talking about India
Last week I spoke to a group of people from St Paul’s Cathedral about my visit to India. I was asked to speak for 30-45 minutes. I’d never spoken on my own for that length of time before. When speaking in public, I generally try either of two strategies, both of which have problems:

- Write the whole talk word for word beforehand and read it, forgetting to look at the audience.

- Write a basic outline and notes and get nervous, lose my place and forget what I’m trying to say.

I didn’t have time to write the whole talk this time, so I prepared an outline with a few introductory paragraphs so I would at least be able to start. I brought some photos and encouraged the audience (about a dozen people, none of them strangers) to interrupt whenever I wanted. It worked! I talked without getting stuck; the audience brought up many interesting questions and comments; and I filled up my allotted time perfectly. It helps that I have a lot to say about the subject and 45 minutes is much better than being asked for a “brief summary” of the trip -- most travellers know that a few minutes with distracted friends doesn’t do justice to the experience! I’m much more confident about my speaking abilities now.

Notes from the talk are at http://chionh.org/travel/indiatalk06.html