Meeting Report: 23 May 2016

Written by Peter

Introduction

On Monday 23rd May we met upstairs at the Clerk and Well, in the heart of the City of London, for a regular meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. We heard from four talented speakers, ranging from those who had just begun their Toastmasters journey to one who gave an Advanced Speech.

Roles

Committee Member Sheldon compered the evening with humour and energy. He introduced us to Sarah, the Timekeeper, who explained the importance of time-keeping clearly and efficiently. Sheldon also introduced us to the Grammarian, Jay, who gave a Word of the Day, ‘vivid’, and promised to record any notable language throughout the evening.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was Abraham, who delivered a No. 2 Speech entitled ‘From zero to bingo!’. Abraham used his experience of volunteering at Crisis, a homeless charity, to talk with passion about the difficulties some face in life and the impact such an experience had on his view of the world.

 

The second speaker of the night was Sebastian, who delivered a No. 5 speech entitled ‘Startup Journey’. Sebastian talked eloquently about the function of an ‘innovation hub’ and some of the trials of starting a business.

The third speaker was Ash, who gave a No. 7 speech with the title ‘Wherever I lay My Mac, That’s My Home’. Ash related how she had decided to quit her unfulfilling job and follow her heart by becoming a ‘digital nomad’.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Carrie, who gave an Advanced Speech with the title ‘Preparing to present: 7 tips for mental and physical preparation’. Carrie offered seven useful tips in seven minutes, each relating to overcoming a fear of public speaking and improving performance.

After the break, we heard from the four evaluators who had been preparing feedback for the first batch of prepared speeches – Peter F, Francesca, Heleana and Bronia.

Table Topics

We then held a session of table topics, hosted by Peter R. Peter chose the topic ‘Jobs’, and invited James, Francesca, Matt, Chantelle, Rosie and Sunil to speak. Finally, we invited the Table Topics Evaluator, Clare, to present feedback on each of the impromptu speeches we had just heard.

After the Timekeeper’s report and a quiz on the content of the evening’s speeches from the Grammarian, the visiting General Evaluator, Florian, summarised the evening’s speaking and offered feedback for those who had not yet been evaluated.

Awards

Best Speaker: Ash

Best Evaluator: Clare

Best table topic: Matt

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be Monday 06 June at the Clerk and Well (though the venue may be subject to change). Please get in touch at [email protected] if you have any questions!