September Newsletter – Membership Unfreeze, Contest Night and Table Topics Boot Camp

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Hello and welcome to the September newsletter!

August was the month when the Olympics brought the world to the British Isles and in particular to this great city of London. And Bloomsbury Speakers benefited from the influx.

Yes we saw Toastmasters from overseas clubs visiting us during their short stint in London, and they had nothing but praise for us. They also said they felt as if they were at home, because our club meeting experience was similar to what happens in their clubs in their respective countries.

All of this reminds me again of what a global phenomenon Toastmasters is, and how through the same format combining regular practice with feedback, the organisation is helping multitudes around the world to become better speakers and leaders.

Now here in a nutshell is what happened in August in case you were away and haven’t read the meeting reports…

(Remember, if you’re in a hurry, you can scroll to the very end of the newsletter to get a list of the key things you need to know!)

What’s happened since the last newsletter?

In August, we returned to our two standard meetings a month which were well attended despite strong competition from the Olympic Games and the holiday season. Yes, we saw record numbers of guests in the meetings and members turned out in their droves.

There was an ice breaker speech and speeches from members across the experience spectrum. This is why I enjoy coming to Bloomsbury because whether you are an advanced speaker or a newbie there something appealing for everyone!

What’s planned for September?

We’ve got two meetings in September – on the 10th and 24th September.

However, our first meeting Monday 10th September is not a regular meeting; instead it’s our Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest night. This is the club-level round of the autumn contests, featuring humorous prepared speeches and table topics.

We already have lots of eager contestants but our Contest Organiser Swarajit tells me members still have a few hours left to register for the contest. Contact him directly at education@bloomburyspeakers.org.uk by the end of today (Friday 7th September).

If you’re not taking part or acting in a functionary role, please come along anyway. This contest meeting is usually one of the most entertaining on the Bloomsbury calendar.

As for Monday 24th September 2012 – This is a standard regular meeting and while speaking slots are already booked up, we are still looking to fill the Toastmaster role. Alternatively, you can put yourself down for a table topics slot.

Tip: an experienced member to watch in this meeting is Hari Kalymnios (our previous VP of membership and mentoring) who is already a Competent Communicator.

What’s on the horizon?

We’ve got two meetings in October – on the 8th and 22nd.

  • Monday 8th October 2012 – Regular Meeting – again this first meeting is already booked up speech-wise, but you could book in as an Evaluator which will not simply help you develop your speaking skills but will go some way in developing your leadership ability. Alternatively put yourself down for a table topics slot – there are still three up for grabs. Finally, seasoned speakers to watch out for are David Jones and Kaveh Pourvand (both from Holborn Speakers) who are our GE and guest Toastmaster respectively. There’s also Henry Playfoot who will be our Grammarian that night.
  • Monday 22nd October 2012 – Regular meeting – There are still two Evaluator slots to fill here so don’t delay book your slot now before they are gone! Once again Henry Playfoot – who will be chairing the meeting as our Toastmaster – is one to watch.

Membership freeze coming to an end!

As you know, we have frozen membership to cope with demand on speaking slots. But membership will re-open at the end of September.

We already have a waiting list of people keen to join and they will be given priority when we start enrolling new members.

If you would like to join but haven’t done so already, please contact the membership VP Joe Lake (membership@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk) to put you on the waiting list.

As always in the meantime, we continue to welcome guests to come to our meetings.

Want to improve your impromptu speaking and get extra table topics practice between meetings?

Now I’d like to hand over to our past president Glen for some information about a brand new resource that members – particularly those who’d like to improve their table topics skills – could find very useful.

Hello! I know many of you, like me, enjoy the challenge of a good table topic.

But I used to get frustrated about only being able to do one or two table topics a month. It never seemed quite enough to improve as quickly as I wanted to.

That’s why workshops – like the one Hari ran a few weeks back – are so great. You get to do lots in one evening!

