June Newsletter – hellos, goodbyes and supersize

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Hello and welcome to the June newsletter!

It’s very nearly the end of the Toastmasters year and so this is my very last newsletter as club president. From the start of July Bloomsbury Speakers has a new President and a new committee running the club (more details below).

I said a few thank yous at the meeting on Monday evening, but once again I’d like to thank Femi, Swarajit, Hari, Kate, Adam and of course my predecessor Nazia for all their hard work in taking the club to the next level.

To put things into perspective, this time last year we had fewer than 30 members and shared a venue – and kit (such as timing lights) – with our sister club Holborn Speakers. Today we have our own venue, all our own kit and are very nearly 40 members strong.

Many thanks to the committee for making my term as president so enjoyable – I couldn’t have wished for a nicer, more committed bunch of people.

I also want to thank all our members, whose great enthusiasm and supportive attitude has helped to cement our reputation as one of the most fun and friendly clubs in London (and beyond!)

Even though I’ll miss being President, I’m really looking forward to getting back into some of the other roles during our meetings, like Topicsmaster, evaluator and of course, Toastmaster.

(P.S. As usual, you can skip to the bottom of the newsletter for a short summary of the main points)

What’s happened since the last newsletter?

We had three meetings in June, spanning the full Toastmasters spectrum with three ice breakers from brand new members and two more experienced members giving their No. 10 speeches (and thus achieving CC – Competent Communicator – status).

Despite competition from Euro 2012 – and some rather sultry British weather – the meetings were lively with a good turnout from members and guests alike.

We also had two new members join the club. So welcome on board Christopher (another one) and Jasr (our first) – I look forward to hearing your ice breaker speeches sometime soon!

What’s planned for July?

July is another ‘supersized’ month at Bloomsbury Speakers, with three regular meetings and a workshop:

  • Monday 9th July 2012 – Regular Meeting – the first meeting of July is already pretty booked up, but you could book in as a reserve speaker (in case someone drops out) or nab the final table topics slot.
  • Monday 16th July 2012 – Extra Meeting – another regular meeting to satisfy demand for speaking slots and roles. We’re still looking for a Grammarian and several evaluators. Also there are four table topics slots up for grabs (remember – you can book these in advance now!)
  • Monday 23rd July 2012 – Regular Meeting – our final meeting of the month still needs several evaluators. You could also grab the reserve speaker slot or one of the table topics slots.
  • Monday 30th July 2012 – Table Topics Workshop – this is already fully booked but if you reserved your place on EventBrite we’ll be contacting you in the next couple of weeks to confirm that you can still make it, so make sure it’s in your diary!

What’s on the horizon?

We’ve got two meetings in August – on the 13th and 20th August. Please note the second date – it’s the third Monday not the fourth, due to the August bank holiday.

In September we have:

  • Monday 10th September 2012 – Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest – this is the club-level round of the autumn contests – featuring humorous prepared speeches and table topics. We’ll release more details nearer the time but I’d encourage all members to enter (one or both contests!) – it’s a great experience and always a good atmosphere. We also need people to help with functionary roles such as counter and timekeeper.
  • Monday 24th September 2012 – Regular Meeting – we’ve literally just set this meeting up in ClubPlan so at the time of sending, all slots are available on a first-come first-served basis. If you’ve done your ice breaker recently, why not book your No. 2 speech? Get in there!

New committee

After the various nominations and votes received via ClubPlan, discussions were held with those members interested in taking on a role in the new committee, and here’s the new line-up with responsibilities:

  • Femi Asaolu – President – has overall responsibility for the successful running of the club
  • Swarajit Das – VP Education –  ensures that we run successful meetings with all roles filled and that the club’s educational goals are met
  • Joe Lake – VP Membership & Mentoring – looks after new and existing members to help them get the most out of the club and meet their personal development goals
  • Elena Fanaberova – Treasurer – responsible for controlling the club finances to ensure stability and continuity for all members
  • Jo Higham – Secretary – responsible for club administration, particularly with regards to committee meetings and decision making
  • Glen Long – VP Public Relations – responsible for raising the club profile and attracting new guests, e.g. via website and mailing list

NOTE: We are still looking for a replacement Sergeant at Arms, who is responsible for setting up the room before and after each meeting. The SAA also has a regular slot giving guest introductions (unless taking on another role). If you’d like to find out more, please get in contact.

