Simon Bucknall's Blog

Interview With A Voice Expert – Alex Ashworth, Opera Singer

Posted on May 15 2012 by simonbucknall

Alex Ashworth is an established opera soloist and Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music. A Choral Scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge, he won a Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in 1999. He has since worked with some of the most prestigious houses in Europe, including Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera. He has performed at The Royal Festival Hall, The Barbican and for John Eliot Gardiner at the BBC Proms.

How might Alex’s expertise in ‘voice’ be of value to professionals in other spheres? I had a chat with Alex to find out…

How did you get into professional singing?
I started as a chorister at the age of eight (though not as a professional!) What I found was that singing gives you extraordinary opportunities to travel and to meet people from all walks of life. I soon found the experience of standing and performing in front of an audience to be addictive – even though it’s a risk.

How is using your voice in public risky?
Because, in a way, you ‘expose’ yourself to others when you use your voice. In my profession, regardless of whether it’s your music or someone else’s, you take a risk with the sound of your voice, the content of what you’re saying or singing and you leave yourself open to criticism. After all, that’s what the critics are there for! And it’s exactly the same for anyone using their voice – whether you’re speaking up in class, presenting to a group or handling a meeting. Of course, the difference is that in those situations, you are using your own words which adds an extra challenge.

What’s the single most important thing you’ve learnt about the human voice?
That your voice can be a complete representation of who you are. It draws on everything – it represents your physicality, your emotional state, your imagination and your thought processes. When I started out as a school chorister, I thought it was all about just ‘getting the music right’. But now, that’s only the first step. In my teaching, I try to help my students connect with each section of the song – each phrase, each note – with personal experience they have actually had, so that the piece truly resonates with them. That way, they get get to tell ‘their story’ through the song – which is what engages the audience.”

What are the most common mistakes people make with their voices?
The biggest one is allowing the upper part of the body to become too tense. It’s vital to shift that tension away from the upper part of the body and convert it into energy in the lower part of the body – that is, down in the diaphragm area, beneath the lungs. Often, people allow the ‘unhelpful’ upper body tension to develop without even realising it.

Can you give an example?
Many young men in opera want to sound as mature as possible. To do that, they try to lower their tone, to sound as deep and resonant as possible. But this puts tremendous strain on the jaw and tongue – which can be a real problem. My challenge is to help them to release that tension – to ‘let go of it’ – and instead to find the freedom to release their natural voice.

As a professional singer, do you still get nervous?
Absolutely – and it’s very common, even for singers at the highest level! It never quite goes away. At La Scala in Milan, there’s a well known group of opera ‘enthusiasts’ who arrive on the first night of a show, ready to boo at anyone whom they feel is sub-standard. You can imagine the pressure that puts on the performers.

Very quickly, you can find yourself with tight breathing, sweaty palms and a mind full of all the worst possible things that could happen to you. It doesn’t help that many theatres are dark and dusty – and you never know when you’ll come up against a bored or hostile audience.

How do you help people to overcome nervousness and/or that tension you spoke of?
The best remedy is always to work on the breathing – especially the out-breath. It needs to be nice and long. If the in-breath is too long, you can literally see the tension in the shoulders. But if you take a short in-breath and then allow a long, slow out-breath, the body responds beautifully. And it’s all reflex! I find it helpful to ask for positive thoughts, too. If your mind is going negative, take charge of it and feed positive thoughts back in.

What’s your favourite singing moment?
Pavarotti singing with the New York Philharmonic on 14th January 1980 – his physical freedom and control of the voice is just extraordinary… and this was also long before he was famous!

Which singer do you most admire?
Simon Keenleyside – a baritone singer at the Met.

Which one book on voice would you recommend?
‘Your Voice & How To Use It’ by Cicely Berry – Director of Voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Simon was talking to Alex Ashworth – if you know a singer who might be interested in Alex’s expertise, he can be reached via his website here.

Alex will soon be available for voice coaching for non-singers – if you think you may be interested, just send us an email: info@theartofconnection.co.uk

If you’re interested in working with Simon one-to-one on your public speaking you can find out more here. For a FREE 15 minute consultation by phone, again just drop us an email at: info@theartofconnection.co.uk

A Comment On Coaching

Posted on May 10 2012 by simonbucknall

Since I last blogged about The Voice (see article on ‘Ruth Brown’) much has changed.

