Recently, I attended a fascinating speakers’ conference, the Veteran Speakers Network.
Terry Brock hosted the Friday evening entertainment, creating his own version of Steve Allen’s Meeting of Minds.
Meeting of Minds was an unusual and highly regarded PBS television series created and hosted by Steve Allen. It originally aired from 1977 to 1981.
The premise was brilliant: Allen brought together actors portraying major historical figures and conducted a roundtable conversation as though they were all alive at the same time.
His guests included Socrates, Cleopatra, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Marie Antoinette, Martin Luther, and Florence Nightingale.
Allen and his team researched the historical figures carefully, and the conversations explored their actual beliefs, writings, controversies, and disagreements.
Before our very eyes, history came alive.
We watched a conversation between Will Rogers, played by Randall Reader, whose homespun humor, wit, and observations reminded us why Rogers became one of America’s most beloved commentators.
Florence Nightingale, represented by Candy Campbell, brought us into the world of a determined reformer who transformed nursing, challenged accepted practices, and used evidence and statistics to improve healthcare.
Then there was Winston Churchill, portrayed by Randall Otto. His appearance, voice, mannerisms, and command of Churchill were so convincing that Churchill himself might have believed he was looking in a mirror. We were reminded of language’s extraordinary power to give people courage in difficult times.
Terry Brock guided the conversation with thoughtful questions that allowed each historical personality to reveal a distinctive point of view.
It was entertaining, fascinating, and a wonderful reminder of the extraordinary variety within the professional speaking world.
Professional speakers do far more than stand on a stage and deliver a keynote.
They educate. They entertain. They challenge our thinking. They tell stories. They portray historical figures. They facilitate conversations. They bring expertise, humour, drama, research, and sometimes an entirely different century into conference halls, conventions, corporate meetings, and theatres.
What a wonderful profession to be part of.
What is the most memorable presentation you’ve seen recently?
“As a presentation coach, Patricia Fripp is a miracle worker and an executive’s best resource.” Larraine Segil, Chairman and CEO, Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation
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