And this got me thinking: Is there a way to realistically practice table topics – and perhaps learn a few new techniques – between meetings and workshops?

The result is the Table Topics Boot Camp.

It uses exercises and specially-recorded audio topics to allow you to practice in front of your computer or even from your smartphone, recreating as closely as possible the experience of doing a table topic in a meeting.

Currently there are 10 exercises and 30 practice topics.

I would love for a few of you to check it out and give me some feedback saying whether you found it useful.

There are no strings attached, the content is totally free and doesn’t require any kind of email sign-up or other commitment.

In the interest of full disclosure I should point out that this is a personal project rather than a Bloomsbury Speakers initiative. It comes with no guarantees, etc. but I hope some of you find it useful.

Thanks and see you soon!

Glen

That’s all.

See you in a meeting very soon!

Femi Asaolu
President
Bloomsbury Speakers

Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know

  • Our next meeting is our Contest Night on Monday 10th September. If you’re competing – good luck! If not, coming along and watch the fun.
  • Our next regular meeting is Monday 24th September – and we’re still looking for a Toastmaster.
  • Our meetings in October are on the 8th and the 22nd
  • The club is re-opening to new members from end of September – email membership@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk to get on the waiting list
  • Check out Glen’s new, free resource – Table Topics Boot Camp – to practice and improve your table topics skills between meetings

August Newsletter – Hello from new president and club contests

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Hello and welcome to the August newsletter

It’s just one month since the start of the new Toastmasters year, when a new committee takes over the running of the club.

(In case you are not aware who the new committee members are, details are provided below.)

But you’d be forgiven to think that little or nothing has changed given how we have continued to have well-attended meetings with lots of new guests.

This is one of the reasons I am honoured to be the new president of Bloomsbury Speakers. I’m proud to be taking over from our immediate past President Glen Long who, together with his out-going committee members, has helped to establish us as one of the most friendly, prominent and vibrant clubs in London.

My aim is to maintain this ethos, and to see all members – new and old – progressing through the communication and leadership programmes.

What happened in July?

As was the case in June, we had three meetings in July (instead of the more normal two) in order to meet new members’ demand for speaking slots. There were ice-breaker speeches in each meeting and we also had speeches from more experienced members.

We also had a well-attended Table Topics workshop where tips for impromptu speaking were shared by Hari – one of our most seasoned members – and members were given the opportunity to practise lots of topics.

What’s planned for August?

In August, we are reverting to our two regular meetings since the membership freeze (see below) has meant that demand on speaking slots has eased up a bit:

  • Monday 13th August 2012 – Regular Meeting – this first meeting is already booked up, but you could book in as a reserve speaker (in case someone drops out). Alternatively put yourself down for a table topics slot – there are still three up for grabs. Experienced members to watch out for are Glen and Ratan.
  • Monday 20th August 2012 – Regular meeting which has been moved forward a week earlier because of the bank holiday. This meeting is fully booked however there are a couple of veteran members to learn from including Swarajit and Glen.

Please note the second meeting date – it’s the third Monday not the fourth, due to the August bank holiday.

What’s on the horizon?

We’ve got two meetings in September – on the 10th and 24th September:

  • Monday 10th September 2012 – Please note this first meeting is a Humorous Speech and Table Contest night, not a regular meeting. This is the club-level round of the autumn contests, featuring humorous prepared speeches and table topics (more on this later).
  • Monday 24th September 2012 – Regular Meeting – While speaking slots are already booked up, there are still Evaluator slots up for grabs.

New committee

Here’s a reminder of the new committee members, with their respective responsibilities:

  • Femi Asaolu (me!) – 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
  • Richard Gibbs – 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)

Membership freeze

To help manage demand for speaking slots, we are sticking to our plan to keep club membership frozen until the end of September.

In the meantime, we continue to welcome guests to our meetings, and for those who are eager to join, we can put you on the waiting list.

Humorous and Table Topics Contest: Take part or get involved in running it!

