Meeting Report for 17 June 2013

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Introduction

The Club President Femi opened the meeting by testing our knowledge of Toastmasters – both the organisation generally and Bloomsbury Speakers. “You’re going to see a range of speakers” he said: “beginners to advanced. But it’s not like X factor – you won’t get kicked out if you don’t do well!”

The Toastmaster for the evening was Janet who explained that it was her responsibility to make sure that the meeting “ran smoothly with easy transitions and with everyone understanding who’s speaking and when”. She introduced the theme of “addictions” explaining that it was now 42 days since she had last smoked.

She then introduced the functionaries who would be supporting her:

  • Joowon – the Timekeeper – explained her role in the meeting and told the speakers “not to panic on the red light” as they still had 30 seconds to use. She even timed herself on stage to ensure no overruns on her part!
  • Jo – the Grammarian – said that she would be listening to all language and reporting back on interesting usage. She told us that English has a huge vocabulary but the average speaker only uses 10% of their own. She then introduced the “Word NOT of the Day” – great – and encouraged everyone to use more creative alternatives instead.

Prepared Speeches

The first speaker was Marie with her Ice Breaker speech “It’s My Life” where she used three simple questions she is often asked to structure her speech:

  • Where are you from?
  • Why did you join Toastmasters?
  • What do you do?

She told the story of her decision to move from the Czech Republic to London in her teens, how she had joined Toastmasters to improve her skills and confidence as a speaker and the wide variety of jobs she had tried in her life so far – from aerobics instructor to events manager.

Saija was our next speaker with a No. 2 speech entitled “Green Shoots in the City”. She asked everyone about their stress levels – “Is you boss breathing down your neck?” – and introduced her speech topic: how to deal with stress and avoid burnout. She strongly recommended gardening as a solution and told the story of her mother regaining mobility in a damaged hand through her determination to rid the vegetable patch of weeds.

Adam was our third speaker with his No. 10 speech entitled “FAIL” which we learned stood for Flair – “failing with class”, Action – “never giving up”, Individual – “being yourself” and Learning – “learning from your experiences”. He told us that the difference between achievers and non-achievers in life is their attitude to failure and told the story of Abraham Lincoln who’d encountered many failures and few successes by the age of 40.

Our final prepared speaker Renars gave an inspirational advanced speech “What Makes You Itch?” which told of his decision as a young man to leave his country and find something he loved doing or “die trying”. He told a number of stories including one of reading out loud to his landlady (whether she wanted to listen or not!) in order to improve his English.

Evaluations

Glen evaluated Marie’s Ice Breaker speech. He commended her confident, relaxed stance, good hand gestures and clear structure. He recommended a little more vocal variety and to announce her three question structure upfront.

Barney evaluated Saija’s No. 2 speech. He commended her opening questions and use of examples but recommended that next time she gave more detail on fewer points – he felt she had tried to cover too much ground in one speech.

Kate evaluated Adam’s speech and said she thought he had “upped his game and blossomed for his 10th speech”. She felt that while his pace had improved he was still speaking a little too fast in places.

Ahmed evaluated Renars’ advanced speech. He liked Renars’ use of anecdotes and felt his speech was “focussed, passionate and well-rounded”. He recommended reducing the speed and also trying to speak without the support of notes.

Table Topics

Joe was Table Topicsmaster for the evening and continued the Toastmaster’s theme with a series of questions for volunteer impromptu speakers inspired by “addiction”.

His questions included:

  • What’s “so good, it’s bad?”
  • Should we be able to live without addictions?
  • What’s a good addiction – one you would encourage?
  • Is betting good or bad for the country?
  • Cannabis is enjoyed in Holland – should it be allowed in London?
  • Are Londoners addicted to stress?

Bronia was the Table Topics evaluator and gave very thorough feedback to all participants despite very little time to prepare (the curse of the topics evaluator!)

Awards

Closing the meeting our outgoing president (he has just one more meeting in that role!) Femi gave out the awards based on the votes from the audience:

  • Best topics speaker went to John for his answer to “What’s so good it’s bad?”
  • Best evaluator was shared by Kate and Glen
  • Best speaker went to Adam for his No. 10 speech

Femi also acknowledged key events in two Toastmaster’s ‘careers’ by giving out commemorative ribbons: one to Marie for completing her Ice Breaker and another to Adam for completing his 10th speech (and becoming a Competent Communicator!)

