Hello and welcome to the August newsletter!
Despite the unusually pleasant UK summer this year, we’ve already had several well-attended events in July, including a full programme of regular meetings, a ‘Speakathon’ and a special Humorous Speech and Table Topics workshop.
August and September promise more of the same with another workshop, more meetings and the start of the contest season to look forward to.
If you don’t have time to read the whole newsletter, you can skip to the bottom for a short summary of the main points.
What’s happened since the last newsletter?
Since the last newsletter we had two further meetings including a special ‘speakathon’ event in which member Samuel passed the half-way point in his competent communication manual. Samuel’s fifth speech was about his experience at the Mua Missionary in Malawi, and he was awarded with a special ribbon to mark this significant milestone.
We also had an excellent Humorous Speech and Table Topics workshop run by former champions Ola Aralepo and David Jones in preparation for the upcoming contest season, which I hope will encourage everyone who attended to enter the contests in September.
What’s planned for August?
With a bank holiday at the end of August, we only have room for our two regular meetings this month. Note that the second meeting has therefore been moved forward to the 19th.
- Monday, 12th August – Regular Meeting – We have a full programme for our first meeting of this month, but there are still a couple of pre-bookable table topic slots available on ClubPlan. Past president Glen will be running the meeting as Toastmaster, so this is a great opportunity to learn from observing one of our most talented members at work – more from him below!
- Monday, 19th August – Regular Meeting – Although all of the prepared speech slots have been taken, at the time of writing we still need a few members to step in and evaluate them. Advanced speaker Michael will be taking on the role of Toastmaster for the first time and will appreciate your support.
Dates for your diary
With the contest season approaching, we have several events coming up that will be of interest to those of you who intend to compete or take part in other ways (e.g. as a contest judge or functionary) – plus a club social open to everyone!
- Monday, 2nd September – Table Topics Workshop – Following on from David Jones’s workshop in July, experienced member Hari will be running a smaller event for members who are considering entering the club contest below. The night will consist of several rounds of impromptu speaking practice to help you overcome those nerves and work towards giving a contest-winning table topic! Book your place on ClubPlan.
- Monday, 16th September – Bloomsbury Speakers Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contests – Booking for contest places is already open on ClubPlan, but keep an eye out for an invitation from our VP Education Jo with everything you need to know. If you don’t intend to compete but would like to help with organising or running the event, please contact Jo via education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk. We’re also looking for members who are willing to go and judge at other clubs’ contests – again contact Jo if you’d like to help.
- Thursday, 26th September – Area 34 Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contests – The winners from our club contests will go on to compete against winners from the other clubs in our area of London: Holborn Speakers, Tube Talk, Lawspeak, Society Speakers and Clerkenwell Speakers.
- Friday, 4th October – Bloomsbury Speakers Club Social – Save the date! Hari is also organising an evening social event for members and guests alike. This seems likely to be a meal in a central London location, but full details are yet to be confirmed. However, if you’d like to register your interest in attending, please e-mail info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
- Saturday, 5th October – Division L Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contests – the top placed contestants in September’s Area 34 contests will go on to face the best speakers from the other areas in North & Central London.
- Friday 8th-Sunday 10th November – District 71 Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contests – The contest season culminates in Colchester with the winners from all the divisions around the country competing in the UK & Ireland finals at the District 71 Boadicea Conference.
Update on membership freeze
As promised, the club committee has been keeping the membership freeze under review and has now decided to open up a waiting list from this month to anyone who is interested in joining. The membership situation will be reviewed again in September (and again in October if necessary) after which we will decide whether to admit new members into the club, starting with any names on the waiting list.
If you would like to add your name to the waiting list, please e-mail info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk. In the meantime, guests are always welcome to attend our meetings as often as they want.
Tip of the Month: Read this interview!
This month’s tip is quite simple: read this interview that I found while looking through old posts on our own website!
It’s an interview with our own past president Glen about his experience in the 2010 humorous speech and table topics contests in which he finished in second place for both at the (London-wide) division level.
Whether you’ve entered before or are a fairly new member thinking about entering for the first time, it’s well worth a read for some tips and insights from a former contest winner.
https://www.bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk/2010/10/humorous-speech-interview/
That’s all for now. See you at a meeting soon!
Swarajit Das
President
Bloomsbury Speakers
Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know
- We have two meetings in August. There are still some table topic slots up for grabs on Monday, 12th and evaluator slots on Monday, 19th. Sign up on ClubPlan.
- We have a night of table topics practice for members who are considering entering the contest in September. The workshop will take place on Monday, 2nd September and places can be booked on ClubPlan.
- The contest night itself will be on Monday, 16th September. Booking for contest places is already open on ClubPlan, but look out for an e-mail invitation shortly from our VP Education Jo.
- The following contest rounds are scheduled for Thursday, 26th September (area level), Saturday, 5th October (division level) and 8th-10th November (UK & Ireland finals).
- We’re planning a club social (most likely dinner in a central location) for Friday, 4th October – contact info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk to register your interest in attending.
- We have re-opened our waiting list for membership of the club – contact info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk to add yourself to the list.
