Meeting Report: 13 June 2016

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wordle 2Written by Margarita

Introduction

On Monday 13th June we met upstairs at the Clerk and Well, in the heart of the City of London, for a regular meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. We had two fantastic Icebreakers on the night followed by two speeches from more experienced members and got some news regarding changes in club’s leadership.

Roles

Club’s President Helen started the meeting with the empowering statement that each of us has a voice and we all have something to say. She inspired club members and guests to spread their voice beyond the club as some of the Bloomsbury speakers have done already (Remember Hari giving a TEDxtalk or Janet giving a keynote speech on communication?).

She then introduced the Toastmaster – Clare. It was Clare’s first experience in this role and she did an absolutely fantastic job! She explained the other roles, starting with Timekeeper Stella. An experienced Toastmaster, she reminded the audience of the importance of time-keeping. The meeting then proceeded with the Minute of Silence in tribute to the Orlando victims.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was Jack, who delivered a No. 1 Speech entitled ‘Justice for Jack’. He told us about a heartbreaking experience of having his bike stolen, and gave us a thriller on how far he went to get it back.

The second speaker of the night was Chantal, who delivered a No. 1 speech entitled ‘Beating the Pessimism’. She gave an exceptionally honest speech sharing with us her two true passions – literature and environment.

The third speaker was Matthew, who gave a No. 3 speech with the title ‘How to achieve a Duracell bunny success’. He shared with us three components of success – setting high goals, maintaining energy and having proper rest, using great visuals.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Helen, who gave an Advanced Speech with the title ‘Your audience has feelings too – Pathos and the “Appeal to Emotion”’. Helen presented Aristotle’s work on pathos and suggested future speakers connect with the audience through emotions, bearing in mind evocation, appropriateness and action.

After the break, we heard from the four evaluators who had been preparing feedback for the first batch of prepared speeches – Sebastian, Peter F, Ahmed and Margarita.

Table Topics

We then held a session of table topics, hosted by Sergey. Peter chose the topic ‘News’, and invited Swarajit, Christina, Piotr, Abraham, Matt and Francis to speak. Finally, we invited the Table Topics Evaluator, Sheldon, to present feedback on each of the impromptu speeches we had just heard.

After the Timekeeper’s report, the visiting General Evaluator, Marco, summarised the evening’s speaking and offered feedback for those who had not yet been evaluated. Marco mentioned that he particularly enjoys reading our Meeting Reports, so we hope he would like this one as well.

News

This meeting was very special for Bloomsbury Speakers as it was the last time when Helen acted as Club’s President. After one brilliant year as President she is passing the role to Sheldon, the Club’s VPE.

Awards

Best Speaker: Jack

Best Evaluator: Peter F.

Best table topic: Piotr

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be Monday 27th June 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 for 6 June 2016

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Meeting Report for 6 June 2016

Written by Peter

Introduction

On Monday 06 June we met upstairs at our regular venue,
the Clerk and Well, for a regular meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. We heard from four accomplished speakers who gave talks spanning the range of the Competent Communication manual.

Roles

Committee Member Peter acted as Toastmaster for the evening. He introduced us to Robert, the Timekeeper, who conveyed with humour the importance of the schedule. Peter also introduced us to the Grammarian, Stella, who gave a Word of the Day, ‘sunder’, and told us that she would note down any outstanding uses of language throughout the evening.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was Francesca, who delivered a No. 2 Speech entitled ‘What Goliath has to learn from David’.

The second speaker of the night was Clare, who delivered a No. 5 speech with the title ‘Get into your genes’. Clare used a Powerpoint presentation as a visual aid to demonstrate the intricacy of the human genome and how apparently minor alterations can change our character.

The third speaker was Heleana, who gave a No. 7 speech with the title ‘Health is Wealth’. Heleana explained that a greater focus on health had positively impacted her life, and encouraged us to do the same.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Olga, who gave a No. 8 speech entitled ‘Big Data and You’.

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

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

After the Timekeeper’s report and a quiz on the content of the evening’s speeches from the Grammarian, the visiting General Evaluator from King’s Cross Speakers, Brian, summarised the evening’s speaking and offered feedback for those who had not yet been evaluated.

Awards

Best Speaker: Clare

Best Evaluator: Henry

Best table topic: Piotr

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be Monday 13 June 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 for 23 May 2016

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25april2016

Meeting Report: 23 May 2016

Written by Peter

Introduction

On Monday 23rd May we met upstairs at the Clerk and Well, in the heart of the City of London, for a regular meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. We heard from four talented speakers, ranging from those who had just begun their Toastmasters journey to one who gave an Advanced Speech.

