Hello and welcome to the December newsletter from Bloomsbury Speakers!
There are just two days until Christmas, so I hope you’ve done all your shopping. If not – good luck fighting your way through the crowds.
It’s been a busy year so I’m personally looking forward to a little downtime before Bloomsbury ramps back up in 2012.
But before that, I wanted to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and give you a quick roundup of the latest club news and some details of a fun social event early in the New Year.
Recent news
It’s been a hectic last few weeks of the year. Highlights since the last newsletter include:
- Two great meetings in November including one with so many guests it was standing room only!
- A well-attended Christmas-themed meeting where we got into the festive spirit with seasonal tunes, mince pies and even a cracker-assisted table topics session.
- A nice mention in popular London blog Londonist on its list of Things To Do In London On The Cheap
And of course, it’s always a highlight when someone new decides to join the club and so I’d like to welcome our newest member Paula! We look forward to helping Paula achieve her public speaking goals in 2012.
Next meetings
Our next two meetings are:
- Monday 9th January 2012 – our very first meeting of 2012! We already have a packed speaking agenda but we still need a Timekeeper, a Topics Evaluator and more speech Evaluators
- Monday 23rd January 2012 – our very second meeting of 2012 😉 Again, we have a full speaking bill (though we could squeeze in an ice breaker), but we still need a Timekeeper, Harkmaster/Grammarian, Topicsmaster, Topics Evaluator and speech Evaluators
Please note that both meetings will be at our new venue (see below).
New year – new venue
The Rugby Tavern has been our home venue since Bloomsbury Speakers first started meeting back in 2009. After the venue-hopping of the summer while the Tavern was being refurbished we’d hoped to settle back in for the rest of the winter but sadly it wasn’t to be.
The management has recently decided to more than double the cost of hiring the room and so both Bloomsbury and Holborn Speakers (who meet in the same venue on different evenings) have been busy looking at other venues.
We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve found a new venue we think will work great for us. It’s a private room downstairs at The Real Man Pizza Company – just a short walk from the Tavern.
It’s a nice room and big enough to allow us to expand. Also there’s a small bar in the room itself which the manager says he’ll open after each meeting. Oh, and also they serve some great food too!
Find out more about the new venue here:
https://www.bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk/meetings/
Club Social – Monday 16th January – Bowling!
Our VPE (Vice President of Education) Femi Asaolu is organising another fun evening social – ten pin bowling at All Star Lanes in Bloomsbury – on Monday 16th January.
It will cost £8.75 per person per game plus whatever you spend on drinks. Based on similar events in the past it’s great fun and don’t worry if you’re not the world’s best bowler – you won’t be the only one!
Please email Femi at education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk by Monday 9th January if you’d like to attend. Places are limited!
See you there. STRIKE!!!
Tip of the Month – Make a Resolution!
It’s that time of year where we traditionally make resolutions for the new year.
Just think, people we haven’t met yet are right now resolving to improve their public speaking skills and will show up at a meeting early in the new year…
If you’re already a member, you’ve got a big head-start on this crowd, so why not make some specific resolutions about your Toastmasters activity in 2012? Here are some ideas:
- If you’re a new member and haven’t done your ice breaker yet, resolve to do so early in 2012 – in fact book yourself into ClubPlan right now!
- If you’ve got one or speeches under your belt already, resolve to complete a certain numbers of speech projects in 2012 – I would recommend at least four. (If you’ve only a few speeches left – resolve to complete the manual by a certain date)
- If you’ve done most of the functionary roles but have never been Toastmaster, resolve to tick that one off early in 2012. It’s great fun and great experience.
- If you’re a mentor, why not resolve to really “over-deliver” for your mentees in 2012? Check in with them on their goals for the new year and think of three ways you can help make them happen.
And finally, if you’re not a member yet, but keep resolving to join, why not take the plunge and sign up now. Then you can really relax this Christmas knowing that your public speaking skills will definitely improve in 2012!
Well that it’s for this newsletter. Have a fantastic Christmas and a ridiculously fun New Year and I look forward to seeing you at a meeting early in 2012.
Best wishes,
Glen Long
President
president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk
