Royal wedding memories with a twist
DELVING into the ODT’s fusty files last Friday was an addictive experience.
I found myself back down in the file room yesterday morning on a quest to check how good my memory was for something as useless and totally unimportant as television programmes.
It came about because, at the weekend, we watched the highlights of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I enjoyed seeing all the street shots of Windsor, which is only about 10km down the road from where I lived in England as a youngster (we had slightly different socioeconomic standing and housing, though).
Anyway, that reminded me of the breathtaking royal wedding of July 29, 1981, when Prince Charles married Lady Di. It was a Wednesday night and the headline of that morning’s ODT
shows the need for some things hasn’t changed — ‘‘Intense security in London’’, it said; ‘‘Crowds await wedding’’.
Why I recall it so well is there was no way, as a 16yearold, I was going to sit watching that all evening on TV1 with Mum and Dad. The television listings in the ODT show it was scheduled from 8.45pm to 12.15am. Fortunately, it did not disrupt that evening’s screening of It’s Academic at 6pm, with grinning quizmaster Lockwood Smith.
Anyway, this is why I wanted to test my grey cells yesterday. I clearly remembered instead watching TV2 with my brother on his tiny portable blackandwhite set (not the glowing colour Thorn Precision 20 in the lounge) and there was a
Hammer House of Horror series running.
And, lo and behold, when I checked yesterday. I was right. At 9pm, the Hammer House of Horror presented ‘‘The House that Bled to Death’’ on TV2. I couldn’t remember the specific episode, but do recall being scared half to death. I was pleased to find I hadn’t got my slightly unusual memories of the royal wedding night mixed up, gruesome as they were.
Which makes me curious to know about any great television memories you have — perhaps your first set, when you got a colour TV, your favourite programme of all time. Please rush your replies to me at the usual address.
Public speaking
Thanks to all for advice on presenting a seminar this Thursday.
I’ve found the tips really useful, so thought I’d share some of them for anyone else who is also a rather anxious public speaker.
James Dignan’s suggestions include remembering the audience is not your enemy, focusing on one person (poor them) and not going ‘‘out of your way to be funny’’ (James, that will happen when I’m least expecting it to).
‘‘The most important piece of advice,’’ he says, is ‘‘before going on stage, go to the toilet. There’s nothing worse than being heckled by your bladder during a speech.’’
Thanks James, that is very good advice.
I’m also very fortunate to have heard from Craig McGregor, a member of the Dunedin Toastmasters Club. Craig is a sixtime Toastmasters New Zealand District (national) finalist and represented Toastmasters New Zealand at the semifinals of the World Championship of Public Speaking in the United States in 2012.
I can’t run every word of Craig’s wonderful advice here, so what I’m going to do is ask him to do the seminar for me. I’m sure that will lead to a much better outcome for everyone involved.
Seriously, it is encouraging to hear Craig, with all those years of experience, say he still gets nervous before speaking.
‘‘You want to be successful and, believe it or not, your audience wants you to be successful too. The last thing they want is a speaker who is nervous. If need be, fake it until you make it.
‘‘Nothing replaces research, content preparation and presentation practice (whoops
. . .). Without it, you have a right to feel nervous. If you have been selected to present at a seminar or conference on a particular subject then it is probably because you have worked in that area, have particular skills, knowledge or experience. It does not mean you are a good speaker.’’
Craig has three (edited, sorry) suggestions to ease nervousness.
‘‘You need to calm yourself and focus your attention so you are operating on all cylinders. It starts with relaxation and breathing.You can also add in vocal warmups.
‘‘Secondly, the first 60 seconds are vital. Microphones that attach to your face are best because your mouth — where sound comes from — and the microphone stay in unison. Lectern or handheld microphones could cause trouble and exacerbate nervousness.
‘‘Look at the audience rather than looking over their heads, trying to convince the back wall. Never think of them as naked. It is a time to build rapport between you and the audience. How do you do this? Look directly at the audience and smile. Hold that for a few seconds and they will smile back.
‘‘Thirdly, what do I do with my hands? Body parts can be a distraction. Clothing and jewellery can be too. To eliminate the appearance of nervousness place your hands naturally at your side.’’
Craig says there are many Toastmasters clubs throughout Otago and around New Zealand. Anyone interested should visit www.toastmasters.org.nz/clubs to find their closest club.