Meeting Report: 11 July 2016

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Written by Peter

Introduction

On Monday 11th July the Clerk and Well played host to a regular (if later than usual) meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. We heard four superb prepared speeches, four evaluations, and six impromptu speeches from participants who each successfully honed aspects of their public speaking.

Roles

Toastmaster Ahmed compered the evening with a relaxed and confident style. He introduced us to Sergey, the Timekeeper, who made sure the entire meeting ran smoothly in line with the schedule. Ahmed also introduced Chantal, the Grammarian, who explained that her role was to note interesting uses of language throughout the evening.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was new joiner Andrew. Andrew gave us a fluent and calm Icebreaker speech entitled ‘The man in Seat 61’. Andrew told us about his experiences of travelling, and how often the journey is more satisfying than the eventual destination.

The second speaker of the night was Sarah, who gave a No. 7 speech entitled ‘The Puzzling Nature of Cooperation’. Sarah explained the science behind the importance of cooperation in animals and humans, giving carefully chosen evidence to do so.

The third speaker was Peter, who gave a No. 7 speech with the title ‘The top three regrets of the dying, and why they’re a good thing’. Peter told us about the top three regrets outlined by terminally ill patients, giving fresh insight into how we can learn from them.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Karthik, who gave an advanced impromptu speech on ‘alien life’. Karthik regaled the audience with hypothetical questions about the impact of alien activity on earth and in space, making use of his extensive experience in improvisation.

After the break, we heard from the four evaluators who had been preparing feedback for the prepared speeches – Jack, Abraham, Sebastian and Swarajit.

We were then introduced to our Table Topic Master for the evening, Helen. Helen decided to pick her topics from news headlines. We heard from Piotr, Matteus, Swarajit, Leon, Karthik and Peter, who all gave impromptu speeches for up to two minutes. Sergey, the Timekeeper, then gave us the timings for each impromptu speech.

Agnes gave an evaluation of the impromptu topics speakers, followed by Sergey, who returned to update us on the timings for each evaluator’s speech.

After a report by Chantal, the Grammarian, we then heard from our visiting General Evaluator, Karthik. Finally, Sheldon, the President of Bloomsbury Speakers, announced the awards for the evening:

 

Awards

Best Speaker: Peter R

Best Evaluator: Helen Hosein

Best Table Topic: Peter R

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be Monday 25 July at the Clerk and Well (though the venue may be subject to change). Please get in touch at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you have any questions!

Meeting Report: 27 June 2016

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27june2016

Written by Chantal

Introduction

On Monday 27 June we met upstairs at our regular venue, the Clerk and Well, for a regular meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. We heard from four experienced speakers who inspired and enlightened us in turn while battling bravely against the noise of football supporters downstairs!

Roles

Member Margarita was Acting President for the evening, taking the opportunity to emphasise that whatever role a member carries out at Toastmasters, they receive valuable feedback. Member Henry was Toastmaster for the evening, praising the psychological power-boosting effect of applause, before introducing us to Raymond, Timekeeper. Raymond treated us to the historical fact that Lincoln’s Gettysburg address only lasted three minutes, thus reminding the club of the importance of keeping to schedule.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was Abraham, who delivered a No. 3 Speech entitled ‘Emotional Intelligence’. He explained how important emotional intelligence – encompassing skills like self-awareness and empathy – is in the workplace.

The second speaker of the night was Heleana, who delivered a No. 4 speech with the title ‘What Burning Man taught me about Love’. She recounted her experiences of the Burning Man Festival in Nevada and the lessons gained from it, including the joy of giving without the expectation of receiving.

The third speaker was Agnes, who gave a No. 5 speech with the title ‘Lingo Bingo’, launching a blistering argument against corporate jargon and providing the audience with a game to play in their next meeting at work.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Margarita, who gave a No. 8 speech entitled ‘Dolce Far Niente’. She appealed to the audience to revel in the sweetness of doing nothing, drawing on an anecdote of how a quick walk in the park boosted her performance at work afterwards.

After the break, we heard from the four evaluators who had been preparing feedback for the first batch of prepared speeches – Robert, Margarita, Swarajit and Matthew.

We then held a session of table topics, hosted by Peter F. Afterwards, we invited the Table Topics Evaluator, Heleana, to present feedback on each of the impromptu speeches we had just heard.

After the Timekeeper’s report, the visiting General Evaluator from Russian English Speakers, Roman, summarised the evening’s speaking and offered feedback for those who had not yet been evaluated.

Awards

Best Speaker: Margarita

Best Evaluator: Matthew

Best table topic: Piotr

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be on Monday 11 July from 7PM to 9.15PM at the Clerk and Well. Please get in touch at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you have any questions!