Next Meeting

Our next regular meeting will be held on Monday 24th June 2013 upstairs at The Clerk & Well pub, 156 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5DU.

Doors open at 6.30pm for a prompt 6.45pm start.

Meeting Report for 10 June 2013

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Introductions

Our president, Femi, got us off to a great start by reminding us that Toastmasters is an opportunity to practise public speaking with friends. You should put yourself on the stage as often as you can, and be sure to practise with insight, using the wealth of resources available.

The Toastmaster for the evening was Glen, our immediate past president, and webmaster of our award-winning website. Glen reflected on the nostalgia of meeting at the Real Man Pizza Company, which was once the club’s temporary home, and gave a few tips on the idiosyncrasies of the space. He likened the role of Toastmaster to that of an engineer aboard a ship, making sure that things run smoothly.

In light of the last-minute change of venue, Glen’s theme for the meeting was, “If I wanted to change your mind at the last minute, how would I do it?”

  • Ed – the Timekeeper – explained the importance of expressing an idea within a specific amount of time, along with the significance of the numbers on the agenda and the functioning of the lights in timing each speech.
  • Swarajit – the Grammarian – set the word of the day, the purpose of which is to introduce a word to people’s vocabulary that they may not use regularly. Swarajit’s role was also to comment on use of language in general. In particular, he was looking for interesting uses of collective nouns, and he took the opportunity to introduce a new one, “A wunch of bankers.” The word of the day was:

TENUOUS – adjective

  1. Thin or slender in form, as a thread.
  2. Lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak: a tenuous argument.
  3. Thin in consistency; rare or rarefied.
  4. Of slight importance or significance; unsubstantial: He holds a rather tenuous position in history.
  5. Lacking in clarity; vague: He gave a rather tenuous account of his past life.

Prepared Speeches

Peter kicked off the prepared speeches with an outstanding icebreaker. He began by telling us how storytelling is fundamental to him and how it has impacted his personal life, thus setting the stage for his speech. He described his father as boring, dull and unassuming, though he was not always that way, as Peter soon illustrated in the story of his father’s adventures. Peter’s father and uncle travelled extensively, encountered tigers, escaped slavery, and met the gentle, pious people of Tibet. Eventually Peter’s uncle returned home, while his father enlisted in the army. The horrors of war led him to become the person he is today.

In her speech, entitled, “Natural Born Speaker,” Alex echoed and elaborated on some of the ideas Femi presented in his introduction. Speaking, according to Alex, can be learnt with practice just like any other skill. She spoke about the psychology behind the fear of speaking and the fact that in overcoming that fear, practice makes perfect. No one is born an eloquent speaker, she concluded, but we are all born with the potential to be an eloquent speaker.

Rajeev gave us some insight into wine tasting and selection in his speech, entitled, “Second-cheapest Wine.” Like almost 25% of people, Rajeev would always default to the second- or third-cheapest wine in restaurants until he recently learned more about wine. He then shared some of his knowledge on the different types of wine, some tips on tasting wine, and what we can all do to learn more, all in the hope that we would not make the same mistake, and in future, opt for the house wine instead.

In his advanced speech, Femi treated us to the story of the inception of Bloomsbury Speakers – a story of perseverance and passion. He told us how Bloomsbury Speakers was born out of Holborn Speakers in 2009 as the brainchild of the then president of Holborn Speakers. He described in detail the dedication and sacrifices involved, but was interrupted by the gavel. Part II of the story was promised in due time!

Evaluations

Hari described Peter’s icebreaker as having obliterated the objectives in the first ten seconds. He seemed already comfortable speaking in front of an audience, and in particular telling this story, which was clearly quite familiar. Hari recommended that Peter not use notes, though his use of them on this occasion appeared not to detract from the speech. Finally, he commended Peter’s soothing voice and fantastic story, though it did not end on such a joyous tone.

Damien found Alex’s speech engaging as her choice of topic resonated with us all and she was willing to open up early in the speech and make it quite personal. He broke his feedback down into the areas of voice, body language and content, commending Alex’s soft but balanced voice, her open stance and eye contact, as well as the structure and uplifting nature of her speech. He suggested a few more hand gestures and closing the speech by reminding us what she had told us. All in all, Damien found that Alex had made us feel that the status of an ideal speaker was attainable in the future.

