Becoming a Humanist speaker

Until now, Margaret Nelson has been the main Humanist speaker in Suffolk and N E Essex, covering schools, colleges, local government, other organisations, local radio, and Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource events.

From September 2007, Suffolk County Council schools will be using a new RE syllabus that includes Humanism and other secular world views. As Ipswich has recently gained unitary status and will take over responsibility for schools in the town, it’s not clear what will happen there but it seems unlikely that they’ll want to reinvent the wheel and start again.

We anticipate that demand for Humanist speakers will increase, due to changes in education, concern about the increasing influence of religious organisations in public life, and an awareness that the needs and opinions of people who live without religion have been ignored for too long.

Suffolk Humanists, the local Humanist group, has raised the profile of Humanism locally. We know the area, we’ve established a network of contacts in local government and organisations, and many people have first heard of Humanism through us, rather than one of the national organisations we’re affiliated to.

We’re going to need more people who can talk about Humanism or about a variety of topics from a Humanist perspective to groups and organisations, adapting their approach to suit their audience. School speakers are likely to need a Criminal Records Bureau check, which we can arrange, and some organisations expect speakers to have a teaching qualification. Many organisations ask their members to rate their speakers according to how interesting they were, and so on. If you’re boring, you won’t be asked back.

We’re not looking for lecturers, or for people who are aggressively anti-religious. We don’t want anyone with a hard sell approach, who’s only interested in getting more people to join Humanist organisations – though we’re happy to give membership information when asked. We object to religious proselytising and don’t do it ourselves. We aim to challenge lazy religious thinking and stimulate thoughtful debate, to educate and inform.

We’re looking for self-confident, knowledgeable people who are willing to talk about living as a Humanist, and who know enough about Humanism to be able to answer some difficult and searching questions. Often, a question and answer session after a talk is the best part. You need to be able to think on your feet. A sense of humour is essential. You might have a background in education, public speaking, the theatre, training or marketing. You’ll be expected to become an active member of our group. The work is entirely voluntary.

If you’re interested, please get in touch.