straight talking

Steve Wood, seasoned IWA speaker and Deputy Chairman of North Staffs & South Cheshire Branch, explains how he went from introvert to in demand on the waterways public speaking circuit Photos: Leigh Willows

How did you get involved with IWA talks?

I wear multiple hats, not just for IWA, but also the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust. I came into public speaking through the latter, taking over from two guys who did a joint talk about the restoration. That was in 2012. It was a very scripted talk and I learned quite quickly that I couldn’t do such a formal delivery. I’m terrible at sticking to what’s written down in front of me. I needed to be able to interact with the audience so ended up completely rewriting the thing. It took four or five goes and feedback from various audience members about what did or didn’t work, but I got to a point where I was pretty comfortable with it. That, in itself, was quite an achievement as I’m not the sort of personality who wants to stand up in front of a room full of people.

But you ended up accepting more and more invitations to talk...

Yes. I’m very aware there are not enough speakers in the world for everyone’s social occasions, so you do quite quickly become in demand, and not always on one specific subject. Because our branch area has two restoration projects, for example, I ended up writing a talk about the Burslem Branch Canal as well. On one occasion I was asked by Warwickshire Branch to talk about what we do in our area, and that evolved into a presentation about the canals of Staffordshire and Cheshire generally. All these sorts of things have grown organically, as people ask for different spins on a subject. I gladly agree, as there’s usually scope to re-use the talk at one of our own branch socials afterwards. I’ve ended up with three or four different talks but all based around activities in the Staffordshire area.

How long do these talks typically last?

There is no ‘typical’. My Caldon & Uttoxeter canals talk is in two 45-minute sections but, because I’m not tied to a script and quite comfortable now to edit as I go along, I can easily jump through three or four slides to keep within a narrower time frame, or if the audience pose questions in the middle. I always ask what the group wants out of the talk first. Do they want to be entertained? Are they a more serious group who want to learn something? Is there a chance of us getting volunteers out of it? And then I tailor the presentation accordingly.

How many, roughly, do you do per year?

On average, six a year, although in 2018 I did as many as 11. They tend to be autumn and spring events – I do very few in summer.

Have there been any memorable talks – for good or bad reasons?

I was once asked to do a post-AGM talk, which was held in a church. It was a relatively modern building, with a projection screen above the nave and the projector itself in the ceiling. I set everything up before the AGM, waited for the meeting to finish, and then took up position, by which time it was about 8.15pm. But just as I began to speak, the sun started coming through one of the side windows right across the screen. There were no blackout blinds

Steve's top talk tips

• Go and watch some other speakers. What works and what doesn’t work? • Don’t try to do too much. Fancy graphics and statistics are not why people are there. • Be yourself. People are interested in your take on the subject, not in what they could read online. • I tend to slip in more slides than I need, but I can skip sections depending on what the audience is like and the time remaining. • Be comfortable with the technology you’re using. I always use Presenter

View on PowerPoint, which allows you to have bullet points and notes on your laptop that don’t display on the main screen. You can also see ahead to the next few slides, so you always know what’s coming up. • Try to use your own equipment (laptop, projector etc) rather than relying on what they have at the venue. • If you feel the audience is unlikely to ask questions, you can avoid an awkward silence at the end by instead suggesting that anyone who wants to chat can do so afterwards, and hang around for half an hour once the talk has finished. • If you are going to have a Q&A, make sure you know your subject! You will be asked the unexpected!

and by the time I was about three slides in, nobody could see the screen at all, including me! So I ended up doing the 40-minute talk without my laptop, without any visuals at all, just winging it really. That’s when the importance of understanding your subject and knowing your script before giving a presentation really gets hammered home. To be honest, on that occasion it worked out really well, as the audience became more involved. But it was a curious moment!

What makes a good audience?

An audience that you’re going to get something back from, whether that’s questions at the end, or a laugh when you make a joke. I’ve learned to drop bits in early on to gauge their response. For example, I have some slides showing what volunteer work parties looked like in the 1970s, with some retrospectively amusing health and safety howlers. If you’ve got the right audience you can get a couple of laughs out of that. But if you don’t, then it’s still interesting in its own right, but you just make a mental note that this is a serious, grown-up audience and tailor the rest of the talk accordingly.

Do you have any advice for people who are really passionate about a subject, and would like to talk about it, but currently feel too shy or who aren't technically competent?

That was me. The first time I did a talk I was absolutely terrified. I’m not a natural extrovert, but I was forced into the situation – no one else was going to do it if I didn’t. It helps if you can put the talk together in a way that works for you, rather than inheriting somebody else’s. And try it out in front of friends first, who can give feedback and reassurance. Don’t try to be over-ambitious. It doesn’t have to be technically complicated or incorporate video or live web pages or Google Maps or any of that stuff. But pictures help – the more engaging the better – so that even if you stop talking for a while the audience still has something to look at.

What do you get out of it personally?

For me it’s about enthusing other people. I’m really passionate about the subjects I talk on and sharing that enthusiasm is what I enjoy most. It can also be a good way of testing ideas out: “We’ve recently done this project, and we’re now think of doing that one – what do people think?” The audience can be used as a sounding board.