Business 8 STEPS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER PUBLIC SPEAKER: By Rubbi Bhogal-wood I was recently selected from over 200 applicants to share my ‘idea worth spreading’ at TEDx Oldham. Many business owners tell me they want to speak in public but lack the confifidence. Here are 8 tips to get you started. SADDLEWORTH’S O’DONNELL SOLICITORS SHORTLISTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS LEGAL AWARDS Local legal fifirm O’Donnell Solicitors has been shortlisted for the Law Society’s prestigious Excellence Awards 2019. O’Donnell Solicitors has been shortlisted in the Small Law Firm of theYear category in the awards, generally considered as the highest accolade for law fifirms in England and Wales. The awards are highly competitive; with all 14,000 legal practices across England and Wales being eligible to enter.The Law Society president Simon Davis describes being shortlisted for an Excellence Award as ‘to be recognised as among the very best of the profession’. O’Donnell Solicitors join 10 other fifirms from across various parts of England and Wales on the shortlist and the winner will be announced at a gala award ceremony in London on 23 October 2019. Rebecca O’Donnell, Director and Head of Private client said: “The Law Society Excellence Awards is one of the most highly respected awards in our industry. The whole fifirm is buzzing with excitement – it’s a real boost and is something that each and every member of the team has played their part in.” The news of the Law Society Award comes shortly after further recent award recognition – this time for the fifirm’s conveyancing department. O’Donnell Solicitors has been shortlisted for the LFS Small Conveyancing Firm of theYear Award – a national awards programme designed to highlight those leading the way in the fifield of residential property.The fifirm’s property department, which has continued to expand since the appointment of Claire Egerton as Director in January 2018, enjoys an ever-growing reputation in the local area but also nationally, working alongside both local and national housebuilders.The O’Donnell team also specialise in new-build property conveyancing. O’Donnell Solicitors was established in December 2015 by James O’Donnell and Rebecca O’Donnell. Based on their objective of providing city centre quality legal advice to individuals and businesses in their local area of Saddleworth, the fifirm has gone from strength to strength and now has two branch offifices, thirteen support staff and two further Directors – Anthony Jones, who specialises in family law, and Claire Egerton, who heads the fifirm’s residential property department.Two assistant Solicitors complete the fifirm’s current team – Suzzanne Gardener specialising in dispute resolution and employment Law and family Solicitor Krista Enziano. Providing a comprehensive range of specialist legal services, including private client, property (residential and commercial), family law, employment law, dispute resolution and commercial/corporate law, the fifirm has a reputation for providing ‘straight-talking’ advice to its clients in a modern and vibrant surroundings having invested heavily in the best technology. Rebecca O’Donnell continued: “We’ve come a long way since setting up the fifirm three and a half years ago and in that time the fifirm has been lucky enough to be shortlisted and win a number of awards on a local basis.To receive national recognition in the form of these two award shortlisting’s is extremely exciting and humbling. “As a brand-new Law Firm, we’ve been able to adopt a fresh outlook and tailor the way we operate in line with our client’s requirements.We’re delighted that our ethos of providing ‘straight talking’ advice – avoiding jargon where possible and communicating with clients using up-to-date and effificient technology - is obviously resonating with clients.” 1) Get a clear brief:Ask the organiser questions like who will be attending, the event theme, length of speaking slot. 2) What’s Your Point? If you were to summarise in one sentence what your speech is about, what would you say? Keep that answer front of mind as you write the speech. 3) Prepare Early:As soon as you’ve confifirmed the practical details, start to jot down your speech ideas. Pour your ideas out of your head and on to paper. 4) Make it personal:Any speech you make is instantly made better by including a personal story or anecdote. People remember stories rather than facts.They humanise you and help create connection. Having rapport with your listeners will certainly add to your confifidence on the day. 5) Get Writing: It’s time to start writing. Don’t get caught up trying to produce the fifinal version in your fifirst sitting. I wrote over 10 drafts for my TEDx Oldham speech before reaching a version I was happy with. 6) Practise, Practise, Practise:To give a great speech that your audience connects with you must know your script inside-out and feel the words you’ve crafted.This is best achieved by practicing your speech often. If possible, practise your speech at the venue complete with lighting and sound. 7) Enjoy the Moment:After all your hard work preparing and writing the speech it would be a shame not to enjoy the moment. Before you walk on stage breathe deeply and calmly for a few minutes.Then smile at your audience and begin confifidently. 8) Do it Again:You’ll get a buzz from doing your speech and recommend that you build on that confifidence by seeking out as many varied speaking opportunities as you can. LinkedIn is a great space to start your search. Rubbi is a Social Media Consultant. Rubbi offers a FREE 30 minutes Discovery Call for business owners looking to improve their social marketing. Book your session: https:// www.wildandformdigital.com/contact 546 www..AroundSADDLEWORTH..co..uk