Colchester Speakers ClubNeil Beadle
Occupation:
Maintenance Engineer
Joined
Why did you join
Colchester Speakers Club
I joined to improve my confidence in speaking but also to improve
my confidence generally.
Why do you feel you need
to improve your public speaking?
For me it’s more a matter of improving my overall confidence and
speaking is one part of this.
I’ve been told I have the gift of the gab but the ideas in my
head are more advanced than my ability to express my ideas articulately
to other people.
What is your career to
date?
I am a practical person – I want know how things work and I want to be
doing things that lead to a better finished product than when I started
work on it. I’ve done lots
of jobs, including panel beating, car mechanics, car restoration,
antiques restoration, I am also a director of a small company that sells
measuring instruments.
When did you first realise
you had a problem speaking to large groups?
I didn’t really – there was no dawning moment if that’s what you mean.
How did you find out about
the Colchester Speakers Club?
I found it on the Internet and it got me thinking – so I emailed James
and then I turned up for a meeting in April 2009.
My first meeting was incredibly scary!!!
I forced myself to get up and say something – I had a go at the
topics and managed about 30 seconds of drivel I think but I got a huge
round of applause!
What stage are you up to
in your Speakers Club manual?
I’ve done my B4 which is the one about
using gestures. I am going to skip a
few for my next speech and do my B7 which concentrates on the use of
notes – I am not good with notes and want to face the fear on this one.
What have been the
benefits of the Speakers Club for you?
I have much more confidence – that’s the benefit – I have more
confidence, not just in speaking but generally and the club has given me
a much better vocabulary too.
What would you say to
anyone who is anxious about speaking in public?
I’d say go ahead and just do it!
Come to a meeting – what is there to lose?