Membership freeze

We’ve had some feedback from new members that it’s been difficult to book slots recently, so to help cope with demand we’ve decided to freeze club membership until the end of September.

Of course, guests are still very welcome to come along to the meetings during this period and anyone super-keen to join will go on a waiting list.

Tip of the Month: Squeeze Every Last Drop From Your Membership

Members – it costs you precious time and money to be part of Bloomsbury Speakers. We think its great value, but nonetheless there’s an investment on your part, and the value you get from that investment is entirely down to you and the attitude you take to your membership.

It’s a bit like being a member of a gym. Who’s getting the most value – the person who goes at least three times a week and gets into an enjoyable routine, or the person who goes once or twice a month – usually out of guilt? They’re both paying the same amount, but who’s getting the most value?

So here are some ideas for ‘super sizing’ the experience you get with Bloomsbury Speakers:

  • Aim to do a role every meeting. If you can’t do a role, do a table topic.
  • Set yourself a target for completing your ten speeches. Work towards that target.
  • Ask other members for their opinions and advice on your efforts.
  • If you have an idea for improving the club, don’t keep it to yourself – tell someone on the committee.
  • Network with other members after the meetings – who knows what opportunities might crop up?
  • Visit other clubs and make contacts. Many will welcome you as a General Evaluator – you can also let them know you’d be available to give a speech if they have last minute availability.
  • Take the opportunity not only to have a mentor, but also to be a mentor for others.

Take these ideas on board and I guarantee that this time next year you’ll be amazed how much you’ve progressed.

Right, I think that’s everything. It’s been a long newsletter so I’ll keep my sign-off brief!

Good luck to Femi and his new committee. I’m really proud of where the club is right now, and look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength in the future.

See you in a meeting very soon!

Glen Long
(Very soon to be ex-)President
Bloomsbury Speakers

Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know

  • Our next meeting is Monday 9th July 2012
  • We have an extra meeting on July 16th 2012
  • Our second meeting in August is the third, not fourth, Monday – i.e. Monday, 20th August
  • There are still functionary roles available in July and August – remember you need at least one functionary roles between speeches
  • There’s a brand new meeting in ClubPlan (i.e. all roles currently available) on 24th September
  • We have a new committee: Femi (President), Swarajit (VP Education), Joe (VP Membership & Mentoring), Elena (Treasurer), Jo (Secretary), and me (VP Public Relations)

Meeting Report for 25 June 2012

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Written by Elena (edited by Swarajit)

Introduction

With one of the members completing her tenth speech, a General Evaluator taking the Table Topics award and it being Glen’s last time as the club President, it was another lively meeting!

Jo, the Toastmaster, set a fun and friendly tone for the meeting, and introduced the theme – food – which is essential for life but can also be one of its great pleasures.

Prepared speeches

In her Ice Breaker speech “Welcome to My World” Ilze asked the audience to close their eyes and create their own vision of her world while she described her life from the age of six to her twenties, so that everyone could have their own perception of it.

Ahmed gave his No. 3 speech entitled “Euro Zone Crisis”. He described what the Euro Zone is and its original purpose, outlined the main issues of the Euro Zone crisis and suggested measures to overcome them.

In her No. 5 speech “Russian Wedding”, Elena told the audience what a typical Russian wedding is like. She described the various traditions and rituals, some of which were quite different to those of an English wedding.

In her No. 10 speech entitled “Where Are We Going?” Kate inspired the audience to overcome their fears, bring out the best in themselves and encourage other people to do the same as the Soka Gakkai philosophy teaches.

Speech evaluations

Evaluating Ilze’s Ice Breaker speech, Swarajit praised her great engagement with the audience and use of descriptive language in a chronologically-structured personal story with an especially humorous ending. He recommended that Ilze slow down a little to avoid stumbling over longer words.

Femi evaluated Ahmed’s speech and extolled the fantastic topic that went very well with the objectives of speech No. 3, (to organise the speech in the manner that best supports its main message) and commended his questions at the beginning of each part that allowed the audience to easily follow the speech. Femi recommended that Ahmed make a conscious effort to improve his transitions between sections by avoiding unnecessary ‘filler’ words like ‘so’.

Ratan gave an evaluation of Elena’s speech and commended her body language, gestures and use of a shot glass to act out drinking vodka, as Russian wedding guests do. Ratan recommended Elena to incorporate more drama.