23 05 16

Roles

Committee Member Sheldon compered the evening with humour and energy. He introduced us to Sarah, the Timekeeper, who explained the importance of time-keeping clearly and efficiently. Sheldon also introduced us to the Grammarian, Jay, who gave a Word of the Day, ‘vivid’, and promised to record any notable language throughout the evening.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was Abraham, who delivered a No. 2 Speech entitled ‘From zero to bingo!’. Abraham used his experience of volunteering at Crisis, a homeless charity, to talk with passion about the difficulties some face in life and the impact such an experience had on his view of the world.

 

The second speaker of the night was Sebastian, who delivered a No. 5 speech entitled ‘Startup Journey’. Sebastian talked eloquently about the function of an ‘innovation hub’ and some of the trials of starting a business.

The third speaker was Ash, who gave a No. 7 speech with the title ‘Wherever I lay My Mac, That’s My Home’. Ash related how she had decided to quit her unfulfilling job and follow her heart by becoming a ‘digital nomad’.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Carrie, who gave an Advanced Speech with the title ‘Preparing to present: 7 tips for mental and physical preparation’. Carrie offered seven useful tips in seven minutes, each relating to overcoming a fear of public speaking and improving performance.

After the break, we heard from the four evaluators who had been preparing feedback for the first batch of prepared speeches – Peter F, Francesca, Heleana and Bronia.

Table Topics

We then held a session of table topics, hosted by Peter R. Peter chose the topic ‘Jobs’, and invited James, Francesca, Matt, Chantelle, Rosie and Sunil to speak. Finally, we invited the Table Topics Evaluator, Clare, to present feedback on each of the impromptu speeches we had just heard.

After the Timekeeper’s report and a quiz on the content of the evening’s speeches from the Grammarian, the visiting General Evaluator, Florian, summarised the evening’s speaking and offered feedback for those who had not yet been evaluated.

Awards

Best Speaker: Ash

Best Evaluator: Clare

Best table topic: Matt

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be Monday 06 June 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 for 9 May 2016

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wordle

Written by Ash

Here we go

Our president, Helen, kicked off the night’s events energetically but with a rather depressing stat: it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a competent speaker. It just goes to show a ‘natural speaker’ doesn’t exist, we can all do with the practice and what better place to spend 10,000 hours than with the amazing members and guests here at Bloomsbury 🙂

Our Toastmaster for the evening was long standing member, world class story teller and all round nice guy Peter Francis, who did a sterling job at encouraging the whoops and cheers and leading the proceedings for the night.

Roles for the evening

Grammarian: Great to see Bronia make a return to Bloomsbury and taking on the role of Grammarian. Bronia didn’t specify a word for the night but instead educated us on the use of Onomatopoeia and listened out for words that struck a chord throughout the evening.

Time Keeper: Sebastian made sure the evening ran to schedule and we made it to the bar on time.

Prepared Speeches and Evaluations

Speech 1: Ice Breaker ‘A stormy ocean frozen in granite’

Icebreaker

Speaker: Raymond

Well-known guest and newly appointed member Raymond took to the stage for his first prepared speech at Bloomsbury. Raymond impressed us all with his lack of notes, confident delivery, hand drawn map! and his illustrative use of language to describe his love of Dartmoor! Great job Raymond!

Evaluation: Helen

Helen commended Raymond for his strong stance, confidence and control. An immersive and vivid speech she thought.

Speech 2: Vocal Variety: ‘Yes, And’

BestSpeker

Speaker: Ash

Ash has recently attended an improvisation course on her quest to become a confident speaker and she shared the fundaments of improv known as ‘Yes, And’. Ash discussed how improv has taught her so much more than she had anticipated – how to let others get a word in edgeways, that she doesn’t always have to be in control and that life is more fun when we stop taking ourselves so seriously. If you are interested in an improvisation course, feel free to catch up with Ash at another meeting and she will be happy to fill you in.

Evaluation: Abraham

Abraham gave a glowing report in his evaluation – great use of gestures and vocal variety. He didn’t have any recommendations and instead mentioned his key take-away – that the message is a good lesson for us all, especially as Table Topics are not his friend. We hope to see you volunteering at the next meeting Abraham 🙂

Speech 3: Vocal Variety: ‘The Confines of Reality’

Speaker: Sheldon Dee

Sheldon tackled the confines of reality through the use of analogy. In a confident and well structured speech, Sheldon asked us whether we truly know the problem we want to solve? He explained that an analogy can be useful, to know what we already know but can also limit us when trying something new.

Evaluation: Swarajit

Swarajit summed up Sheldon’s speech as a clever contradiction, his delivery showed a great use of humor and engagement with the audience. Swarajit suggested he could have ‘gone nuts’ with the characters in his speech in terms of voice and tone but all round a cleverly written and well presented speech.

