Preparation is everything, so armed with copious advice, our correspondent Philippa Kennedy was determined to deliver a heartfelt captain’s speech without suffering from stage fright!
Preparation is everything, so armed with copious advice and learning from previous experiences, our correspondent Philippa Kennedy was determined to deliver a heartfelt captain’s speech without suffering from stage fright!
Hit your mark and try not to fall over”, was one piece of advice I was given before the big speech. “Pick someone in the audience, preferably near the back of the room and speak to them personally. In fact pick several people and bounce around a bit,” was another. “Project, darling! Project”.
If I only knew how, I feel sure I would have done it. Anyone who has ever had to make a speech in public will know what I’m talking about, especially captains and lady captains of golf clubs.
They’ll also know the fear, the dry mouth, the shaking hands, waking up in the middle of the night worrying about what you’re going to say, dreaming that you’re in the middle of your speech and can’t remember the next line. Well, imagine all this and then think about doing it in front of a room full of actors, playwrights, producers and the like.
As captain of The Stage Golfing Society, it was one of my first hurdles and gave me many a sleepless night. Women have the added worry about what to wear for your big Annual General Meeting moment. You want to look smart yet approachable, stylish without being scary, as if you have made an effort but you didn’t try too hard. Your hair has to be right and your make-up perfect - lipstick strong but not too bright and not too much blusher in case you have a hot flush.
Speaking of hot flushes, added pressure came in the form of our new president, the extremely handsome and charming actor Dougray Scott, whose job it was to introduce me. (All coherent thought processes fly out of the window when he smiles at you). I chose plain black trousers and a cream top from TKMaxx by some Italian designer, without the designer price tag.
I had my hair blow dried and started my make-up early in the morning to let it settle I know it sounds daft, but this sort of preparation really helped and kept my mind off the moment when I had to stand and deliver.
If I’ve learned anything from my actor friends is that it’s not what you say (although that’s important too) but the way that you say it.
The best piece of advice I was given was that I should ‘speak from the heart’ and if possible without notes, so I did. I’ve witnessed enough speeches in the past where the captain is clutching a sheaf of papers, hands trembling, glasses falling off their noses, mumbling through page after page of stuff about slow play and mending divots to know that this approach just makes the audience uncomfortable.
So instead of writing a speech, I just thought about what I wanted to say and each night before I went to sleep, for about a month, I went through it, making mental milestones of anecdotes. Then I boiled it down and down to a purée, added a touch of spice, tasted it and smiled. The smile is very important by the way. It covers a multitude of inadequacies.
The next thing is to say it out loud. This is really important and something I was taught by the BBC presenters’ coach.
Words that look all right on paper often trip you up when you say them aloud, or sound pompous. If they don’t work, bin them and think of something simpler. You don’t have to be word perfect. If you have the various thoughts in your head, you can write a list of key words on a pad in front of you, just in case you lose your train of thought - in big type in case you’re too vain to wear your specs.
Speak slowly and say less is another good maxim. “Five minutes, top whack old girl,” was excellent advice. “Otherwise we’re off to the bar”. If you feel you must write everything down, then a good yardstick is three words per second. With smiles and pauses and the occasional sip of water, I’d say about 700 words is about right . If you’re really scared and your mouth is dry, rub clear Vaseline on your teeth to stop them sticking to your lips.
Finally, don’t stray from what you prepared. You’ll only get in a muddle.
The above is an extract from Philippa's column in the latest issue of Women & Golf magazine, on sale tomorrow. Never miss an issue click here to subscribe and enjoy W&G delivered to your door.