The last evaluator of the meeting, Henry, evaluated Kate’s speech in which he praised her anecdotes and a deep, personal message that was very powerful and in congruence with Kate’s body language.

Table Topics

Hari, the Table Topics Master this evening, tied his section in nicely with Jo’s culinary theme. He stretched the audience with challenging questions like: “You are an entrepreneur who has just opened a new restaurant. You need to convince us to eat there”; “If you have to eat one style of food for the rest of your life what would it be and why?”; and “How is baking a cake a metaphor for life?”

Awards

Ilze was awarded a certificate for successfully completing her Icebreaker speech, to recognise this important landmark.

The Best Evaluator award went to Henry for his evaluation of Kate’s speech. The Best Table Topic Speaker award went to Brad for his “Cake of Life” table topic, and the Best Speaker award went to Kate for her inspirational speech.

The President’s discretional award went to the evening’s Toastmaster Jo who successfully stepped up to this most challenging of club roles.

Next meeting

Our next meeting is on Monday 9th July 2012, upstairs at The Clerk and Well pub, 156 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5BX.

Meeting Report for 18 June 2012

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Written by Elena (edited by Swarajit)

Introduction

This was an outstanding meeting with a high standard of performance from the members of the club throughout.

Ratan, the evening’s Toastmaster, set the theme for the meeting tied in with the current economic situation – “Austerity Measures” – and introduced speakers on to the stage with their sometimes funny and sometimes philosophical answers to the question: “What personal austerity measures have you taken to cope up with present cuts, doom and gloom and the recession?”

Prepared speeches

Christopher opened the prepared speeches with his impressive and educational Ice Breaker speech entitled “Dealing with Dyslexia”. He described to the audience the meaning of dyslexia, used his own experiences to describe the challenges faced by those affected, and how his parents helped Christopher to overcome dyslexia so that he was able to read Dickens and many other books.

Kate persuaded the audience to switch to organic vegetables in her No. 9 speech entitled “Choices”. She advised us how to recognise whether what we are buying is actually organic, described the difference between organic and non-organic food consumption and urged us to eat more organic food, which is better for our health.

Glen inspired us to take part in charity volunteering as well as just donating money in his speech No. 10 entitled “Catch-22”. He told the audience that just donating money to a well known national charity had not given him the feeling of being involved in the process and this made it difficult to care about detail or influence the actual outcome of the charity’s activities. Glen encouraged the audience to become more involved in voluntary work and gain new experiences.

David presented his very entertaining and humorous advanced speech No. 7 entitled “Help! I Have Lost My Security Pass”. It was a must-see! David vividly described and demonstrated how he overcame obstacles like closing doors on a tube train, getting on a bus at a bus stop, a very aggressive barrier at his office building, a lift full of people and a forgotten password on his computer – all in one morning in which he had been rushing to work and had lost his security pass.

Speech evaluations

Evaluating Christopher’s Ice Breaker speech Elena praised his well-structured speech that started with an announcement of what it was going to be about, followed by strong content and an effective conclusion with a quote from Albert Einstein, all accompanied by a great delivery.

Carrie evaluated Kate’s speech and commended her very clear message and well-considered, logical structure of the speech, some very persuasive arguments and a deep knowledge of the subject along with Kate’s confidence on the stage.

Janet evaluated Glen’s speech in which she said she had heard an honest man telling the audience about feelings that motivated him to make a step forward to volunteering, had seen him use hand gestures to good effect and maintain fantastic eye contact. Janet also felt Glen’s passion about volunteering which really inspired her to take action.

The last evaluator, Jo, gave an evaluation of David’s speech. She liked David’s high drama, body language and pacing around the stage, and noticed that the whole audience had been laughing during the speech. She noted that David’s actions were supported by a great variety of voice, such as crying or shouting when appropriate.

Table Topics

The Table Topics Master this evening was Renars who randomly gave out challenging questions to the participants, such as: Should the internet be banned for kids under twelve years old?; What is, in your opinion, the best invention in the world?; Does TV make us stupid?

A good mix of members and guests took part and were evaluated by the Topics Evaluator, Femi.

Awards

The certificate for successfully completing his Icebreaker speech went to Christopher.