Rufina commended Rajeev’s opening, stating that one of the attributes of a great speaker is the ability to get the audience involved, as Rajeev did. His structure, according to her, was great, as it utilised the power of three. His use of a glass of wine as a prop added a lot to his speech, though perhaps he could have showed a few different types of wine to illustrate the differences. Rufina also recommended that he lose his notes as he didn’t use them much. He came across to her as very confident and made her keen to try his wine tasting techniques the next time she goes out.

Paula found Femi’s speech a pleasure. His unique perspective on Bloomsbury Speakers enabled him to give a speech that no one else could have given, in a way that was decorative and detailed. If anything, Paula found Femi’s speech too detailed and was lost at times due to a lack of structure. She worried that as an experienced speaker, Femi may have tried to wing it a bit. She reminded us that structure is always needed, and that it is important to keep it simple.

Table Topics

Bronia, our Table Topics Master of the evening, began by describing her experience as a social entrepreneur. At the beginning, she felt as though she was at the bottom of Mount Everest, but a couple of years later, things began to move forward. Each topic was related to a quote she had chosen.

  • “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Nazia answered the question of how she picks herself up when she falls by first describing some of the setbacks she’s had in her life. She then said that integrating mind and body through activities like running and yoga was very valuable for her in dealing with them.

  • “Success is contagious: you can catch it by surrounding yourself with positive people.”

Mike shared what he had learned from the succesful people surrounding him, some of whom can be intimidating at first. He found, however, that they often fail a number of times before becoming successful – something that can be both inspiring and contagious.

  • “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” – Steve Jobs

Marta, coming from a not-for-profit background, found the quote extremely relevant to her. She spoke about the ability of the people around her who inspire her to continue no matter what the challenges are. She pointed out how all of us at Toastmasters are united by the aim to become better every day.

  • “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

Marie agreed wholeheartedly with the quote and the importance of having goals and planning to get to them. Attaining one’s goals makes what once seemed unattainable become reality. It is important then to keep going and seek inspiration every day.

  • “A good plan… executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” – General George Patton

Asked if perfectionism is good or bad, Stella described it as appalling. She went on to describe the crippling level of detail in which she would research an item as simple as a bar of soap before making a purchase. Her conclusion: it is far better to do things in a way that is acceptable.

Before beginning his evaluations, Joe shared how much he loves table topics, likening it to live theatre. He was impressed by the confidence conveyed by several of the speakers, their use of body language and ability to draw laughs from the audience, though he suggested that a couple of the speakers could have made their stories more personal.

Reports

Swarajit was fairly satisfied with the use of the word of the day, citing examples from Glen, Rajeev and the guest introductions. There were not many collective nouns, though Alex did refer to groups of people, which Swarajit suggested could instead be described as tribes. He pointed out many good uses of language, including several vivid metaphors that appeared throughout the evening. He counted very few ums but found that the phrase, “you know,” had crept in.

Our General Evaluator, Karthik, came to us from Canary Wharf Communicators. He made several keen observations about each evaluator, as well as our President and Toastmaster for the evening. He also made several suggestions including the use of pauses to avoid “spark plug” phrases, displaying the manuals, and circulating the speaking slots for the next few weeks. Overall, he thought we were among the top five of the twelve clubs he’s visited over the last six weeks.

Awards

President Femi made a few club announcements before presenting the awards:

  • Best Evaluator went to Paula.
  • Best Table Topic went to Nazia.
  • Best Speaker went to Peter for his Icebreaker.
  • The President’s Award went to Marie and Rufina, who helped set up the room when Femi was late.

Next Meeting

Our next regular meeting will be held on Monday, 17 June upstairs at The Clerk & Well pub, 156 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5DU.

Doors open at 6.30pm for a prompt 6.45pm start.

Report written by Helen.

Meeting Report for 3 June 2013

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Introductions

The meeting began with the Club President Femi sharing words of inspiration with his fellow Toastmasters and guests.  Femi told us about a recent presentation that he gave at work which went very smoothly.  After the presentation, one of his colleagues complemented his presentation style and told him that he was a natural – but Femi knew that there is no such thing as a natural public speaker.  Anyone with the right motivation and the necessary dedication has the power to speak and influence an audience.  It doesn’t take ‘charisma’ says Femi, it takes commitment.

Femi handed over to the evening’s Toastmaster Henry, who explained why he had chosen the theme of “Humour” for the meeting.  He said he believes that humour is the glue that holds us together in times of strife. It has the ability to lift a frown and to keep people looking at the lighter side of life.  In fact, he joked that the only reason that his partner has stayed in their relationship, is because she finds him very droll.

