Confidence for speaking and life
What effects your emotional state?
On 9th November Hari Kalymnios, an ex TEDx speaker and well known coach in resilience, health and well being, public speaking and confidence speaking delivered a 45 minutes workshop for Bloomsbury Speakers on becoming a confident public speaker online and in any situation.
This was an informative and a highly interactive workshop where Hari shared his three main ideas which you could apply at any event, meeting or speech to gain greater confidence and help you to change your perspective dealing with difficult, challenging situations.
While this was a one-off event, we want many more people to benefit from principles Hari shared with us. The workshop is now available for you to watch On Demand for the next 30 days.
Visit the link below and enjoy the workshop.
Get on the stage, tell your story
Welcome to Toastmasters and to Bloomsbury Speakers. I am Yamina Bakiri, and I am the president of Bloomsbury Speakers Toastmasters year 2020/21.
As you probably know, Toastmasters is a worldwide organisation dedicated to public speaking with hundred thousands members sharing the same goal: become a better speaker and leader. To succeed, there is only one golden rule: go on the stage – at the moment, a virtual stage – and start speaking and repeat it again and again. As Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
In the public speaking arena, a set of key rules and tools allows any neophyte to master this art.
The rule of 3, figures of speech, pauses, strong eye contact, hand gestures, voice modulation – you will be taught all this and more during your Toastmasters journey through specific educational programs. At Bloomsbury Speakers, we are very proud of our mentorship program tailored to members’ needs, where our most experienced members guide the newer ones through their journey and help them achieve their educational goals.
To me, Toastmasters is much more than public speaking. Ultimately, it is a place to learn how to communicate well. In any setting professional or personal, communication is one of the essential skills to master in life. Communication is a 2-way exchange: speaking and listening. From the speaker’s view, communication is the ability to share a story. Importantly, from the listener’s view, communication is the opportunity to learn something new.
As an audience member, during the same evening, you may learn about ant colonies and climbing Kilimanjaro as well uncovering the tips and tricks of speaking well and confidently. Ultimately, Toastmasters will teach you how to share a story best and adapt its delivery to what you want to achieve (what is your main message, how do you want the audience to feel?).
At Bloomsbury Speakers, we want to help you to find your voice and tell your OWN story.
Let me share about Bloomsbury Speakers and why I am so passionate about the club –
I am proud of the community we have built together. Our club is highly diverse – while we all joined for different reasons and are from all walks of life, our commitment to self-improvement and learning is unanimous. We have experienced members with masterclass like speeches and most candid ones who often share the most inspiring stories. Importantly we have fun together; often after our face to face meetings (in a non Covid19 world), we stay around for drinks and pizzas. But our virtual socials are no less, and we make a point to keep in touch with our members during this very different time.
Now let me share my own experience –
When I joined a few years ago, I wasn’t scared to be on stage, but I wasn’t comfortable either. Public speaking is no picnic, especially for a non-English native introvert-extrovert who tends to speak too fast. At the beginning of my Toastmasters journey, I was quite cautious about my time on stage, I wanted it to be as short as possible and only allowed myself a few stage appearances to present well-prepared and rehearsed speeches. I eventually realised that I was missing out as the stage is the best place to experiment, find your voice and progress.
To this day, I still have this sweet adrenaline rush before going to the stage, and I love it. I love the feeling, of course, as well as what comes next, and when on stage, I no longer want it to end.
So I invite you all to join us and start your Toastmaster journey to become a better speaker and leader! Come to our meetings, as a guest or member, get onto the stage and tell us your story.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to meeting you and seeing you on stage!
Meeting Report: 25th June 2018
Introduction
We met on Monday 25th June and had a great evening packed with prepared speeches, impromptu sessions and evaluations.
Roles
Peter R, President of the Club, welcomed everyone to the meeting and spoke about the benefits of being a member of Toastmasters. He then introduced Toastmaster Chantal who explained the agenda and in turn introduced Timekeeper Andy.