The Best Evaluator award went to Femi for his specific and comprehensive Table Topics evaluation. The Best Table Topics Speaker award went to Angela for her educational table topic about the best invention in the world, and the Best Speaker award went to David for his emotional and entertaining speech.

The President’s award went to evening’s Timekeeper Ilze who had performed this role for the first time with great success.

Next meeting

Our next meeting is on Monday 25th June 2012, upstairs at The Clerk and Well pub, 156 Clerkenwell Road, London,EC1R 5BX.

Meeting Report for 11 June 2012

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Written by Jo (edited by Swarajit)

Introduction

The meeting was opened by Club President Glen who welcomed new and returning guests along with regular members and gave a short overview of the Toastmasters organisation and how it works.

The Toastmaster of the evening was Femi, whose role tonight was to guide the audience through the agenda and to wind up the meeting on time. He was assisted by the Grammarian Swarajit and Timekeeper Carrie, who performed the role for the first time.  Femi opened with a warm up exercise and had the audience shaking their hands in the air before several rounds of applause to increase the energy level in the room.

Prepared speeches

In this section speakers present speeches on whatever theme they want around a set of objectives for their chosen project.

Michael opened the session with his Ice Breaker speech entitled “Reflections”.  He told us about his earliest memory and described his attraction to cycling speedway before sharing what he believes is important in life.

The second speaker was Wayne, who presented his No. 2 speech entitled “Better things to be romantic about”. He gave us his views on bottled water vs. tap water and illustrated his message using snippets of conversation with his Italian friends who have a favourite bottled water.

The next speaker, Jo, gave her No. 5 speech entitled “How NOT to do just about anything”.  She encouraged the audience to look for ways to have more free time by either Declining, Delegating or Deferring unappealing tasks.

The final speaker this evening was Neil, who presented his No. 7 speech entitled “Let’s get back to gold”. Using a series of props Neil discussed the history of money, the declining value of currencies over time and his view that precious metals were the best way to preserve wealth.

Speech evaluations

Hari gave an evaluation of Michael’s Ice Breaker speech. He reminded the audience that the objective of this speech was to discover speaking skills which the speaker already has and skills that need some attention. He noted that Michael had a very relaxed style and had a strong and vivid introduction.  His main recommendations were around becoming more conscious of his body language and providing more of the background to his reasonings around what was important in life.

Paula evaluated Wayne’s No. 2 speech.  She praised Wayne’s clear structure, open body language and soothing voice. She recommended he concentrate on his projection which dipped a little too low for the room at times.

Joe evaluated Jo’s No. 5 speech. He told the audience that around 60% of your message is transmitted by your body language.  He commended her use of the stage and several of the hand gestures she used but advised that he would have liked to see some more energy or pace to the body language used.

Finally, Kate gave an evaluation of Neil’s No. 7 speech.  She praised Neil’s progression on use of the stage and his connection with the audience but thought that the structure could have been clearer.

Table Topics

Joyanta hosted this week’s Table Topics session with various questions around embarrassing or difficult moments.

All five participants got challenging questions and were evaluated by the evening’s Table Topics evaluator Renars. He praised the participants’ structure under pressure and advised that when stuck they could get the question repeated and then take a pause to think before beginning.

After Renars’s evaluation, Swarajit presented his Grammarian’s report and evaluated the use of language by participants during the meeting and reminded the audience about the evening’s most memorable expressions and rhetorical devices.

The General Evaluator for this evening was Sue, a guest from London Communicators, who evaluated all the meeting participants that were yet to be evaluated and gave some useful recommendations to the club as a whole.

Awards

Closing the meeting, Glen gave out the awards based on the votes cast during the evening and one President’s discretional award.

The certificate for successfully completing his Icebreaker speech – an important landmark for any Toastmaster– went to Michael.

The Best Table Topics Speaker award went to Chris for his great table topic about embarrassing moments in his life. The Best Evaluator award went to Hari for his very thorough evaluation of Michael’s Ice Breaker and the highly coveted Best Speaker award went to Neil for his entertaining speech on money.

Finally, the President’s discretional award went to a guest Michael who gave a great Table Topic presentation on what he would do if trapped in a locked cage with a lion.

Next meeting

Our next meeting is on Monday 18th June 2012 (yes, next week – this is a ‘bonus’ meeting in addition to our usual 2nd and 4th Mondays!), upstairs at The Clerk and Well pub, 156 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5BX.