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By Joanna DENTON, Public Speaking Coach *
Ah, Christmas. The season for presents, Christmas parties, and spontaneous speeches.
A couple of years ago my parents and I headed off to Dublin for Christmas lunch at my sister’s place, together with about a dozen in-laws.
What we didn’t know was that the in-laws had an old family tradition where one of the sons would make a witty and scintillating speech after lunch. Something he would spend three months preparing, for just the right combination of … well, witty and scintillating.
This time, however, he thought it would be a great idea for me to make a speech too. After all, part of my job was to speak at events, so clearly, I wouldn’t mind just being spontaneous. But did...
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