Toastmasters normally runs two sets of contests each year, and the end of the summer is when we hold our Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests. These contests take the place of our regular meeting on Monday 10th September and are open to all members with an up-to-date membership (although guests are still very welcome to attend).

For the Humorous Speech contest, you need to prepare a 5-7 minute speech of a humorous nature on a topic of your choice. Note that a humorous speech is not a stand-up routine, or just a series of one-liners – it is a fully-fledged speech in its own right and should have a beginning, a middle and a conclusion as usual, supported with lots of humour!

For the Table Topics contest, no preparation is required at all! As usual, you are given the topic just before you are called to the stage and have 1-2 minutes to talk about it. To ensure fairness, all contestants are given the same question, but are free to interpret it in any way they wish.

If you would like to enter either or both of these contests, you can do so by booking yourself in on ClubPlan (note that, due to a limitation with the ClubPlan system, you can only book yourself in for one of the contests, but please e-mail education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you would like to enter both).

Even if you don’t yet feel ready to compete, there are several functionary roles available to help the contest run smoothly – again, use ClubPlan to book yourself in.

Further information about the rules and requirements of the contests will be provided to members in the coming weeks.

That’s all.

See you in a meeting very soon!

Femi Asaolu
President
Bloomsbury Speakers

Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know

  • Our next meeting is Monday 13th August 2012
  • Our second meeting in August is the third, not fourth, Monday – i.e. Monday, 20th August
  • The humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest takes place on 10th September – take part or get involved in helping to run the show via ClubPlan!
  • There are still functionary roles available in the regular meeting in September – remember you need to perform at least one functionary role between speeches.
  • We have a new committee: Femi (President), Swarajit (VP Education), Joe (VP Membership & Mentoring), Elena (Treasurer), Jo (Secretary), Glen (VP Public Relations) and Richard (Sergeant at Arms)

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)

May Newsletter – topics, stories and 50% extra free

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Hello and welcome to the May newsletter!

There’s just time to squeeze in a quick club update before we head into June and what promises to be a packed month for Bloomsbury Speakers.

But before we get into the detail, I want to say a big hello to five brand new members: Christopher, David, Ilze, Angela and Steven. Welcome to the Bloomsbury Speakers family.

We’re delighted to have you on board and I look forward to you all becoming familiar faces in club meetings!

What’s happened since the last newsletter?

We had a great meeting at the end of April with Bloomsbury co-founder Craig Reid returning as our special guest Toastmaster and some great speeches from Paula, Hari, Renars and Femi. If you missed it check out the meeting report courtesy of Elena, our official ‘scribe’.

Our first meeting of May was another lively one, complete with special visitors from a Toastmasters club in the US and more stand-out speeches, this time from Marielle, Elena, Jo and Adam. For more details, again you can go and check out the report.

What’s still to come this month?

Only a few days left in the month, but we still have this:

  • Monday 28th May – TONIGHT! – is our last regular meeting of the month. At the time of writing all roles are booked so it should be a good one and well done to our VPE Femi for keeping the programme in such rude health. Expect an ice breaker from Saija as well as speeches from Janet, Hari and Henry.

What’s planned for next month?

Due to popular demand (and lots of new members) we’ve added an extra meeting in June to help people who were finding it difficult to get a speaking slot. It will also help a couple of more experienced members complete their ten speeches before the end of the TM year.

So here’s the full meeting line-up:

  • Monday 11th June – Regular Meeting – currently fully booked (apart from a reserve speaker slot – in case someone drops out). We should have an ice breaker from Mike, and speeches from Wayne, Elena and Jo.
  • Monday 18th June – Regular Meeting – almost fully booked but there’s still a chance to book yourself in as Topics Evaluator. We’ll have an ice breaker from Christopher as well as speeches from David, Kate and, er, me!
  • Monday 25th June – Regular Meeting – again, almost fully booked but there’s a reserve speaker slot and a couple of evaluator slots – get in there! Currently we are promised an ice breaker from Ilze, and speeches from Ahmed, Kate and Femi.

