Small Talks event raising money for Whanganui SPCA

Robi Martin is set to give her fourth Small Talk on Tuesday. Photo / Mike Tweed

A series of local speakers will step up next week to raise money for the Whanganui SPCA.

The rules? No religion, no politics and no blatant self-promotion.

Up to 10 speakers will have five minutes each to tell their story.

Organiser Kathy Cunningham said the Small Talks series had been running for the past four years, and she herself had covered a wide array of topics over that time.

"I've done three talks, the first being based on Eleanor Roosevelt's quote "do one thing every day that scares you'," Cunningham said.

"The next one was about William, the unofficial mascot of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is a little blue hieroglyphiced hippo.

"My last one was about convincing people that leprechauns exist.

"I did not succeed."

All the money from ticket sales goes to the Whanganui SPCA, and previous events have raised an average of $1000 for various local organisations.

Whanganui hairdresser Robi Barton will be giving her fourth talk at this month's event but she still isn't sure what her topic will be this time around.

In the past, her speeches have covered her doll collection, Castlecliff, and at the recent Pride Whanganui fundraiser she shared her experience of being transgender.

"I haven't quite got this one nailed down yet, but because it's raising money for SPCA I might talk about my animals for five minutes," Martin said.

"That's the beauty of it, really, you can talk about anything you want."

Martin said five minutes on stage went "so fast", and encouraged others in the community to sign up and give it a go.

"It's over before you know it, and you never know what you're going to hear when you walk in there.

"There can be a lot of ad lib. I don't write out every single word and time everything out, it's more a case of having general points I want to make and then I start talking.

"The audience is made up of all sorts of people too. There's a sea of everything.

"I think anyone who tries it once would definitely consider doing it again."

Cunningham said after Tuesday's event the next Small Talks would be in September to benefit the Bason Botanic Gardens.

"You provide 15 images that illustrate your story, and we automate them to 20 seconds each," Cunningham said.

"You don't control the images, the images control the story. That can really help with the flow."

• Small Talks will he held on Tuesday, July 20, at Bayleys Whanganui. The first speaker goes on stage at 7pm. Pre-purchased tickets are $15, or $20 on the door. They are only available at Bayleys.