Hello and welcome to the September newsletter!
It’s a busy period for Bloomsbury Speakers and the autumn contest season is starting to get underway at clubs around London, so we have plenty to look forward to in September.
Details of our own club contest are below, but do also check out the plethora of events taking place around the capital, handily summarised on The London Speaker.
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?
August was a short but eventful month with three members (Rajeev, Rufina and Carrie) passing the half-way point in their competent communication manuals at two meetings run by advanced members Glen and Michael in the role of Toastmaster. They were each rewarded with ribbons to mark their achievements.
Encroaching into September, we had a marathon night of table topics to help our members prepare for the upcoming contest. There were four rounds in all, including strange inventions and past contest topics. Thanks to our members Hari and Carrie for preparing and running the event so successfully.
What’s planned for September?
After a relatively quiet August, we’re back in full swing for September with two meetings and two contest nights to look forward to, but see last month’s newsletter for a full list of upcoming dates for your diary.
- Monday, 9th September – Regular Meeting – We have a full agenda for what promises to be a very interesting first meeting this month, though there are still some pre-bookable table topic slots available. The theme set by the meeting’s Toastmaster, Bronia, is ‘music that lets you own the stage’ – and Bronia plans to play the speakers’ choices as she introduces them!
- Monday, 16th September – Bloomsbury Speakers Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contests – Time is running out to sign up for the contests, so if you plan on entering then get yourself booked in on ClubPlan as soon as possible (or e-mail education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk). There are also one or two functionary slots still available, but whether you’re taking part or not, make sure you’re in the audience for what is always one of the most entertaining nights of the year.
- Monday, 23rd September – Regular Meeting – The programme for this meeting is nearly full, with just a Timekeeper and General Evaluator needed. Contact education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk to get yourself booked in.
- 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. The event will take place from 6pm onwards at 55 Broadway, London, SW1H 0BD (directly above St. James’s Park tube station). Our area governor Graeme is looking for help with organising the event, and assisting with a contest can count towards your competent leadership award – contact president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’d like to help.
Club Social at SUDA Thai Café Restaurant
As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, club member Hari is organising a dinner social. We now have a time and venue which will be 7pm on Friday, 4th October at SUDA Thai Café Restaurant, St Martin’s Courtyard, 23 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden, WC2E 9AB. This has become something of a regular haunt for us now as it has a varied menu and a nice atmosphere for conversation and socialising.
Both members and guests are welcome, so e-mail info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’d like to attend. This will allow us to book a table at the restaurant for the appropriate number of people.
First invitations issued to membership waiting list
As you may know, our membership has been frozen for several months now, but we opened up a waiting list in August and are now pleased to be able to invite people from the list to officially join.
If you have received an invitation then please respond as soon as possible so that we can inform others on the waiting list of the situation. Each invitation comes with a deadline, so if you don’t respond in time then your place will be offered up to the next person on the list.
If you would like to be added to (or removed from) the waiting list, please e-mail info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk. If you’re not invited this month then you will probably be invited in October or November, but if you can’t wait that long then we recommend visiting our sister club Clerkenwell Speakers who are taking on new members.
PechaKucha 20×20 – The art of concise presentations
Club member Helen is looking at putting together a joint event with Clerkenwell Speakers based on the idea of “PechaKucha” – Japanese for “chit-chat”. PechaKucha is a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for precisely 20 seconds each before being automatically advanced (a total of six minutes and forty seconds). The presentation can be on absolutely any topic of the speaker’s choosing and it’s a fun and challenging format that really makes you think about your pacing.
The planning for this event is in its early stages, but at the moment we’re trying to find out whether there is enough interest to hold one with a tentative timing of November. Please email Helen – me@yafetica.com – to register your interest. As soon as we know how many members want to participate, we can set a date and a venue.
You can read more about the PechaKucha concept on its official website and the Wikipedia entry.
Tip of the Month: Don’t delay, contact your mentor today!
Our VP Mentoring, Rajeev, is in the process of revamping the club’s mentoring scheme, but why not contact your mentor directly in the meantime? While the scheme has seen some success in the past, the relationship between mentor and mentee can peter out over time through no fault of either party.
Even if this has happened to you, the benefits of the mentoring relationship for both the mentor and mentee are well worth giving it another shot. Your mentor can provide you with advice and ideas for your speeches and roles and tailored feedback based on individual goals that you’ve shared with them.
From the perspective of the mentor, while the experience of helping your fellow members can be very productive and rewarding in itself, you can also claim credit towards your competent leadership award which, once completed, will entitle you to discounts on your future membership renewals.
It’s easier than you think to meet up with your mentor as well. If you live or work close to each other then perhaps you could meet up over lunch somewhere locally. If not, you can meet immediately before or after one of our regular meetings or other events. Failing that, why not take advantage of some of the modern technology at your disposal, such as Skype video calling? However you decide to communicate, the benefits are there for the taking.
Who should initiate contact?
It doesn’t really matter which one of you initiates contact, but this month’s tip is aimed at mentees in particular to contact their mentors since one mentor can have several mentees while most people will only have one mentor, which means each of you only initiating contact once.
How do I contact my mentor?
If you don’t have their contact address, the easiest way to get in touch with any other member of the club is via the e-mail icon next to their name on ClubPlan.
What if I don’t have a mentor or know who my mentor is?
Simply contact Rajeev and he will let you know who your mentor is. If you don’t yet have a mentor then he can also help you find one and put you in contact with each other.
How do I contact Rajeev (our VP Mentoring)?
You can contact Rajeev directly at mentoring@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
Where can I read more about mentoring within the club?
Have a look at the mentoring page on our website. We welcome your feedback on any aspect of our mentoring programme.
That’s all for this month. See you at a meeting soon!
Swarajit Das
President
Bloomsbury Speakers
Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know
- We have two regular meetings in September. There are still some table topic slots up for grabs on Monday, 9th and timekeeper and general evaluator slots on Monday, 23rd. Sign up on ClubPlan.
- Our Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contest is on Monday, 16th September. There is still time to enter and a handful of functionary roles remain to be filled on ClubPlan. Either way, come along and be part of the audience!
- The winners will go on to compete at the area contest on Thursday 26th September from 6pm onwards at 55 Broadway, London, SW1H 0BD (directly above St. James’s Park tube station).
- Our club dinner social is confirmed for 7pm on Friday, 4th October at SUDA Thai Café Restaurant, St Martin’s Courtyard, 23 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden, WC2E 9AB. All are welcome, just register with info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
- We’re looking for expressions of interest from members to take part in a “PechaKucha” night jointly run with Clerkenwell Speakers, most likely in November. Contact Helen via me@yafetica.com.
