Public Speaking Courses in London
A sage football coach once told me that your next game of football is your most important. Likewise, your next speech is your most important focus. There's nothing that can be done about the last one except reflect on it. A few years of my professional career elapsed before I attended my first courses in public speaking, because my baptism to public speaking in front of the Board of the Co-Op in Manchester was a shocker. I experienced increased heartbeat and profuse sweating initially, followed by tightness and dryness in the throat. Heavyweight butterflies knawed my stomach muscles and I drifted into a drowsy state. This was my first and last panic attack. I vowed never to allow it to happen again. The same sage also said that "It's not where you start, it's where you finish."
I died in front of the board
The board was kind to me, they gave me water and wafted the air across my face from a manilla A4 envelope. They asked me if I’d ever attended a public speaking class. I returned a conclusive answer of “What's that?”. Five minutes later, they wheeled me out of the boardroom, and I staggered, crestfallen back towards the office. I was still sweating heavily when I turned left out of the front door. I decided to send myself for an early bath.
The dark ages
This was 1985, pre-internet, and looking for a public speaking course was harder than you might think. I checked the Yellow Pages, but nothing. Looking for a fear of public speaking course was worse, as it had yet to be introduced up north. Fear of public speaking courses in London? The same. No way Jose.
One of the reasons I moved to London was to evade my work colleagues who had cruelly nick-named me, ‘the sweaty guy’. My colleagues fanned themselves with manilla envelopes and asked me if I wanted the temperature turned down. A little adversity is a good thing in the long run.
Beckenham Little Theatre for Public Speaking Courses
As fortune had it, I moved to Bromley in South-East, London, and attended public speaking classes and theatre workshops at Beckenham Little Theatre, which was a ten-minute walk from home. Those London public speaking courses were the making of me. They gave me permission to experiment with my voice. I learned about body language, pacing, and creating presence. I started practicing rhetorical devices and quoting Shakespeare and other greats from the stage. I made a lot of friends too. Who’d have thought this process was such fun?
There were a lot of young people there who’d experienced difficulties with the fear of public speaking and these public speaking courses made a difference for us all. We laughed and joked about our problems and reminded each other of the public speaker’s journey. It’s not an easy path. These courses in public speaking London acted as a game changer in my personal development.
From there, I attended every in-house presentation possible. I wanted to see how my colleagues' performed and observe the different styles of delivery. It turned out, I was marching on the right path. Over the years, I volunteered to make every presentation possible. When colleagues declined invitations to speak, I invited myself on their behalf.
It's not where you start, it's where you finish. And I'm not finished yet.
Public Speaking Courses in London with Vince Stevenson, one of the UK's most experienced speech coaches. What are you waiting for?