The Timekeeper Rufina explained the duties of her role and how the meeting would be run with reference to time allowances to ensure that the meeting did not overrun.

Visiting Grammarian Stella shared the word of the day ‘embroider’.  She explained its dual meaning – to decorate with sewing or to embellish a point – and revealed why she chose the word.  She encouraged all speakers to use colourful language and also to be careful how many “Ahs” and “Ums” crept into their speaking.

Prepared Speeches

Helen presented her Icebreaker speech entitled ‘The Essence of an Icebreaker’.  It was filled with Helen’s personal deliberations as to what to include in her speech.  She pondered sharing that she is a dancer and loves all forms of dance, or possibly divulging that she is a software expert that has been writing code since the age of 6.  By the end Helen had covered all these topics and began the speech at the very end with an introduction of herself!

Ben delivered his No. 2 speech entitled “Roller Coasters”.  He delved into the topic with a brief history of roller coasters and explained their evolution.  He then gave the audience 3 reasons why he loved to ride roller coasters, each one including a lesson which the audience could take away.  His points were that roller coasters can put your real-life issues into perspective, enhance your creativity and give you a new perspective on life.

Samuel delivered his 3rd speech at Toastmasters entitled “Dreams”. He educated the audience about how best to control their dreams in order to avoid having disturbing nightmares.  He reminded us to relax before bedtime, taught us to roll our eyes open slowly to wake up from a bad dream, and told us about a particular herb that can be found in his birthplace of Malawi which promotes sleep.  He closed his speech by asking the audience to shut their eyes and dream that he had just delivered an excellent speech!

Finally we had an advanced speech given by Mike entitled ‘The Changing Energy Market’.  The objective of the speech project was to role-play that he was chairing a meeting at work and needed to persuade the audience, his colleagues, to support his efforts to change the government’s way of thinking.  He explained why the energy market should not be simplified and then held a question and answer session at the end of the speech.

Evaluations

Each speaker was given an evaluation by a fellow club member.

Jo gave a thorough evaluation of Helen’s ice breaker speech.  She began by ‘apologising’ to the audience for Helen’s speech being well above the normal standard and told the room not to let her speech set a new bar for speech quality.  She recommended that perhaps Helen could have moved around the stage more but aside from that minor detail, felt she had given a cracking talk to begin her Toastmaster’s career.

Janet evaluated Ben’s No. 2 speech.  She commended Ben on his well-organised structure and shared how impressed she was by the profound lessons that came out of each of his rational points on roller coaster riding. She suggested that he varied his voice more often and used more of the space around him.  In general Janet felt that the speech was passionate and met all of his objectives.

Ahmed was very impressed with Samuel’s speech on dreams.  He felt that the speech was creative and well thought through.  Ahmed told Samuel that he spoke confidently and looked very relaxed on stage but he felt that a bit more structure may have helped the audience follow with more ease.

Finally Mike’s speech was evaluated by Joe who felt that Mike’s speech was full of confidence and distinction.  He also felt that Mike was engaging and enjoyed the interaction with the audience.  He recommended that Mike structure his speech differently in order to bring more clarity to the audience.  He commended Mike on his Q&A session and thanked him for a unique speech.

Table Topics – Impromptu Speaking

The Table Topics were led by Renars who adopted Henry’s theme for the evening and had devised topics that were about Humour.  Questions to participants – who were given only a few seconds to consider their answers – included:

  • What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
  • Who is the funniest person in the world in your opinion?
  • What’s the funniest date you have ever been on?
  • Tell us a joke or funny story.
  • What’s the worst situation to make a joke?

Glen effortlessly gave an evaluation of all the table topic participants.  He summed up each person’s commendable attributes and followed by a helpful recommendation.  Throughout his evaluation he showed commitment and charisma.

Rufina and Stella helped Henry close the evening by giving their reports on time and language respectively.  Stella was pleased with some of the language used by participants but felt that more effort could have been made on using the Word of the Day.

General Evaluator Alexis summed up the evening by giving an evaluation of all those who had not yet been evaluated.  Overall she felt that the club did a fantastic job and gave a charming and insightful synopsis of the various parts of the evening.

Awards

Closing the meeting Femi handed out the awards based on votes from the audience:

  • Best Table Topics was a tie between: Hugh and Saija
  • Best Evaluator award was given to Glen for his Table Topics evaluation
  • Best speech was Helen for her Ice Breaker

Next meeting

The next regular meeting on Monday, June 10th downstairs at The Real Man Pizza Company, 91-95 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5BX. Please note the change of venue!

