The London Speaker

What's on this week at London Toastmasters clubs?

A plethora of International Speech and Evaluation Contests to choose from!

Monday 23 March 2009:

18:30 City of London Toastmasters Contest Night.  Venue: The Shooting Star, Middlesex Street, E7JF. (Near Liverpool Street station)

19:00 West London Speakers Contest Night. Venue: The Hope Poles, King Street, Hammersmith, W6 9HR

19:15 Tojan Speakers Contest Night.  The Haven, 1A Haven Green Ealing Broadway, W5 2UU.

Tuesday 24 March 2009:

19:00 London Athenians Contest Night.  Venue The Hop Poles, King Street, Hammersmith, W6 9HR.

Wednesday 25 March 2009:

19:00 Excalibur Speakers Contest Night. Venue: The Cheshire Cheese, 5 Little Essex Street,  WC2R 3LD (near Temple underground station).

Thursday 26 March 2009:

18:15 Citi Criers

18:30 NZICA Bank Speakers.  Venue: Association of British Insurers,51-55 Gresham Street, E2V 7HQ. Near Bank. (Yes - this is an evening event!)

Why not take the opportunity to visit other clubs and hear some of their best speakers and evaluators?

Improve Your Speech Evaluations and do even better in club contests!

At Excalibur Speakers' meeting on 11 March 2009 we were treated to a 15 minute workshop on speech evaluation by one of our UK & Ireland Speech Evaluation Champions, Bob Ferguson DTM.

You can listen to Bob's workshop on the Excalibur website or download it. Click here.  Along with the audio Bob has provided notes and the forms he uses to capture information and structure his evaluations. Thanks Bob for providing such useful and timely material.

Other very helpful resources for evaluators are provided by Kim Chamberlain, a Speech Evaluation Champion from New Zealand.  You'll find them on the Toastmasters District 72 website. Click here.

Get your ticket for THE event this Friday 20 March 2009

If you haven't got your ticket yet...you're in luck.  There are a few seats left for the evening of music, song, poetry, good company and good food jointly hosted by Early Bird Speakers and Berkeley Square Speakers.

 Friday 20 March 2009.  6.15pm to 8.30pm at Brown's Brasserie and Bar, Covent Garden.

The music will be provided by our member Andrew Bennett, tenor, accompanied by Danielle Perrett on the harp. Both are international musicians.  Short poems will be added by other Toastmaster members.

Held at Brown's Brasserie, on St Martin's Lane the evening will include a one course meal and glass of wine for £20.

 Tickets and full details are available at http://earlybirdsoiree.eventbrite.com.  Book now to guarantee a place for you... and your guests!

_{image credit: MarsBars}

Jim Hegarty talks Leadership, PR and recommends BBC 2's The Speaker

Posted by Dorothea Stuart

"I heard of Toastmasters seven years before I joined - the seven most wasted years of my life!" So says Jim Hegarty District 71 (UK and Ireland) PR Officer.   Jim has been a member of Toastmasters, in Ireland, for 13 years and continues to love it.

At this time of year clubs are thinking about who will become next year's club President and who will take on committee roles. Jim is adamant that you can only gain by stepping forward and having a go at a leadership role.  If you have been on a club committee why not become an Area Governor?  If you have the experience...the role of Division Governor beckons! 

Jim himself is immensely glad that he took up the challenge and stood for election for the role of PR Officer for District 71 last year.  He is someone who very much "operates on the positive". Initially on a steep learning curve he is now looking forward to the final three months of his year as PRO which includes the start of a new TV show The Speaker. 

Some of you will already have heard that starting on Tuesday 7th April 2009 a new show called The Speaker, goes out at 8pm on BBC2. Based to a large extent on the achievements of the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge!, in which teenagers learn public speaking skills and compete in a speaking competition, the show will bring the art of communication and public speaking to a huge audience.

 Jim has been working on a PR campaign (with Toastmaster colleagues) to help clubs to make the most of the opportunities that the programme could bring.  We will be telling you much more about this over the coming days and weeks.  You'll find more info on the show now and as it progresses the show's website.

