Simon, our Sergeant at Arms, cheerfully started the meeting and handed over to the President, Paul Andreas,  who welcomed everyone and then made a presentation to Susan Rayner our VPE.

It was a “Thank You” card to thank her for inviting us all to her Birthday Party in December, when she hired a pub,

laid on some music and provided lashings of food.  Thank you Susan.

 

Our Toastmaster was Jenny Andreas, who joined us only a few months ago and was being the Toastmaster for the first time.

 

Then Tony provided the Warmup and asked the question, “What chores do you like to do and which do you dislike?”.  This got some very interesting replies as some members revealed that they loved ironing, as they found it

Relaxing, whilst other members revealed that they did not like ironing and that they had just discovered someone who could do their ironing for them!

 

This was followed by three speakers, Riya, Georgina and Jenny T.  First Riya gave an excellent talk about the power of using a story in a speech.

 

This was followed by Georgina who gave an entertaining speech about her beagle and proved to us what lovely pets they made.  This was followed by a call to action to buy your own puppy as she new a beagle breeder who had some puppies for sale!

 

Then Jenny T tried out a speech on us that she wants to give when she goes into prison – as a visitor.  We found it entertaining and Jenny found it useful as she prepares for prison.

 

The speeches were then evaluated by Richard Murray, Paul Lynch and Karen Mefflin who all gave some very useful feedback to the speakers.

 

After the break we returned, ready for Table Topics.  Martin was our TTM and had compiled some interesting questions around the theme of love and passion – things you enjoy doing.  We learnt some interesting things such as Carrie likes to holiday in Thailand and Neil enjoys watching dragons!

 

Unfortunately, our General Evaluator, Cheryn, had been taken ill in the afternoon and was unable to attend our meeting.  That gave us more time for Table Topics and Martin had prepared plenty.  This gave a lot of work for our TT Evaluator, Alex, who provided some great feedback for the TT Speakers.

 

Paul A brought the meeting to a close by presenting the awards including best Evaluator Award to Paul Lynch, best Speaker Award to Georgina and the best Table Topic Award was a tie, won jointly by Christine and Simon.

Thanks go to all the members who took on roles, including Timekeeper: Carrie, Grammarian: Jenny T, Ah Counter: Luke and Royston with the Hot Tip.

 

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 2 February at 7.15 pm.

 

News

 

Extra Meeting

 

We have had several new members join us recently – 12 in the last six months.  There are now 44 of us.  This is great because it means vibrant meetings but it also means that there are more people to give speeches.

 

Therefore, we have organised an extra Speakathon meeting for Thursday 23 February.  There should be time for at least six speeches and the priority will go to New Members who want to do a speech from # 1 -5 in the CC Manual.

 

This should reduce the waiting time for giving speeches, which has recently grown to three months.

 

Meanwhile, the Committee is considering other options for reducing the waiting time.  For example, we may need to put a cap on our numbers soon and create a Waiting List to join.

 

Contest

 

Don’t forget our club contest on Thursday 16 March.  If you have completed speeches 1 – 6 from the CC Manual then you are eligible to take part.  The winner of our club contest will go through to the Area, Division and District Contests and from there will get a paid ticket to the International Finals in Vancouver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READY & STEADY – by Susan Shaw – 1 January 2017

Preparation is not just writing a script and learning the words.  It is also getting yourself mentally in the right state to perform at your optimum.

Below are a few tips to help you.

• Know what you have to give the audience and what they will be able to take away from your presentation.
• Imagine yourself doing well and being applauded by the audience.
• A few days before, decide what you will wear so that you can concentrate on your presentation when the time arrives.
• Make contact with key individuals before the day to clarify any issues. (At a club meeting this would be the Toastmaster and your evaluator.)
• On the day make sure you are well hydrated and rested.
• Arrive early to test any equipment and make sure that everything you need is in place.
• Before the meeting starts, walk the speaking area and familiarise yourself with the room.
• Greet people that will be in your audience to create hotspots. (A way of warming up an audience.)
• When the meeting starts, sit tall in your chair, with shoulders back and breathe deeply.
• When you are introduced, walk to the lectern confidently, with head held high.
• Wait for the applause to end before you start.
• After your speech do a self-evaluation. Applaud yourself for what went well.  Consider areas for improvement.  Remind yourself on what you have achieved.

And of course, attend Toastmasters meetings regularly and say yes to the opportunities that you are offered.

The more you get involved, the more that you will feel confident about speaking in front of other people.

It was a great way to start the new year by coming to Bromley Speakers. Everyone was happy to be back so it was a good occasion to take a photo for our website.

Neil, our Sergeant at Arms, started the meeting and handed over to the President, Paul Andreas, who welcomed everyone back from the break.

Our Toastmaster was Richard Murray, DTM, who is very ably working his way towards his second DTM, so the meeting was in safe hands.

Then Alain got the meeting going with a laugh by asking, the Warmup Question, “What makes you smile?”, which got some interesting responses!

Our Speaker was Royston, giving his Icebreaker speech and providing an opportunity for us to learn more about him.

His speech was evaluated by Annelise who commended Royston for his speech and gave him some tips to improve for his next speech.

This was followed by a very useful workshop by Richard Murray, on how to construct a speech. With the help of a Flipchart, a Mindmap and contributions from the audience, Richard was able to create an outline of a speech. The speech was called Charity Boxes, which is one that Sue intends to give. So, everyone benefitted from the workshop and Sue benefitted because she now has an outline for her next speech!

After a break for tea, coffee and biscuits we returned, refreshed and ready for Table Topics. Jenny A was our Table Topic Master and had compiled some interesting questions around the theme of looking forward to the year ahead. She was very business like and, by keeping her contribution to a minimum, she managed to ask thirteen questions. Is this a record?

That gave a lot of work for our Table Topic Evaluator, Sue, who was well up to the task and provided some very useful feedback for the Table Topic Speakers.

Table Topics was followed by an informative General Evaluation from Neil, delivered in his usual upbeat style.

Paul A brought the meeting to a close by presenting Christine with an award for the best Table Topic and by thanking the guests for coming.

The meeting was then finished off at the Anglesey Arms where many members went afterwards for a convivial drink and a chat.

Thanks go to all the members who took on roles, including Timekeeper: Eddie Barnes, Grammarian: Jenny T and Ah Counter: Georgina. Also a big thanks to John Cross, who made a special journey to help to set up even though he wasn’t feeling well and Simon Maggs, who made a special journey to give the Hot Tip and help with Hospitality before leaving early for a charity meeting that he had to go to.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 19 January at 7.15 pm.