Doors open at 6.30pm for a prompt 6.45pm start.

Meeting report written by Janet.

June Newsletter – the new committee and a new club!

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Hello and welcome to the June newsletter!

As you may know, June is the last month of the Toastmasters year and a new committee takes over in July. I’m pleased to announce that we already have the new committee in place – complete with a brand new President – and I’ll share the identities and responsibilities of the new team later in this newsletter.

But first and since this is my very last newsletter as Club President, I want to thank my committee officers Swarajit, Elena, Joe, Jo and Glen for their dedication, hard work and unwavering support over the last twelve months.

Not only have I enjoyed their support every step of the way, together we have built Bloomsbury Speakers into a more attractive, friendly and successful club. 

We are also on course to achieve ‘President Distinguished Club’ status at the end of this month, which is the highest honour that a Toastmasters club can receive from Toastmasters International.

My deepest thanks goes out to the committee for making my term as President such a treat; you are some of the finest Toastmasters I have ever worked with.

I also want to thank all our members. Whether old or new, experienced or beginner, your abundant enthusiasm and unrelenting commitment to your speaking and leadership goals has elevated our club’s status and meeting experiences so much so that we have become one of the most sought after clubs in London.

While I will miss being President, I now look forward to supporting the club in other ways and getting back into performing some of the functionary roles during our regular meetings.

On with this week’s newsletter!

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 two meetings in May, each featuring a diverse range of Toastmasters speeches from ice-breakers given by brand new members to advanced speeches from more experienced members.

What’s more, despite some people being away on holiday, we still had a good turn-out and enjoyed very upbeat meetings.

What’s planned for June?

Unlike May when we only had two meetings, June is brimming with four meetings: two regular ones and two extras:

  • Monday 3rd June – Regular Meeting – this has already occurred but featured a humorous theme and some speeches of a very high standard.
  • Monday 10th June – Regular Meeting – prepared speaking slots and functionary roles are already booked up for this meeting but there is one more topic slot up for grabs.

    PLEASE NOTE THIS MEETING WILL NOW BE HELD DOWNSTAIRS AT THE REAL MAN PIZZA COMPANY – OPPOSITE THE CLERK & WELL PUB.

  • Monday 17th June – Extra Meeting – like the earlier two meetings virtually all slots are gone with the table topics slots being the only remaining ones yet to be fully booked.
  • Monday 24th June – Regular Meeting – We are still looking for a Grammarian and a Topics evaluator for this meeting, and as always you can still take part in the table topics session by booking one of the slots in advance!

New Club – Clerkenwell Speakers

Bloomsbury Speakers and Holborn Speakers (our sister club) are teaming up to form a new club – Clerkenwell Speakers – in our area this summer.

In just a little over three years since its inception, Bloomsbury Speakers has grown to over 50 members whereas the typical Toastmaster club has 20-30 members; essentially we have been helping twice as many people overcome their phobia of public speaking than the average Toastmasters club!

However, this has also created challenges most notably an enormous demand on speaking slots and roles in the club. As a result, we have had to consistently supplement our standard two regular meetings with an extra couple of meetings.

What’s more, membership has now been frozen until the end of September, meaning that sadly we are not admitting aspiring guests who would like to join our club.

The same scenario is more or less being played out at Holborn where membership is around 60 folks with the club already meeting three times a month to cope with demand.

In light of this situation (which was the same scenario that led Holborn Speakers to form Bloomsbury Speakers three years ago) we are creating a new club to give existing members more speaking opportunities and guests who we can’t be admitted into Holborn and Bloomsbury a chance to join Toastmasters!

Here are the key points to note about the new club:

For Everyone

  • Venue – The Real Man Pizza Company 91-95 Clerkenwell Rd City of London, EC1R 5BX (directly opposite our current venue)
  • Meeting days – First and third Wednesdays of the month
  • Meeting time – arrive from 6:30pm for a 6:45pm start
  • Start date – July Summer 2013 – Exact date yet to be confirmed

Existing Members

  • Membership – members from Bloomsbury may transfer their membership to the new club at no extra cost (admission is on a first come, first serve basis). When it’s time for renewal, you will be entitled to renew at the same fee rates as you would at Bloomsbury rates and this includes an entitlement to the CC and CL discounts if relevant.
  • Participation – Every member at Bloomsbury Speakers will have free access to book speech and role slots at Clerkenwell Speakers, although transfer members may have priority access to speech slots.
  • Committee – If you would like to get involved in running the club, simple email me at president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk or come and speak to me at the end of a meeting.