What’s on the horizon?

At least twice a year we like to run workshops to help members learn from more experienced Toastmasters and develop specific skills.

I’m delighted to say that in July we’ll be holding a Table Topics workshop which will focus on that area of a normal meeting agenda alone. Our current VP of Membership & Mentoring Hari is taking charge of this and more information will be sent out in the near future, but here are the basic details:

  • Table Topics Workshop – Monday 30th July 2012 – this workshop (free for members) will help you to hone your impromptu speaking skills by providing helpful tips and lots of opportunities to practice in a super-friendly environment. Places will be limited and we hope that everyone will get the chance to tackle three topics.

You can book your place at the workshop here:

http://tabletopics30july.eventbrite.co.uk/

NEWS – Change to Table Topics 

Table Topics is a popular section of our regular meetings. One of the main purposes is to give members who are not on the programme an opportunity to speak. We do also like to give keen guests a chance to experience the buzz of speaking impromptu, but we aim to give priority to members.

To facilitate this we’ve decided to try an experiment – allowing up to four people to book table topics slots in advance via ClubPlan. We won’t push to fill the slots, but if you do bag one, we’ll do our best to make sure you get to speak.

It’s just a trial, but if it works out we’ll keep it going.

INFO – What is the Distinguished Club Programme?

Some information from Nazia – our Past President and DCP Co-ordinator – about the Distinguished Club Programme.

As the end of Toastmasters year approaches I wanted to tell you a little bit about the DCP. How can we know if we are making progress or meeting our goals? Unless we have metrics in place we can’t know.

At Toastmasters the key milestones include the Competent Communicator (CC) programme, that you achieve by completing the first 10 speeches, and after this there are further communication milestones that measure your progress.

Also included is the Competent Leadership (CL) programme which acknowledges your successful progress through various leadership mini-projects, usually by taking on a supporting role in a meeting.

By completing either – or hopefully both – of these programmes members receive an award.

You may not realise that every member who achieves an award contributes to the success of the club as well.

Clubs too are measured by how well their members are doing through the Distiguished Club Programme. Successful clubs are recognised and can proudly display the award ribbons on their club banner. During our first full year of operation we achieved the President’s Distinguished Club award – that is the highest award that a club can get!

And this year we are poised to achieve the Select Distinguished award! The DCP ensures that members are reaching their goals and the club is a high performing club with quality educational meetings.

Success speaks for itself and I’m sure you’ll agree that we are a successful and thriving club thanks to the contributions of our members.

Tip of the Month – Tell A Story, Make A Point

I’ve heard this said a number of times while I’ve been a member of Toastmasters – that the difference between good and great speakers is that great speakers “tell a story then make a point”. (Sometimes it’s the other way round – make a point, tell a story).

I saw it in very effective action last week when I was fortunate enough to attend an event in NYC with Seth Godin – the best-selling author and speaker.

(If you’re at all interested in marketing, the digital economy, or even just where the world of business is heading, I recommend that you follow Seth’s blog).

His opening speech – lasting around 45 minutes – consisted essentially of around half a dozen stories, each illustrating a specific point he wanted to make. Some were personal stories, some were in the public domain. They were often funny, sometimes inspiring, but they were all there for a specific purpose. To further cement his point.

What I particularly liked was that he was always very direct about his point. After telling a story, he would often say “and here’s what I want you to take from this…” or “and what this means for me is…”

He was perfectly happy to sacrifice a more subtle style – where the messages were left for the attentive listener to infer – at the altar of getting his point across. It seemed to me that was his primary purpose.

So try telling a story and making a point. And don’t be afraid of telling exactly what your point is.

I think that’s everything for this month. Next month will be my last as president (it hardly seems possible a year is almost up) so I’m keen to go out with a big bang – but that shouldn’t be hard with three busy meetings.

