This sociable speaker is getting his voice heard.
I love to meet new people, listen to their stories and share with others my journey so far. I've had Type 1 diabetes now for ten years and it was only recently that my desire to better my health through nutrition and fitness had really increased.
It’s hard to describe but I’ve just had an explosion of motivation and passion to learn more about diabetes and ultimately help others along the way. That's when I signed up to a speaker volunteer session at Diabetes UK.
I arrived at the training to be met by many friendly faces; there were eight attendees and all of us were affected by diabetes in some way.
This was very odd at first and exciting because although there are over 4 million people living with diabetes in the UK you still feel as though you are alone.
The morning was packed full of informative content including facts and figures, interactive videos, questions and answers and literature that can be used in our speeches.
I came away from the training feeling great about presenting and excited to share my new-found knowledge about diabetes. Within a week I had organised my first talk with my former college.
I was delighted to arrive at college with fifty sports students attending my talk. As a keen sportsman and sports graduate I wanted to engage my listeners with similar stories and something they can aspire and relate to.
The presentation was a great success. The students and lecturers were very interactive and constantly engaged in my explanations. At no point did I feel as though I was draining or presenting in a boring matter, I keep it lively by always asking questions and adding a humorous side to each slide. I’m now in contact with various colleges, schools and universities to arrange my next talk.
I’m delighted to have joined the volunteering team at Diabetes UK and it’s an honour to be able to talk in front of people with the charity on my t-shirt.
I would thoroughly encourage others to step forward and join the team. It’s such a rewarding feeling to know that you are potentially helping people improve their health and ultimately help them lead a better and more active lifestyle.
Find out more about becoming a speaker volunteer.