Britain’s Got Talent now appears to be winning the ratings war. Meanwhile, all hell has broken loose, it seems, on the BBC with some viewers complaining that the coaches’ comments are becoming “boring”.

What’s certainly true is that Jessie J, Tom Jones, Will.i.am and Danny O’Donoghue are missing a trick. Commenting on a performance in a very short space of time isn’t easy – whether you’re judging a song, a variety act or (in my world) a speech/presentation.

But it’s critically important to provide value for the audience – not just the artist, performer or speaker. While it may be tempting simply to state whether you liked it or not, a coach has a responsibility to go a stage further.

How, you may ask?

By pinpointing a specific aspect of the performance – and then offering a tip or insight which sheds fresh light for the benefit of those watching.

Jessie, Tom, Will and Danny have an extraordinary breadth and depth of singing expertise – yet as a viewer, I can’t help feeling a bit short-changed.

Let me give you an example:

In the most recent episode, I lost count of the number of times coaches commented on:

“making the song your own”
“you really made it your own”
“you didn’t quite make it your own”

Errr…. right… but can you go a bit deeper than that??

Not only did the coaches’ comments become repetitive – they also felt superficial. Surely Tom Jones is capable of deeper insight than just stating whether the singer ‘made it his/her own’ or not?

How about shedding light on how a singer might take emotional ownership? Now THAT would be interesting to hear – both for aspiring singers and non-singers alike! The singer’s team coach is, surely, particularly well-placed to do this, having spent time one-to-one with that individual.

Just last weekend, I interviewed Alex Ashworth, a well-established professional opera singer and voice expert – he’s a Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, so he knows a thing or two about voice. [You can read the full interview on this blog in just a couple of days time - hit 'Subscribe' above left to ensure you receive it.]

Alex commented: “when I first started out as a school chorister, I thought it was all about ‘getting the music right.’ But now, getting the music ‘right’ is just the first step. I try to connect each section of the song – each phrase – with personal experience I have actually had…. so that the piece genuinely resonates with me. That way, as a singer you get to tell your story through the song – which is what engages the audience.”

Now that’s what I call an insight.

The same principle is true in public speaking – you ‘make the speech your own’ by connecting your message with personal experience you have actually had. And believe me, the audience picks up on that. Live performance is, by definition, emotive. It’s also profoundly human. The audience’s connection is with the individual performing, not the composer, not the songwriter, not the speechwriter.

So, when giving feedback as a coach, whether you’re on The Voice, a team leader at work or in some other situation, focus on practical value which can benefit all those involved.

Your audience will appreciate you. They’ll also be far less likely to switch off!

Interview with Jakub Pawlowski – 2012 London Champion of Public Speaking

Posted on May 4 2012 by simonbucknall

Each year, 26,000 speakers around the world enter the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking Contest.

Comprising six ‘knock-out rounds’, starting at club level in February, the contest culminates in the World Final at the Toastmasters International Convention, held in August each year – usually in the USA.

Jakub Pawlowski is the 2012 winner of the London Final (Round 3). He will compete in the GB & All-Ireland ‘District Final’ (Round 4) in Wexford, Ireland on Saturday 12^th May 2012. The winner in Wexford will go forward to represent both nations in the World Championship Semi-Finals (Round 5) in Orlando, Florida USA.

Fortunately, Simon was able to catch up with him for a quick chat…

Jakub with Lynne Cantor (winner of the 2012 London Evaluation Skills Contest)

So Jakub, tell us why you decided to take up public speaking?

I was always a very shy person but I soon realised that to progress my career, public speaking is a skill I would need. I moved to the UK five years ago and then joined a Toastmasters Club about 18 months ago.

[Editor's Note: if you're also based in or near London and would like to find out more about public speaking clubs near you, check out www.thelondonspeaker.com]

Where did you start out?

The first club I joined is called ‘Polish Your Polish’ – a Polish speaking club here in London. It was really good because I could focus on public speaking skills first, without getting too concerned about the language barrier.

What have been the benefits?

What I’ve found is that public speaking has helped the way I communicate with people in general – not just in front of an audience.

I’m a software engineer, so it’s obviously helped with my meetings at work. I find I can express myself in a better way than before. But I also pay more attention to what others are saying. One of the things about public speaking – you may become a better speaker, but you also have to become a better listener!

Outside work too, doing things like networking, I feel much more confident than before. I’m no longer afraid to talk to a complete stranger and to engage them.