Our new committee is almost in place. The current team will be doing a handover next month so that the new ‘administration’ can hit the ground running from the start of July.

There are always ways that you can get involved in the running of the club and help it to keep on growing and getting better. So if you’re interested in lending a hand, even if it’s just an hour or two a month, let me know!

All the best,

Glen Long
President
president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk

Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know

  • Our next meeting is tonight – Monday 28th May – upstairs at The Clerk & Well, 156 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5DU
  • We have three – yes three! – meetings in June, on the 11th, 18th and 25th.
  • We’re holding a special Table Topics Workshop on Monday 30th July – details here

April Newsletter – club news, contest reviews and the “WOW” factor

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Hello and welcome to the April newsletter!

This monthly email has become a bit of a “moveable feast” of late – my original plan was to send the newsletters out early in the month but I’m afraid Easter got the better of me.

However, it’s still April (I need only look out the rain-spattered window to be reminded of that) and there’s still a meeting to go before the end of the month, so I say better late than never!

(If you’re in a hurry, scroll to the very bottom for the key facts you need to know this month.)

What’s happened since the last newsletter?

Well the first half of the month was fairly quiet Toastmasters-wise due to Easter, but since then we’ve had:

  • First meeting at The Clerk & Well – very excitingly, we christened our new venue with a great meeting and lots of new guests and members. We had four cracking speeches (including a very revealing ice breaker!) – all from new or relatively new members. If you missed it check out the meeting report here.
  • London Contests and Workshops – on Saturday 21st April there was the London finals for the International Speech and Evaluation contests together with a range of educational workshops. A number of our members attended and we’ve got a report from a couple of them later in the newsletter.

We’ve also had four new members join us in April – welcome to Mike, Marco, Renars and Jason! – with at least one more due to join before the month is out. 🙂

What’s happening this month?

Well the month is almost over, but we have our second meeting at The Clerk & Well:

  • Monday 30th April 2012 – as usual arrive from 6.30pm for a 6.45pm start. If you need directions to the new venue you can find them here.

We have a packed agenda already and I have a feeling that attendance will be very good too based on the number of people who’ve already RSVP’d on Meetup.

(Are you a member of our Meetup group yet? If not it’s a great way to get automatic reminder and also to let us know you’re coming along.)

I understand we still need a Topics Evaluator so if you’ve evaluated before but not done topics evaluation then why not take the plunge! We also need a speech evaluator.

(ClubPlan has had a few technical problems over the last few days, so if you can’t get onto it, just email Femi at education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk)

On a personal note… I’m particularly excited about Monday’s meeting because as our guest Toastmaster we hope to have Craig Reid, who founded the club back in 2009 with Nazia. When I first visited Bloomsbury as a guest in early 2010, Craig was the guy I looked at and thought “if I can get as good as him, then I definitely want to join!”

What’s on the horizon?

There are a couple of events to mention, one being one of the biggest on the Toastmasters calendar:

  • From Toastmaster to Professional Speaker – a workshop led by Distinguished Toastmaster Bob Ferguson, who has won three out of the four UK & Ireland speech contests. He shares the tips he’s gleaned to help speakers make the initial transition from Toastmaster to Professional Speaker. 7-9pm on Wednesday 9th May 2012 at the Fitzrovia Community Centre, Foley Street, London, W1W 6DN. To reserve a place email Simon Cooper at simonjc@btinternet.com
  • The District 71 Toastmasters Spring Conference – the “WOW – Words of Wexford” conference is taking place from 11-13 May in Wexford in South-East Ireland. Highlights include: UK & Ireland finals of International Speech and Evaluation Contests; inspiring and educational workshops; world-class entertainments and an abundance of good “craic”. Find out more and book your place here.

Report from London Contests and Workshops

A number of our members attended this event, including our Treasurer Swarajit and regular member (and meeting report ‘scribe’) Elena.

