Written by Rufina
Introductions
Our President Swarajit – opened the meeting by quoting from former World Champion of Public Speaking Darren LaCroix who, in the style of Tony Blair, gave the three most important factors in becoming a world class speaker as stage time, stage time and stage time!
Swarajit then introduced Stella, who was the evening’s Toastmaster. Stella, after running through the agenda for the meeting, introduced her theme “Life is a Circus”, asking every participant “If you were asked to join the circus, would you do so, and why”? She then introduced her supporting functionaries, the Timekeeper and Grammarian.
Michelle, the timekeeper, explained the timings for the programme and demonstrated the use of the lights to signal these timings to the speakers.
On to the next functionary, the Grammarian Jo introduced the word of the day, “Innocuous” which means not harmful or offensive.
Prepared Speeches
The first speech “The Ultimate Accessory” was a No. 2 speech by Faith-Rose, in which she shared with us the manufacturing process, the practice of wearing hats and what characteristics they exhibit. Faith-Rose’s hats compromised a vision, the moment where two cultures (Ghanaian and Malawian) are infused and lastly the feeling of nostalgia which symbolises happiness. To give us a clearer picture, Faith-Rose exhibited three different, stunning hats pressing on us to forget the shoes – it’s all about the hats!
On to the second speaker and Rebecca, with a No. 2 speech entitled “Just My Cup of Tea”, took us back to her childhood where she’d earned the right to be the “best tea maker” in the family and neighbourhood. Rebecca let us into her three-part secret of obtaining the perfect cup of tea: the context, the content and lastly the process of making it. The tea goes in first before the milk and not the other way round.
The third speaker was Ash with a No. 3 speech called “Taking Love Offline”, where she revealed intriguing information about how dating has transformed from traditional meetings to 21st century online dating. With over half of singletons in London choosing online dating on the 4,100 dating websites in the UK, the deception is endless and everyone is judged by their looks rather than common interests, dislikes and aspirations. The moral is that online dating deprive us of the organic romance with physical people by chasing unrealistic profiles.
Peter, the final speaker with his No. 6 speech entitled “Who is Your Voice?”, reconnected us back to an amazing tool in our body – the voice. Without it we cannot speak nor engage in public speaking. Peter, demonstrating with his own silky tones, informed us that the voice is a machine that needs air, alignment and algorithm of the throat because the wrong posture affects how our voice projects a message. A simple exercise for the voice is to breathe in deeply, slowly release the air and relax.
Evaluations
Ahmed evaluated Faith-Rose’s speech about the “ultimate accessory”. He commended the use of props in a number two speech which added credibility and a sincere touch to it. She was not fazed by the use of props but was confident and the delivery was well executed. However, Ahmed felt that Faith-Rose could improve on her transitions and use of phrases.
James evaluated Rebecca’s No. 2 speech. He commended her on a very clear and structured speech. It showed her background and the impact it has made on her life while engaging the audience. He recommended combing two stages into one and practice to help with the timing.
Tracey evaluated Ash’s speech on online dating. She commended Ash on a well delivered and confident speech with no signs of nervousness and interjection of humour. She recommended Ash did not need the notes in her hands and could improve on the speech organisation but, all in all, met her objectives.
Rufina evaluated Peter’s No. 6 speech. She felt he started off with a great opening by using a rhetorical question. Peter had a well projected voice, relaxed and poised; however some of the action could have been demonstrated to enforce the message. Overall, it was well researched and engaging speech.
Table Topics
Carrie was the topicsmaster with a theme based on the stress of everyday life.
- Emily was asked to describe a healthy work life balance in London – she responded that everyone needs to find what works for them and taking a break from work sometimes.
- Jon was asked if he believes in therapy – he said there is no right or wrong answer, but he likes to work and talk to friends and strangers about his worries.
- Emma was asked, what do you do to combat stress? She testified to being a walking self-help book from trying therapy to acupuncture and yoga, which is the best.
- Ahmed pondered what in life makes one happy? There is no constant happiness, he said, but a mixture of fun times and hardship.
- Robert considered whether we should avoid stressful activities or just accept them. Work hard, he responded – if you go through stress or make mistakes, learn from them. Take a 30-minute break, or a shot of whisky!
- Marcella was asked to discuss the statement, when it comes to the hard times in life all we need is love. She concurred by saying love yourself, work hard, and take a break in the countryside like she does.
Henry, the table topics evaluator, opened by congratulating each topics participant on their well delivered, engaging and sincere speeches from the heart – especially since they were all guests! Henry went on to give each speaker thorough commendations and recommendations for how they could perform even better next time.
Closing and Awards
Our very own Ratan was the General Evaluator tonight and he gave his assessment of all those participants who’d not previously been evaluated and also presented some great feedback for the club as a whole.
The president Swarajit then handed out the awards based on the audience votes:
- Best Table Topic Speaker was awarded to Emma
- Best Evaluator was awarded to Henry
- Best Prepared Speech was awarded to Ash
The President’s discretionary award went to Michelle for her role as timekeeper for the first time.
Next Meeting
Our next regular meeting is Monday, 28th April in the normal venue: upstairs at The Clerk & Well, 156 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5DU.