How many languages do you speak?

Six. Polish, English, French, Spanish, Russian and German…

Yikes! What’s your experience been like with English here in the UK?

I really struggled with spoken English – especially when I started out here. But after being a member of Polish Your Polish for a while, my mentor advised me to join an English-speaking club – London Corinthians.

How did you prepare for delivering your first speech in English?

First, I delivered the speech in Polish. I found this easier, because once I knew how to deliver it in Polish, it was easier for me to focus on the words when speaking in the English club.

What advice would you give to people who worry about how they come across in their 2^nd/3^rd or even 4^th language?

Well, I definitely made a lot of blunders! But if you don’t try, you’ll never improve. With new idioms or words, I would look them up and then find a way to use them as quickly as possible. That’s the only way to make the phrase stick, I find. You have to use it!

Also, many people commented on my pronunciation. So, I decided to take elocution classes. I can highly recommend this to any non-native speaker struggling with pronunciation.

Finally, everyone I’ve met has been very tolerant. So long as they could understand me, that was the most important thing.

How are you feeling about the upcoming GB & All-Ireland Final?

I’m really looking forward to it. A lot of people say I’ve got a chance to do really well, so I don’t want to squander that opportunity. I definitely intend to do my best.

How is the contest benefitting you?

It’s making me a better speaker. Never before have I worked so much on an individual speech. Sometimes in my club, I’d even deliver a speech written on the same day! But after the second round, I spent a lot of time rewriting the speech and I delivered it in three different clubs to get as much feedback as possible.

What I found was that no matter how good I thought the speech was, I could always make it better. I tried out some things people suggested and when I compared, I could notice the difference. While pursuing excellence, rewriting, practising the speech over and over again may be really tiring, it has made me already a much better speaker and I wouldn’t trade that for anything else!

Which communicators do you admire?

Zig Ziglar & Tony Robbins.

I do a lot of running so I always have headphones on, often listening to some good speakers talking to me. This helped me to improve a lot!

Which book are you reading at the moment?

‘7 Minutes To Win’ – by Malachi Talabi, winner of the GB & All-Ireland contest in 2011.

Which other books/resources do you recommend?

The first two are audio books: ‘Stand & Deliver’ by Dale Carnegie and ‘Communicate What You Think’ by Earl Nightingale.

Also, ‘The Story Factor’ by Annette Simmons.

Jakub’s winning speech is based on a personal experience of long-distance running. Readers might be interested to learn that the day after the London Contest, Jakub ran the London Marathon – in 2hrs 44 mins. Wow!

Jakub was talking to Simon Bucknall, The Public Speaking Expert and winner of the 2006 & 2007 GB & All-Ireland contests. You can find out more by browsing the rest of this website. Or to register to receive Simon’s regular eNewsletter, click here!

[NOTE: Toastmasters International is a network of public speaking clubs - and is a completely separate organisation from the Guild of Toastmasters.]

Interview With A ‘Fine Art’ Entrepreneur – Patrick McCrae

Posted on May 1 2012 by simonbucknall

This interview forms part of The Art Of Connection Interview Series.

For additional resources, check out Simon’s regular eNewsletter!

It’s free – to register, simply…

How did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I’ve always wanted to run a company – having seen my father buy and sell businesses throughout my childhood. I love art and so does my family. After graduating, I tasked myself with identifying a range of business models which had a low start-up cost and low overheads. One model I identified was the subscription model, so I decided to combine the two – and ‘Works In Print’ was born!

So, what does ‘Works In Print’ in offer?

We offer quality art to corporate clients on a subscription basis. We lease the art from the artist and then rent or sell the art for display in commercial office space. My client contacts tend to be facilities managers.

When did you start the business?

Pretty much straight after I graduated. I founded the company in November 2009 and started trading three months later.

So by my maths, you must be…

23 years old now. I was 21 when I started.

Has age ever been a challenge?

At times. Every now and then it can be a ‘thing’ for people. Early on, I think some people wondered whether or not I was serious: “does he actually know what he’s talking about… or is he just messing about?” That kind of thing. It may be a cliché, but it’s true: people really do buy people.

What differentiates you from competitors?

When exhibiting, an artist normally only gets paid once their work is actually sold. But Works In Print is different – because with us, artists get paid for their exhibition time. This means we’re able to attract extremely high quality artists.

Who are you working with?