Guests

  • Joining – If you would like to become a member of Clerkenwell Speakers or want to know more about it, I suggest you attend the first meeting, which is likely to take place in July and then approach the committee members or the President about joining at the end of the meeting. Please write to me at president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk so that I can get the committee of the club to liaise with you and notify you about the first meeting date the moment it is confirmed.

Bloomsbury Speakers 2013/14 Committee – who’s who in the new line-up?

After the invitations to members to get involved in the committee over the last six weeks, discussions were held with those interested in becoming committee officers, and here’s now the new line-up with responsibilities:

  • Swarajit (currently VPE) – President – has overall responsibility for the successful running of the club
  • Jo (currently Secretary) – VP Education – ensures that we run successful meetings with all roles filled and that the club’s educational goals are met
  • Rajeev  – 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
  • Ahmed – Treasurer – responsible for controlling the club finances to ensure stability and continuity for all members
  • Paula – Secretary – responsible for club administration, particularly with regards to committee meetings and decision making
  • Rufina – VP Public Relations – responsible for raising the club profile and attracting new guests, e.g. via website and mailing list
  • Marie – Sergeant at Arms – 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).

World Child Cancer – an opportunity to use speaking skills for a good cause

We were recently contacted by a charity called World Child Cancer that is looking for volunteer speakers to speak 1-2 times a month in their local community in support of the charity.

Some training is provided and this is a great opportunity for those speakers who already have a few months experience with the club.

Contact info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk and we’ll send you some more details.

Tip of the Month: Attend and speak at as many meetings as possible

Eight weeks ago, after delivering a presentation about the work of my division to newly employed colleagues, one of them approached me and said, “Wow! I’m really impressed with your presentation… you are such a natural at speaking in front of an audience!”

Although, I smiled and thanked her for compliments, I didn’t quite agree with her assessment of me being a ‘natural’ because I know how awful I was before I joined Toastmasters over 6 years ago.

What she was witnessing is the product of many nights of practising public speaking at Holborn Speakers meetings – where I first joined Toastmasters in the summer of 2006 – and at Bloomsbury Speakers where I’m a regular now.

I’m not more naturally gifted at delivering presentations than the average person, but I give plenty of prepared and impromptu speeches at Toastmasters. I’m not talented at connecting with an audience, but I talk to hundreds of people in and outside of Toastmasters every year.

No-one is born an eloquent speaker. Actually, from my own personal experiences of maternity wards, we were all born crying! Yet over time we learnt how to speak. Likewise, acquiring confidence and the knack for public speaking takes place over time not suddenly.

What makes the difference is regular practice. I say regular practice because the kind of change you want to see happens incrementally.

So my friends, I’d like to challenge you to attend every meeting or every other one. And when you are at a meeting, aim to do a speech or a role. If you can’t do a role, do a table topic! It’s all about stage time – regular practice!

In closing, let me remind you that great accomplishments depend not so much on ingenuity as on hard work. That is why Thomas Edison made the statement that “genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Right, that’s all! It’s been a pleasure to serve you for the last 12 months.

All that remains for me is to wish Swarajit and his new team good luck. And for Bloomsbury Speakers, I know you will go on to even greater heights.

Best regards!

Femi Asaolu
Outgoing President
Bloomsbury Speakers

Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know

  • Meetings – Our remaining meetings in June take place on Monday 10th, 17th and 24th. Please note: the meeting on the 10th has a venue change – The Real Man Pizza Company
  • Speaking Slots – There are still functionary roles available in the last meeting Monday 24th, and remember you can book a table topic slot in advance at any of the meetings
  • New Committee – From next month, we have a new committee: Swarajit (President), Jo (VP Education), Rajeev (VP Membership & Mentoring), Ahmed (Treasurer), Paula (Secretary), Rufina (VP Public Relations) and Marie (Sergeant at Arms)
  • New Club – Together with Holborn Speakers we are forming a new club – Clerkenwell Speakers – which is scheduled to start in July and will meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. If you want to join the new club as a guest, transfer your membership as an existing member, or simply participate in the club, please write me for more details at president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
  • Would you like to become a volunteer speaker for World Child Cancer? Get in touch!