Toastmasters International is a huge organisation with over 364,000 members in 145 countries – so it’s always worth looking beyond your own club to see what else is going on in the community.
What’s in this newsletter?
- Contest results
- Free events around Toastmasters
- New committee
- Next meetings
- And finally…
Contest results
In a last-minute twist of fate, the winner of the Division C Evaluation contest was unable to compete in last weekend’s grand final which meant our member Margarita (who placed second in Division C back in March) was called upon to compete at the highest level! Margarita was joined by Matt who had already qualified for the grand final of the Table Topics (impromptu) speech contest last year.
Both contests included eight finalists – some of the best speakers from Toastmasters clubs in the south of the UK – so it was always going to be tough. While Matt and Margarita didn’t quite manage to win their respective finals this time, they should both be very proud of their performances and we’re sure they’ll go that one step further in future and bring the trophies back to Bloomsbury Speakers!
Free events around Toastmasters
There are always plenty of educational events going on around the Toastmasters community – all over the world. Here is a selection coming up online this month (times given in BST).
District 109 Conference – Friday, 14th May (from 2:30pm) to Sunday, 16th May
Hosted by Toastmasters District 109 (spanning Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Switzerland and Austria) this major event includes over 28 educational workshops and seminars across three days – all for FREE! Talks include Rock the digital stage!, How to ignite your Toastmaster creative spark and Strategies for dealing with difficult people. Click here to book and see the conference website for the full agenda.
Your Engaging Voice – Monday, 17th May from 7pm
Experienced opera singer and winner of the above Table Topics final, Andrew Bennett will be running this practical workshop to develop the quality and range of attendees’ voices with exercises and examples. Click here to book.
Just Talk to Me: A Conversational Style of Speaking – Wednesday, 26th May from 11:30pm
Different types of speaking can require different approaches. In this workshop you will learn a practical technique to transition from memorising your script to a conversational style of speaking. Click here to book.
New committee
Some people forget that Toastmasters is as much about leadership as it is about communication. There are plenty of opportunities to take on leadership roles in your club and the wider organisation in a friendly and supportive environment.
The Toastmasters year runs from July to June, so it will soon be time for a new committee to take over running Bloomsbury Speakers. Some members have already expressed an interest in taking on or continuing in certain roles, but if you’re a member and any of the following positions interest you then do get in touch.
- President – responsible for the overall success of the club, supporting other committee members in their roles, opening and closing every meeting and much more!
- Vice President Education – responsible for putting the programme together for each meeting along with keeping track of the educational progress of individual members and the club as a whole;
- Vice President Membership & Mentoring – converts guests into happy members, ensuring new members have all the information they need when they first join, assigning a mentor to each new member and monitoring their relationship;
- Vice President Public Relations – responsible for raising the club’s profile and attracting new guests e.g. via social media;
- Secretary – responsible for club administration, particularly with regards to decision making e.g. by taking minutes at committee meetings;
- Treasurer – responsible for the club’s finances, paying dues on behalf of members to Toastmasters International and making sure members pay their renewal fees to the club on time;
- Sergeant at Arms – in charge of logistics (e.g. meeting venues) and club socials
Next meetings
Our May meetings are on 10th and 24th, as usual from 6:45pm online.
Please book your attendance on Eventbrite or Meetup. All our meetings will be on Zoom at least until 30th September.
And finally…
We’re delighted to welcome our newest joiner Nick, who has been a very active guest at our meetings up to now and we’re sure he will continue to be just as active as a full member.
If you’ve recently been a guest at one of our events and would like to enjoy the benefits of becoming a member then please get in touch via [email protected]. Don’t forget, our membership fees are at a special low price at the moment: just £70 for six months or £114 for a year.
See you at a meeting soon!
