Hello and welcome to the July newsletter!
This is my first newsletter as your new President, and I’m very much looking forward to fulfilling this and all the other duties that come with the role over the next twelve months. Of course I can’t do it alone, but our new committee members Jo, Rajeev, Rufina, Ahmed, Paula and Marie have already made their presence felt and I’m sure they’ll continue to do so.
I must also thank our Immediate Past President, Femi, who took the club to greater heights than ever before, along with the outgoing committee members including Joe, Glen and Elena.
It’s a hard act for us to follow, but we aim to keep the standard of our meetings and member experience as high as ever.
Anyway, let’s get on with this month’s newsletter…
If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, you can skip to the bottom of the newsletter for a short summary of the main points.
What’s happened since the last newsletter?
Since Femi’s last newsletter as President, we had a further three meetings in June which included icebreaker speeches from two of our newest members, Peter and Marie, as well as a No. 10 speech from long-serving member Adam which meant that he achieved his Competent Communicator award and help the club as a whole achieve the status of ‘President’s Distinguished Club’ – the highest level of recognition awarded by Toastmasters International.
What’s planned for July?
Even half way into the month, we still have plenty to look forward to in July:
- Monday, 8th July – Regular Meeting – Our first meeting of the new Toastmasters year featured an icebreaker from Liz, as well as speeches from experienced members Henry and Glen. Check out the meeting report for a recap.
- Monday, 15th July – ‘Speakathon’ – After the success of our first Speakathon event in April, we’ve decided to provide the opportunity for more members to get through their speeches by arranging another one for this Monday’s extra meeting. There will be seven prepared speeches evaluated by some of our most experienced members – a great learning opportunity for all.
- Monday, 22nd July – Regular Meeting – The programme for this meeting is filling up fast, but at the time of writing we still have room for one more prepared speech and are looking for someone to evaluate it. There’s also a timekeeper slot available, which is ideal for anyone looking to perform their first functionary role in a meeting.
- Monday, 29th July – Humorous Speech & Table Topics Workshop – We’re very privileged to have speaking champions Ola Aralepo and David Jones visiting us at the end of the month to help us prepare for the contests coming up in September. This workshop is not to be missed if at all possible, so book your FREE place at http://bloomsbury-workshop-29-july-2013.eventbrite.co.uk/.
Membership freeze and new club Clerkenwell Speakers
While Bloomsbury Speakers’ membership remains frozen for the time being, preparations are in full flow for Clerkenwell Speakers’ first meeting this Wednesday, 17th July downstairs at The Real Man Pizza Company from 6:30pm. Come along if you can make it!
All current Bloomsbury Speakers members have been added to Clerkenwell’s ClubPlan so that they can take advantage of opportunities to speak at their meetings. Our members should already have received an e-mail with a link to get started, but if you have any problems logging in then contact the club via clerkenwellspeakers@gmail.com.
For those of you who are keen to join Bloomsbury Speakers in particular, we still intend to reopen our membership at the end of September, but plan to keep this under review. To register your interest in joining, please contact membership@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
Tip of the Month: Don’t neglect your leadership manual
It’s safe to say that most people join a Toastmasters club to improve their skills in speaking in front of an audience, and the way most of us like to do this is by getting through the projects in the Competent Communication manual. Sadly, this means that the second manual that is provided to all members, the Competent Leadership (CL) manual, is often just left to one side and forgotten about.
Every role performed at one of our meetings is an opportunity to practice speaking in front of an audience as well as to demonstrate critical thinking, organisation and leadership skills.
Almost every functionary role can count towards one of the projects in your CL manual, and what’s more, any member who completes their CL award is entitled to a £15 discount on their next membership renewal.
There are also plenty of ways outside our regular meetings of completing your CL projects – helping to organise contests or workshops are one example of this. Organising a PR campaign for the club is another. Serving on the committee also counts towards an advanced leadership award.
So my message to you is simple: dig out your CL manual and start thinking about how the roles you’re performing between each prepared speech count towards one of the ten projects. If you need help or advice then speak to your mentor or contact our VP Education Jo at education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
That’s about it for this month. See you at a meeting soon!
Swarajit Das
President
Bloomsbury Speakers
Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know
- Bloomsbury Speakers achieved the President’s Distinguished Club award in 2012-13 – the highest level of recognition awarded by Toastmasters International!
- Our ‘Speakathon’ takes place on Monday, 15th July and our last regular meeting of the month is on Monday, 22nd July. Sign up for the remaining speaking slots on ClubPlan. As usual, we meet from 6:30pm for a 6:45pm start.
- We’re hosting a Humorous Speech & Table Topics Workshop run by former champions Ola Aralepo and David Jones on Monday, 29th July. Sign up for your FREE place at http://bloomsbury-workshop-29-july-2013.eventbrite.co.uk/.
- New club Clerkenwell Speakers meets for the first time on Wednesday, 17th July. All current Bloomsbury Speakers members have been added to their ClubPlan and are encouraged to take advantage of the extra opportunities to speak.