On a personal note Jim has become very adept at selling Toastmasters wherever he goes.  When the World University Debating Championship was held in Cork Jim made sure that he was there.  It was a lesson  that "what we think is not do-able is do-able".  Starting by making a few phone calls, asking people for their advice and help, Jim was not only an honoured guest at the gala dinner but had plenty of opportunity to network and spread the word about Toastmasters. 

"I've learned not to be put off by the word No!  You might call at the wrong time when someone is busy but by being considerate and asking for help in the right way its amazing what you can achieve."  His advise to all of us - be bold with your PR activities. We know that membership of Toastmasters brings great benefits so make sure you use every opportunity to tell as many people as you can.

Welcome Dave Brooks, Distinguished Toastmaster!

Posted by Dorothea Stuart

At last...after nearly 4 years, one of our Division B London members, Dave Brooks, has achieved the prestigious status of Distinguished Toastmaster. 

How long has it taken to achieve DTM?  4 years and 3 months.   I have been very active in my club (Speakeasy @ Credit Suisse) and in the wider Toastmaster world because I knew I needed to improve my communication skills and confidence.

What have you gained from Toastmasters? The ability to face the challenge of much bigger audiences with far less trepidation.  I now realise whether you have an audience of 10, 100 or 1000 you just need to take a breath and get on with it. I've understood that the speaker is not the most important person in the room! You are the vessel through which the story or message travels, you are not the story itself.

What else have you learned? We are on a journey to communicate. What Toastmasters gives us is the understanding that communication happens at many levels in many different contexts. You need to pick the most appropriate context and think about how to communicate with a particular audience.  I have enjoyed learning how to give different types of speeches, working with voice tone, using kinaethetics and body movement in a way that adds to the message without being stagey or theatrical.

I mostly speak in a work environment and Toastmasters has helped me to be able to put together presentations far more quickly and perform them effectively at short notice.

The key lesson is that you're always learning.  The day you stop is the day you stop breathing!

To become a DTM you also have to complete the Leadership awards. How did you find these projects?  The leadership aspects of Toastmasters have been invaluable.  You can achieve Advanced Communicator Gold pretty much on your own if you so choose. However, completing the Competent Leader etc. means you have to involve others.  Being Area Governor for a year meant working with a number of club committees. The High Performance Leadership Project in particular requires a lot of delegation.  By getting involved in this way you not only grow yourself you help other people to grow too.

How would you summarise your experience in Toastmasters so far? Toastmasters is a delightful journey.  When I look back I can see just how much I have improved my communication, confidence and leadership skills. It's not about an absolute standard or measuring yourself against others. The test is how far you have come, how much you have changed - not only in speaking but also in learning to accept feedback and genuine help from others.  That's how I'd summarise what Toastmasters is. Its about breaking old habits and forming new ones - by practice and feedback.

Thank you Dave. We look forward to seeing your continued involvement in Toastmasters.

An Evening of Music and Verse with Berkeley Square/Early Bird Speakers

From Richard Stacey

You are warmly invited to an evening social event jointly hosted by Early Bird Speakers and Berkeley Square Speakers.  Friday 20 March 2009.  6.15pm to 8.30pm at Brown's Brasserie and Bar, Covent Garden.

We very much want to open this up and would welcome guests - both members of Toastmasters and non-members (who will have a chance to find out more about how they could benefit from joining one of our clubs).

The music will be provided by our member Andrew Bennett, tenor.  Andrew will be accompanied by Danielle Perrett on the harp. Both are international musicians.  Poetry and monologues will be added by other club members.

Held at Brown's Brasserie, on St Martin's Lane it will include a one course meal and glass of wine for £20.  Tickets and full details are available at http://earlybirdsoiree.eventbrite.com.  The venue can hold a maximum of 46 people.  As we will be publicising this event widely we suggest booking now to guarantee a place for you... and your guests!

We are looking forward to a fabulous evening.  Hope to meet you there.

Visit St Paul's Speakers - new Toastmasters Club. 11 March 2009 Launch.

From Rory Marriott

Do you want more opportunities for speaking?  Do you have friends and colleagues in the St Pauls/Bank area who can't make it to existing clubs?  St Paul's Speakers is the answer!

SPS is a new club meeting at The Golden Fleece, 8-9 Queen Street, London EC4 1SP (near Cheapside).  2nd and 4th Wednesdays. 18:15pm for a prompt 18:30 start.  See map.

