I can remember it like it was yesterday.  I was eleven years old and I was asked to give a reading at my school Christmas carol service.

In fairness, at the age of eleven I didn't know then that I could eventually speak for a living, but in hindsight it was a moment when I realised that I enjoyed speaking in front of an audience.

My Mum took it very seriously, and every day for three weeks had me repeatedly stand at the top of the stairs in our house while she (and our dog) stood at the bottom.  She gently coached me to read slowly, with sincerity, to look her (and the dog) in the eye and to speak slightly over their heads.

My Mum knew a thing or two about making an impact too.  She had been an ice dancer in her twenties and noticed in competitions that judges often missed the start of a skater's routine because they were busy talking to each other or still looking down and finishing their scoring for the previous performer.

She wanted to make sure that the judges saw every second of her routine, so arranged to have music that had a big introduction, but with a moment or two of silence before the piece really got going.  In that brief moment of silence the judges would look up - and it was then that she started her ice dance routine.

Speaking in front of an audience is one thing, but getting their full attention right from the start is not necessarily so easy!  But the first line of my carol service reading definitely did the trick.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night..."

And so began my love of speaking.  When did you first realise that you loved speaking in front of an audience?

By Philip Calvert

It's been a long time since I read quite so much comment about a speech - particularly one from a politician.

But what has fascinated me, is that much of the comment has been about the mastery of the delivery rather than the content, the message and the politics.

I'm using the speech as pre-course homework for a presentation and speaking skills workshop that I'm running later this month, as it demonstrates some superb skills.  

Watch the video and feel free to comment on what speaking and presentation techniques he is using.  (Opinions are appreciated, but we're only interested in the speaking techniques - not the politics!  Thank you.)

I was going through some old photos today, and found this one taken in Singapore.  It was a marketing event and I was there to speak about how to plan, promote and present successful seminars.

My book Successful Seminar Selling had been published the previous year, so it was a good opportunity to give it some promotion in Singapore - an area where everyone loves seminars.

One of the tips I include in the book is that when you are marketing or promoting a seminar, you should always say that your event will be a "great networking opportunity" for attendees.  

As well as the fantastic content that attendees will hear at your event, people are naturally drawn to opportunities where people like themselves will be attending.  People like being with other people, so express that as a great networking opportunity, and it will help to get attendees to your seminar seminar or event.

As it turned out, it was a great networking opportunity for me too, as when I was there I discovered these well known, top speakers (left to right) Roger Harrop, Patricia Wheatley Burt, Frank Furness and personal branding expert Lesley Everett.  Oh, and that's me on the right.

One of the great things about being a professional speaker, is that you get to meet, watch, listen and learn from some true professionals.

Ever since attending my first Global Speaker Summit in Singapore, I've been fortunate enough to meet some amazing people on the circuit; and not only do I learn from watching their skills, but the bonus is that you get a real education on their area of expertise.

And then there are some people who are just plain funny.  You see stand up comedians on the television or at a show, but many conference speakers who are unheard of in the TV world will still have you rolling around in hysterics.

Of course, humour is very much a matter of personal taste, but there are two people in the speaking world who crack me up every time.  One is Tim Gard (who I'll feature in a future post) and the other is Jeanne Robertson - a lady who has won every top accolade in the speaking profession.

Here's a great article about Jeanne:  
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susantardanico/2012/08/14/who-says-youre-not-funny-tips-from-top-humorist-jeanne-robertson/

And then check out this example of her on stage.  Sit back and enjoy.