A wide variety of original artists, of course. But also, we represent some large national archives such as the British Library and the Science Photo Library. As of yesterday, National Geographic!

So how did you set about developing your business?

I quickly realized that the best way to get business in my field, especially when looking to connect with a small but high-end client base, was through networking. I’d identified that the most fruitful groups were industry specific – i.e. focused on commercial property. It’s much easier to build rapport that way because you automatically have common ground.

So, how did you build credibility?

I joined some committees – and got up to speak at events! Either I’d be introducing other speakers, or speaking about the importance of art in the workplace. Often I’d be talking to people twice my age. But we run a seminar called ‘Art Works’ which enabled me to position myself as the expert in office art. As soon as you stand up to speak to the people in a room, it highlights you and gives you profile. Without this, it can be difficult to stand out. What I found was that by delivering with confidence and keeping the presentation short and punchy, people were impressed.

So, speaking has been valuable?

Well, Simon, I know it’s your profession – but it is literally SO important! For me, it’s all about engaging people and being able to hold their attention. That way, you stand out. And it’s not just about presentations. The ability ‘to get on with people’ is crucial. That’s why I’ve become very proactive about arranging lunches and dinners. To take people out of the formal business environment and engage on a more relaxed, amicable level.

What’s your top tip for engaging someone?

Try to make them laugh. Perhaps not the best speaking technique – but I find it helps!

What advice would you give for anyone starting their own business?

Expect to be told “No” a lot. But don’t take it personally. Remember, they’re not saying no to YOU. They’re saying no to your proposition. Perhaps they don’t understand it properly. When I set up the company, I found it helpful to think of it as like a shield – right there in front of me. They’re saying no to ‘that’ rather than to me.

Which one business book would you recommend?

“The 4 Hr Work Week” by Tim Ferriss. His productivity suggestions are really good.

Can you recommend an art exhibition we should go to?

Ha! Well, one of my artists is exhibiting at St Martin’s-In-The-Fields. It’s called “Repre” and is on until 13^th May 2012. http://www.repreart.co.uk/

Also, check out Bill Viola – at the Norwich Festival. He’s my favourite artist in the world!

Simon Bucknall was talking with Patrick McCrae, Founder of Works In Print. To ensure you don’t miss future interviews and posts, why not subscribe to this blog?

Just scroll to the top of the left-hand sidebar – and click the section marked ‘subscribe to this blog’…

This interview forms part of The Art Of Connection Interview Series.

BBC’s “The Voice” – And What Business Communicators Can Learn

Posted on April 29 2012 by simonbucknall

OK – I admit it. I’m hooked.

BBC’s ‘The Voice’ looks like being a serious hit for 2012 for the folks of the Corporation. Along with countless others, I’m a fan.

Since I specialise in public speaking, you’d be right in thinking I take more than a passing interest in all things ‘voice related’, whether on TV, radio or in print. But ‘The Voice’ is spotlighting a singular truth of communication which may be of value for you, whatever professional field you’re in.

The sheer power of authentic emotion.

As far as ‘The Voice’ is concerned, there’s no better example in my view than Ruth Brown, the 19 year old London girl (see her 1st round audition in the clip below) who is emerging, surely, as one of the favourites to win the whole competition.

Boy, can she sing. But what differentiates Ruth is the sheer intensity of emotion she manages to convey to the audience. Singing legend and coach on “The Voice”, Tom Jones, recruited Ruth to join his team. He has since commented more than once on her ability to ‘come from an entirely different place’ when singing.

This is not the place for me to retrace Ruth’s own personal story and her associated emotions. But what I do feel I can say is that in ‘connecting’ with how she herself feels about her life and her world, Ruth opens herself to vulnerability. What’s more, without that willingness to risk emotional vulnerability, she’d have nothing like the same impact on her audience.

So, what am I saying?

That emotion connects.

And that vulnerability goes hand-in-hand with emotion – and in the process, taps into enormous potential power.

Pity, then, that in business, vulnerability seems nothing short of a dirty word.

Vulnerability = weakness, fragility and perhaps even lack of professionalism.

Not surprisingly, many professionals (including executives at all levels of seniority) steer well clear.

The result? A retreat to the Rational.

Business presentations and engagements which…

simply state facts
default to use of jargon
ooze data
lack meaningful and impactful anecdotes
struggle to emotionally engage the audience

In short, they place safe, resulting in what I can only describe as a ‘coldness’ in the conduct of the overwhelming proportion of formal business communication.

