Author name: Jon Torrens

One or two of the people who contact me wanting to improve their speaking skills have a problem committing to actual training. Their reluctance is understandable; confronting any fear can be hard. But you know that feeling when, as a teenager, late at night, you decided to do something just for the sake of it, […]

I really enjoy the BBC show ‘Luther’. I find Idris Elba as John Luther incredibly watchable because you know John Luther can handle anything tough, a bit like Jason Bourne or Daniel Craig’s Bond. Luther has a remarkable presence, with: slow, absolutely assured confidence measured humour* bbc.co.uk                        

People often describe their favourite comics as “having great timing.”I think this is pretty daft. I imagine people single out timing because:  It’s seen as an elusive, mystical quality.  It’s what everyone says about stand-up comics that they like.  From my experience as a stand-up comic, I see timing as being no greater a component of

Yesterday evening, Barack Obama was heckled during a speech in Syracuse, New York. (The whole video is 1 minute 17 seconds.) I mentioned Obama very recently, but his technique is worth examining again. Whether or not you’re a fan, observe his oratory skill, probably the main reason he’s at the top of his game. He

Yesterday, John Oliver spoke on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon about ‘The Worst I ever Bombed’ (‘bombing’ is American for ‘dying’, in a stand-up comedy scenario). The story is slightly unsettling, but for me it reinforces this point: Everyone has been bad at public speaking, including every succsessful stand-up comic. This is why I think stand-ups