Speech 4: Research your topic: ‘True Heroes of Manhattan’

Speaker: Margarita

We all knew where Margarita spent the last 10 days – a question she posed in the opening of her speech. However, I don’t think we had imagined we would be led on a tour of Manhattan through the use of Marvel Heroes. Very engaging speech using Powerpoint to illustrate the setting and communicating plenty of facts along the way. I’m sure we will all be looking out for Winnie the Pooh on our next trip to the big apple.

Evaluator:

Francesca delivered her first evaluation with confidence and thought Margarita did a great job remembering specific facts without notes, in a greatly engaging way with tangible use of analogy.

Table topics

Our table topics master for the evening was Carrie, who used her own fear of spiders to drive the theme for this section of the evening.

TableTopics

  • Thalis was asked: “is it possible to cure a fear or phobia?” In a well-structured delivery Talis decided attack is the best approach and confronting a fear and overcoming it leads to success and happiness.
  • Chioma, when asked what she was most scared of decided her boss is her biggest fear.
  • Jack, was asked how his life would differ if he had nothing to be afraid of. Jack decided he would go through life carefree and might even be able to go to bed at night without the light on.
  • Christina, was asked “how scared should we be of our parents?” and thought that it is good to be a little scared but an equal balance (1 scary parent and 1 less so) is key to a happy family.
  • Sheldon, was asked “is it good to be anxious about anything?” Sheldon decided anxiety is not a good thing but a consciousness of our health is important.
  • Bronia, tackled the question “do you enjoy scary activities, and if so why?” It turns out Bronia is a bit of an adrenaline junky, mainly in a quest to feel present.

evaluator

Table Topics Evaluation – Claire gave an impressively eloquent and booming evaluation – zapping us with onomatopoeia and summing up that all participants showed an impressive use of structure and performance – as did Claire in her delivery.

Awards

Best speaker: Ash

Best evaluator: Claire

Best table topic: Thalis

Close

We ended the evening with a round up from our general evaluator, Annalise from Bilingual French Club – in fact it was her very first general evaluation at not only at Bloomsbury but also in English, very impressive Annalise. She complemented the friendliness of the club, perfect team work and impressive speakers throughout the night. She loved the strong message from our president and the smiley leadership of Peter our Toastmaster.

That’s it from me. See you all at the next meeting on Monday 23 May 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 for 25 April 2016

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25april2016

Written by Peter

Introduction

On Monday 25th April the Clerk and Well played host to the special ‘Speakathon’ meeting of Bloomsbury Speakers. It proved to be a very enjoyable evening of six speeches, with a superb standard of speaking throughout.

Roles

Toastmaster Glen returned as Toastmaster after a break from the club, taking the floor with confidence. He introduced us to Francesca, the Timekeeper, who made sure the entire meeting ran smoothly in line with the schedule. Henry also introduced Sheldon, the Harkmaster, who explained that his role was to record interesting aspects of the speeches to come.

Prepared speeches

After opening remarks, the first speaker was Filipe. Filipe delivered a confident and impressive Icebreaker speech entitled ‘The Start Of My Yoga Journey’. Filipe recounted his attempts to get fit, dealing with setbacks and his eventual discovery of the benefits of yoga.

25 april icebreaker

The second speaker of the night was Zia, who delivered another Icebreaker speech entitled ‘Transferable Skills’. Zia gave a fascinating account of his journey as a breakdancer and change specialist, noting that we are often limited by our own expectations.

The third speaker was Sebastian, who gave a No. 4 speech with the title ‘The Revolution We Are Living In’. Sebastian recounted how computing technology had advanced significantly in the last few decades, giving the recent example of a machine beating one of the world’s best Go players.

The next prepared speech was delivered by Peter R, who gave a No. 5 speech on ‘Why London is Magical’. Peter took the audience on a dream tour through different monuments in London, asking those present to visualise different time periods in London’s history.

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

We then heard from two more speakers. Ash gave another No. 5 speech entitled ‘Your body speaks, but do you listen?’. Ash delivered a superb personal anecdote about a diving holiday that taught her to pay more attention to her mental and physical health.

Finally, Peter F gave an Advanced Storytelling speech on the subject ‘Childhood Memories’. Peter regaled the audience with his rich descriptions of a trip along the Indian railways and his recollections of the Indian Ocean.

We then heard from the two evaluators for the last two speeches: Helen and Bronia.

After the Timekeeper’s report and a quiz on the content of the evening’s speeches from the Harkmaster, the visiting General Evaluator, Ivelina, summarised the evening’s speaking and offered feedback for those who had not yet been evaluated.

Awards

Best Speaker: Peter R

Best Evaluator: Carrie

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be Monday 09 May 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!