Am I saying business professionals should surrender to a permanent state of commercial therapy – with communicators engaged in emotionally-charged navel-gazing?

Of course not.

What I am saying is that emotion connects – as much in business as in showbusiness. The dispassionate nature of much business communication is a missed opportunity.

Ask any venture capitalist. The business proposition is important. But the defining factor when it comes to investing is more often the VC’s sense for the management team. The people.

The process of really getting to understand a person is by definition an emotional one. And as suggested earlier, opening oneself to emotion entails the risk of vulnerability.

But can vulnerability and the resulting authenticity of voice give you a competitive edge?

You bet it can – just check out what happened for Ruth Brown in the second round of the competition…

Interview With A ‘Listening Expert’ – Richard Mullender, Former Hostage Negotiator

Posted on April 26 2012 by simonbucknall

Richard Mullender is the former Lead Trainer at the National Crisis & Hostage Negotiation Unit at Scotland Yard. A true communications expert, he’s also a colleague and a great friend.

Think of him as someone with experience of the power of the spoken word at ‘the sharp end’…

So, the other day, Richard and I sat down and had a little chat.

Q – The life of a hostage negotiator sounds exciting… even glamorous. Is it?
Exciting – yes. Tense – yes. Glamorous – no! That’s because when you’re on a negotiation, it’s usually 2 o’clock in the morning, it’s raining and somehow you’re always in the middle of a field. A friend of mine used to say: ‘as a negotiator, you fly over all the nice places to land in all the sh*t holes.’ Pardon my French. Truth is, you just don’t do negotiations in Barbados. You do them in somewhere like… Afghanistan.

Who have you worked with?
Well, apart from the British police… the United Nations, the Indian Secret Service, the Maltese Secret Service, the Scorpions in South Africa and since leaving the force, a wide range of companies and organisations in the not-for-profit sector.

Who has impressed you on your travels?
U.N. Field Security Officers are a class apart. They operate in all the places we hear about and read about – but they’re there, on the ground, dealing with terrorist organisations on a near-daily basis. To be honest, they live and exist in a world which is beyond our imagination and accept as common-place things which we’d find extremely difficult to deal with.

In a negotiation, what’s the single biggest mistake most people make?
Not listening carefully – and so missing the key. People are often too concerned with their agenda and are not focused enough on understanding how the other side is thinking and feeling. Only if you understand them do you get the pathway to exerting influence – and without that pathway, you’re nowhere.

What’s your top tip for improving your negotiation skills?
Practice! Practice daily. Just get into conversation with people – and get them talking. Listen carefully to what they have to say. Be interested. Doesn’t matter who. You can do this with anyone at all – your parents, boyfriend, girlfriend, the waiter at the restaurant, someone at the bus-stop. Then reflect. Look back on what you’ve done and ask ‘how could I have done better?’

How did you get into professional speaking and training after leaving Scotland Yard?
Serendipity! My wife, who is a very senior police officer, was invited to give a talk for a national institute. She couldn’t do it… so I did! It was a freebie – and a lady in the audience came up to me and booked me to run some sessions in Dubai. That’s how it started. Also, whatever anyone asked me to do, I did. I just kept saying yes.

What’s your top tip for connecting with an audience?
Surprise them! I want to change people’s minds and to do that, I try to say something they don’t expect. When I introduce the most commonly held Myths of Communication in my sessions, I’m challenging people’s assumptions – but in a compassionate way. It’s like saying: ‘Here’s what I think you may be thinking; but you may not be right. How about this?’

What do you most enjoy about your work now as a speaker and trainer?
Seeing people grasp an idea and assimilate it into their world [click here for an example of distinguished audiences whom Richard has addressed]. They see the value of what you’re teaching and then immediately apply it. That’s great. You see, my belief is that these skills work across the board – with your kids, your boss, your colleagues and the rest.

Which communicators do you most admire?
I love the great speechmakers – Churchill, Obama, Martin Luther King and others. Their use of language – and rhetoric – is phenomenal. I love the way they play with language and are prepared to take risks.

If you could recommend one book, which would it be?
“Creative Mischief” by Dave Trott
[I've gone and ordered my copy right away! Ed.]

What’s your favourite quote?
“You should never be instinctive twice; the second time should be best practice.”

Who said that?
Me!