Prepared speeches
The first speaker was Sarah with her Competent Communicator Speech #7 “Does Witchcraft Belief Co-evolve with Social Organisation?”.
Second to speak was Sheldon with his Technical Presentations Speech #2 “Breaching the Final Echo Chamber”.
The last speaker was Luisa with her Competent Communicator Speech #8 “My Three Favourite Items in 2018”.
Scott then led the guest introductions.
Table Topics
After the break, we heard from the evening’s evaluators – Swarajit, Atul and Yamina.
After that, Table Topics Master Renars led the evening’s table topics session, and Swarajit, Scott, Estella, Sab, Stirling, Sandra and Mary participated. Highlights included Scott’s favourite thing to do in London during the summer (i.e. smelling hot rubbish!) and Stirling’s advice to switch from Coke to coconut water (sorry Swarajit!).
Margarita then evaluated all table topic speakers.
After that, visiting General Evaluator Sameera evaluated our club and the meeting.
Finally, incoming President Atul thanked Peter R on behalf of the club for his role as President over the last 12 months.
Awards
Best Speaker: Luisa
Best Evaluator: Margarita
Best Table Topic: Stirling
Next meeting
Our next regular meeting will take place at The Horseshoe (24 Clerkenwell Close, EC1R 0AG – upstairs) on Monday 9th July 18:30-21:00. Come over to practice your public speaking skills!
Please feel free to get in touch at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you have any questions.
Meeting Report: 11th June 2018
Introduction
Our last meeting on Monday 11th June was fun and engaging: we listened to three fantastic prepared speeches, we enjoyed a great table topics session and we treated ourselves to a drink and a pizza after the meeting!
Roles
Standing in for the President of the Club, Atul welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited us to be more like George Bernard Shaw – who became a great public speaker by persevering through his fear of presenting – rather than Atul’s cat, who is constantly scared and hides under a kitchen cabinet. He introduced Toastmaster Lei who ran through the agenda and called up Timekeeper Stirling and Harkmaster Sarah.
Prepared speeches
The first speaker was Michael with his Ice Breaker Speech “Growing Pains”. Michael gave us a great insight into his personal experience of growing up during university, and invited us to reflect on what it really means to grow up. Is it really about making money and having stable relationships, or is it perhaps more about managing expectations?
Next to speak was Rupert with his Competent Communicator Speech #4 “Becoming British”. Rupert spoke to us about how, fourteen years after arriving in the UK, he was finally granted a British passport. Disappointed with the speech the Mayor gave to mark the occasion, Rupert treated us to an alternative version: a frank and hilarious account of British life.
Last to speak was Andy with his Competent Communicator Speech #5 “Wake Up”. With so many of us suffering from sleep deprivation, Andy gave us some very useful tips on how to fall asleep in two minutes, a technique developed for the benefit of the Army. He even got us to practice on the spot – luckily, nobody dozed off!
Sofia then led the guest introductions.
Table Topics
After the break, we heard from the evening’s evaluators – Luisa, Swarajit and Margarita.
After that, Table Topics Master Paloma led an engaging table topics session, and Matt, TingTing, Abe, Kamakshi, Tylfe and Sara participated. Highlights included Matt comparing London to a fast-moving tortoise and Kamakshi admitting to having to drag her husband out for dinner!
Sheldon then evaluated all table topic speakers.
Harkmaster Sarah then tested our attention by asking us questions about the meeting and rewarding correct answers with delicious chocolates!
Finally, visiting General Evaluator Chris evaluated our club and the meeting.
Awards
Best Speaker: Andy
Best Evaluator: Luisa
Best Table Topic: Kamakshi
Next meeting
Our next regular meeting will take place at Wedge Issue Pizza & Beer (91-95 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1R 5BX), on Monday 25th June 18:30-21:00. Come over to practice your public speaking skills!
Please feel free to get in touch at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you have any questions.