This is what Swarajit had to say:

I went to Andrew Bennett’s workshop on body language in which we were asked to communicate certain table topic-style messages using only our bodies (no speaking). It was something of an eye-opener as I’d never realised how much thought is required to get the right body language across in a speech.

The contests were both of a very high standard. The speech contest had a variety of styles such as humorous, motivational and reflective and, for me at least, the winner was not easy to choose! The evaluation contest was also closely fought, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a tiebreaker vote involved.

Elena said:

Most helpful for me was Andrew’s Bennett interactive workshop which was focused on two key aspects of speech presentation – voice and body language. Especially I liked the non-speaking Table Topics and the printed material with vocal exercises.

Jacqueline Purcel’s workshop “The Journey From Shyness To Shy Less” taught me that there are different types of shyness, helped identify mine and gave some useful coping mechanisms to deal with it.

All contestants performed at high level and I picked up some useful tips for me from everyone.

Well done to Jakub Pawlowski (Polish Your Polish club) and Lynne Cantor (Excalibur and WIBF City clubs) for their victories in the International Speech and Evaluation Contests respectively. More information can be found on The London Speaker.

New committee – last call for interested parties

We’re looking to finalise the new Bloomsbury Speakers committee before the end of May. We’ve already had some people step forward but if you’ve been “umming and ahhing” about getting involved then there’s still time to throw your hat in the ring. Once we know who’s interested in what there will be a voting process involving all members. The new committee is in place from July, with a handover during June.

Also, let us know if you’re interested in getting involved in some way but not necessarily as a full committee member.

For example, we really need someone to breathe some life into our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Might be a nice thing to have on your CV in these tough economic times – “I’m currently in charge of social media for a prominent public speaking club in central London”. Just saying. 😉

Just reply to this email or come and talk to me or one of the other committee members (Femi, Hari, Swarajit, Kate, Adam or Nazia) at the next meeting.

Tip of the Month – Include a “Call to Action”

Early in the Competent Communicator programme (speech project No. 3 in fact) we are taught to make sure our speeches always have a clear purpose. Is our intent to inform, to persuade, to inspire or simply to entertain?

For any speech, but particularly for one which is intended to be persuasive or inspiring, it can also be very useful to ask yourself: “What action do I want the audience to take?”

Consider this: I personally might describe a speech as persuasive, but is it truly persuasive if it doesn’t cause me to take some kind of action soon afterwards? I might find another speech inspiring and uplifting but ultimately if it doesn’t inspire me to make some kind of change, has it really delivered on the basic purpose?

This is why it can be very effective to include a “call to action” towards the end of your speech. Having successfully sustained the audience’s attention and emotions throughout the speech, try to direct that momentum towards a specific action at the end. Tell them what you want them to do, and make it easy for them to actually do it.

For example, if you’re trying to persuade people to lead a more active lifestyle, invite them to take an extra 10 minutes of light exercise every day and give them some quick and easy ways to achieve it.

If your inspirational speech is about the value of friendship, ask them to think of one old friend they haven’t spoken to yet this year and suggest that I make a mental commitment to call them this week.

Remember, the actions don’t have to be huge, but they do have to be specific and you do have to tell your audience that you want them carried out. If the action is simply implied, then it probably won’t be carried out.

Okay folks that’s it for this month. I hope you enjoyed the newsletter.

Have a good weekend and I look forward to seeing you at a meeting soon.

Best wishes,

Glen
President
president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk

Spoilers – just the stuff you really need to know

  • Our next meeting is this Monday, 30th April upstairs at The Clerk & Well pub, 156 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5DU.
  • We still need a Topics Evaluator and a Speech Evaluator for the above meeting. (ClubPlan’s a little flaky at the moment – if you can’t get on, email Femi at education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk)
  • There’s still time to book a place at the Spring Conference, 11-13th May 2012 in Wexford, Ireland
  • We’re still looking for members who are interested in being part of the next committee (starting from July) – send us an email or mention it at the next meeting