Richard Mullender was talking to Simon Bucknall, The Public Speaking Expert. You can find out more by browsing the rest of this website.

This interview was originally published in The Art Of Connection Newsletter. To receive the next edition, you can subscribe free of charge, by clicking here.

A New Home!

Posted on April 26 2012 by simonbucknall

A fresh start for this blog in its new home – The Art Of Connection website!

You’ll see the url is still simonbucknall.com but that’s only because those clever design whizzes at Intergage, our web marketing partners, have figured out how to integrate my wordpress blog into our existing website.

Anyway, on with the show – next up, a feature interview with good friend and colleague, Richard Mullender, former hostage negotiator…

Ending 2011

Posted on December 28 2011 by simonbucknall

It’s been too long since I last made a post on this blog – shame on me!

Ever found yourself approaching New Year’s Eve with a Resolution List as long as your arm?

It’s been a hugely fun and stimulating year – just returned from Dubai running a 4-day course for sixteen senior corporate executives based in different parts of the Gulf. The course was hosted and promoted by IIRME, and participants included Saudis, Emirati, Qataris, couple of Lebanese, an Egyptian and a Frenchman.

Lovely group they were too!

In my defence, while I’ve been remiss on not posting on this blog, there’s been no shortage of things happening elsewhere within the business.

To view our main website, simply click here.

1 – The Art Of Connection Newsletter

Newly relaunched in October using mailchimp and published every couple of weeks or so. Next edition will be out in time for very early January – our aim is to attract 2,012 subscribers during the course of 2012.

If you’d like to receive it, simply click here!

2 – New clients

Have initiated a whole new raft of relationships with clients across a range of sectors including telecoms, retail, academia, technology, financial services, oil & gas and the world of business schools.

I’m often asked whether I personally offer ‘other courses apart from public speaking’. Well, if by ‘other’ you mean ‘additional disciplines related to spoken communication’, then yes!

However, quite deliberately, we’re keeping the focus on spoken communication and ‘the art of connection’ for leaders and entrepreneurs because it makes it enables us to serve a wide range of clients.

My instinct is that you can serve a wide range of clients if you focus on a specific area of expertise; or you can offer a range of areas of expertise if you focus on a specific profile of client.

I’m not sure you can credibly offer breadth in both. Just my view, of course.

3 – The Personal Impact Masterclass

Had tremendous fun over recent weeks running 1-day Masterclass sessions with colleagues and friends, Lynne Cantor (expert in executive image) and Richard Mullender (hostage negotiator). For our events for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, for example, we were delighted to find both days (in Manchester and in London) were sold out – 90+ people in each. Super!

4 – The Book

Slowly, slowly catch the worm… Yes, it’s coming; yes, I’m working on it’; yes, there will be a book launch date. It’s all in the pipeline, but as ever, takes time. More on this soon!

So, there’s a potted summary of some of the key things that have been happening in recent weeks. Oh, and one more – we’ll be integrating this blog into our main website in the New Year.

Just liaising with the lovely folk at Intergage (our web partners) to arrange the design time. Everything will remain the same, but it’ll be fully integrated.

Lovely…

Wishing you a very Happy New Year – and success for 2012: an Olympic Year!

2011 Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge

Posted on July 9 2011 by simonbucknall

Each year, more than 20,000 young people in schools enter the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge – the world’s largest youth public speaking event.

By July, we’re down to the final 15 speakers – and super-impressive they are too.

Last night’s Gala Grand Final was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank in central London – in front of an audience of more than 700 and featuring an illustrious judging panel that included John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons.

You can view a snapshot of the build-up to the event in the short film I did above.

As for the winner, well Najae Hackett of City of London Academy in Southwark forged a terrific connection with his audience speaking on the importance of ‘sleep’ – for after all, did not Martin Luther King have a ‘dream’… !

A fantastic night – made possible by Jack Petchey, an extraordinary man who has invested millions of pounds into the development of young people across London and Essex. Meanwhile, for myself and the network of Associates at Speakers Trust who deliver the public speaking workshops in schools, planning begins for next year…!

A Spontaneous Connection

Posted on May 22 2011 by simonbucknall

I was changing trains on the Northern Line the other evening, heading home.

A man clearly the worse for wear stumbles along the platform shouting.

Seeing a priest approach him, the man burbles: “Forgive me father, for I have sinned!”

“I know” said the priest, curtly, and marched on past.