Our inaugural meeting (with free buffet) is  on Wednesday 11 March 2009. Please join us. All are welcome.

The club has already attracted an experienced group of Toastmasters as members:  Club President Alan Thomas(Advanced Communicator Gold, member of Grosvenor Square Speakers and supporter of clubs in London and New York). Club Coaches Rory Marriott (Canary Wharf Communicators) and Himanshu Vora ACG (Area 29 Governor and member of Trojans) are assisting the club as part of their Advanced Leadership Silver Awards.  Freddie Daniells (Division B Governor) and Hilary Briggs (Area 33 Governor) are also members.

President Alan Thomas believes "we're all born with a natural ability to communicate confidently, though factors in our upbringing can inhibit this".  From his point of view "Toastmasters is all about helping people find and reconnect with their true potential".  His personal goals for taking up the challenge of leading the new club?  "To move beyond 'solo speaking' to facilitating a positive group experience; to enjoy enjoy the intellectual stimulation of the role; and help create an encouraging environment for club members to develop."

Alan and his committee would love visits from existing Toastmasters to speak, evaluate and help with other roles as the club builds its membership up. 

Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in joining.  The location is ideal for anyone working, studying or living in the St Paul's/Bank/Barbican area.  It's also a convenient stopover in their journey for many people.

Join us for our inaugural meeting on 11 March if you can.  Please email the club ([email protected]) so we can make sure the buffet is well supplied.  Also please make contact if you would like further details.  Look forward to seeing you soon!

 

Toastmasters Educational Awards February 2009

Posted by Dorothea Stuart

Thirteen more educational awards were achieved by London Division B Toastmasters in February 2009.  Including...drum role please...one Distinguished Toastmaster.  Dave Brooks of Speakeasy @ Credit Suisse has achieved this prestigious award.  The first person in Division B to achieve this since 2004/05. More info on how Dave has done this will follow shortly.

Congratulation to everyone who achieved Toastmasters Educational Awards this month.  It's great to see the range of communication and leadership awards coming through.  Area 29 seems to have been hyperactive this month!

Competent Communicator

Olivier Bourseau. London Athenians.  Area 29 

Laura Clerci. London Business School Speakers. Area 29

Filippo Gioia. West London Speakers. Area 29

Darren Mothersele. London Athenians.  Area 29

Joydev Nandi.  West London Speakers.  Area 29

Graeme Phillips.  London Athenians.  Area 29

Advanced Communicator Gold

Jane Campbell. WIBF. Area 31

Competent Leader

Kimra Argus. West London Speakers.  Area 29

Amanda Warwick.  London Athenians.  Area 29

Advanced Leader Bronze

Steve McGuire.  London Communicators. Area 33

Advanced Leader Silver

Dave Brooks. Speakeasy @ Credit Suisse. Area 31

Leadership Excellence Award

Dave Brooks.  Speakeasy @ Credit Suisse. Area 31

Distinguished Toastmaster

Dave Brooks. Speakeasy @ Credit Suisse. Area 31

Educational Awards	Last year 2007/08	February2009	Division B year to date
Competent Communicator	51	6	24
Advanced Comm Bronze	13		4
Adv Comm Silver	8		1
Adv Comm Gold	3	1	2
Competent Leader	15	2	10
Old Comp Leader	21		n/a
Adv Leader Bronze	4	1	3
Adv Leader Silver	1	1	2
Leadership Excellence Award	1	1	4
Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)		1	1
Total	117	13	51

Storytelling Seminar and free lectures on speaking/performing

Posted by Dorothea Stuart

The Power of Stories

a two day seminar from The Institute of Cultural Research is being held on the weekend 28-29 March 2009 in central London.  Among the areas to be discussed: Why we tell stories, how do they contribute to human development.

It will look at stories and hear from their tellers.  Full details on the institutes website. Click here.  Cost only £75 for the full two days. I've been to a previous ICR seminar and got a lot from the event including meeting some interesting people.

Gresham College,in Holborn, has a series free lectures on the psychology of performing arts including one on Stage fright and optimal performance (24 March).  Series starts 10 March 2009 at 6pm. Click here for full details.