Last week I talked at a Lost Voice Guy Gig in Newcastle about
Speech and Language Therapy. It was organised by the SLT Society at Newcastle University
and I was delighted to be invited to take part.
RCSLT contacted me before Christmas and asked me if I would
be interested in talking at the event. I’d be lying if I said the audience of
160 wasn’t rather daunting, but I agreed that I’d be happy to talk to the
students to find out what they required.
A few emails later
and I’d agreed to a 5 minute slot at the beginning of the night. Giving Voice
rep and final year student, Fran, was really helpful regarding running order of
the evening and possible content for my speech.
I began to write my talk when I was off work over Christmas,
and although I was quite happy with the first draft, I knew it still needed
some work. Like all good things, I left it for a little while, whilst still
thinking about it, to let the ideas grow and develop.
As 21st January approached I knew I needed to work
on it a little more so I spent some time re-drafting (and practising on my
family). I also discussed it with some of my closest friends (some of whom are
also SLTs) for honest feedback. All the feedback was positive, with some ideas
for potential extras, so I made a few minor edits in the few days before the
big night.
The Friday before I spoke to Derek Munn, from RCSLT, who was
also planning to talk on the night, so that we could ensure that our talks
complemented each other.
I was excited about talking at the event but also quite
nervous. The audience would be expecting comedy and they’d be getting 5 minutes
of me: a speech and language therapist who usually only makes people laugh by
accident – something I definitely didn’t want to do on stage in front of so
many people.
Fran and the other students very kindly arranged tickets for
my husband and I to stay and watch the show. We arrived about an hour before it
started so that I could see the stage area and have a run through of my speech.
By this point I was feeling nervous but I was well prepared and was happy with
what I’d written.
Talking in public always reminds me of the complexities of
communication. Being under pressure, I worry I might talk too quickly, forget
the words I need, or say them in the wrong order – something that people with
communication difficulties may worry about every day.
I had chance to talk to the students and to Derek before the
start of the show and it was great to feel the excitement and enthusiasm of
everyone. I was also very excited to see my name was on the poster! (This was
made even more exciting as it’s the first Giving Voice event I’ve been at since
I got married last July).
The students introduced the evening and then it was my turn
to talk. I felt nervous, but I was excited to raise some awareness of Speech and
Language Therapy. In my everyday life I talk a lot, so standing on stage in
front of an audience should be easy, after all communication is what I do for a
living. That didn’t make it easy but it did mean I was equipped with the skills
and knowledge to deliver the speech effectively. The speech went well and I got
a few laughs (in appropriate places!)
I talked about how important communication is, a brief
overview of my involvement in Giving Voice (and arranging comedy gigs starring
Lost Voice Guy), the Voice Box joke competition and finished with the range of
client groups SLTs work with. I also included some key facts such as 20% of the
population may need a Speech and Language Therapist at some point in their
lives. That’s 1 in 5 of us. I wanted to
use some facts would reach out to people and that they might remember long
after the comedy was over.
The comedy was great; starting the night was Mr Joe King
followed by Joby Mageean. We then had a 20 minute interval before the students
welcomed us back for the final act. Derek gave an inspirational speech about the
importance of communication before introducing Lost Voice Guy to the stage. He
was as brilliant as ever and had the audience in stiches!
The students concluded the night with a few thank yous
(while Lost Voice Guy came back on stage ‘just for some more attention!’)
It was a brilliant night and the students should be so proud
of themselves for organising it.
Communication is integral to us as humans and I love that
comedy brings us together for a shared experience in laughter. We definitely had
that; whilst also raising awareness of SLT and fundraising for the Percy Hedley
Foundation.
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| Derek and I with the amazing student team |
“A day without laughter is a day wasted” Charlie Chaplin
