a friend beforehand can be useful. If using a PC then a separate webcam and speakers may be required – make sure they are of adequate quality.
Have visual aids which can be brought into play without difficulty. Zoom facilities for displaying documents or slides are available. There is also a Whiteboard option. But do make sure you have tried and mastered these facilities beforehand.
Have your notes in order and easy to handle – cards or A4 sized documents are still best for talking from but remember that it will be possible to display key data using the facilities described in the paragraph above.
Be appropriately dressed. Your appearance is still important and although casual outfits may be appropriate, you do need to look as if you care.
Be sure you know how to get into Zoom in a timely manner and how to mute your voice when others are talking so that no extraneous noises disturb the meeting. Not everyone wants to hear your dog barking or your children quarrelling!
Don’t forget to close all unnecessary files or tabs that can slow down your software and connection. Make sure you have done a test run to ensure there are no unexpected technical obstacles for your presentation.
Place your seat so that your audience can see your head and shoulders. If using a laptop, have it on a solid surface and use a box or books to raise it up if necessary.

The Presentation

Greet your audience and introduce yourself if necessary. Make sure your name is appropriately displayed on the screen. If you press the “record” facility at the start, then you can review your presentation and all the audience interaction to it, afterwards. Your next presentation can then be even better.
Sit comfortably and try not to move around as this can be distracting and may affect the focus of your picture or the clarity of your sound for the audience.
Indicate when you are starting and speak clearly.
Maintain eye contact by looking at the screen. Avoid looking at the walls and the ceiling of your room, and never out of a window.
Be aware of any distracting mannerisms you may have as these can be exaggerated by the concentration of your presence on a small screen and annoy your audience:
- Make sure your hairstyle is tidy even if you haven’t had a hair cut for a while. Untidy hair can be a distraction especially if you find yourself “fiddling” with it.
- Spectacles that do not fit and have to be pushed up the nose all the time should be avoided if possible.
- Gestures may not be of much use on Zoom but do not to fiddle with paper or other things on your desk / table.
Make sure it is obvious when your presentation has come to an end.
Wait for the host to close the meeting before you disconnect.

Platform presence is as important on Zoom as in any other situation. Do not be put off by the technology. With thorough preparation, your presentations can take off on Zoom and achieve the high standards you are used to. No presenter is ever perfect and nobody expects you to be. If you slip-up during the presentation, simply acknowledge it, and pick up from where you erred. Always remember to keep your audience engaged with a SMILE.

Yvonne Baker