Hello and Welcome to the August Newsletter!
It’s holiday time – indeed I’m writing this having just returned from a week enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Lake District. A break from your usual routine can provide the perfect time to plan your next speech (unless like me you’ve spent your holiday in a house with six members of your family so there has never been a quiet moment!). But spending time on the plane, the sun lounger or sitting at a cafe watching the world go by can get the creative juices flowing and this month there’s a great reason to make time to think about your next speech… the Humourous Speech and Table Topics Contests are approaching! There will be more on that throughout this newsletter.
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?
We had two meetings in July which were full of new challenges for our members. Rufina, made her debut as Toastmaster and two of our newer members – Emma and Egor – took on the role of Topics Master for the first time. Additionally Janet officially became a Competent Communicator by completing her N0 10 speech in which she gave us 10 excellent reasons to speak up and speak out.
What’s planned for August?
We have two meetings in August – on the 11th and 18th (the second of these has been brought forward a week from our usual 4th Monday slot due to the Bank Holiday on the 25th). It’s a month full of speeches from newer members with an Icebreaker from Robert on the 11th and Emma, Emily, Faith Rose and Egor giving No2 and No3 speeches on the 18th. As of writing, we are still looking for a Grammarian on the 18th so do sign up on Clubplan if you are available to take this role.
Dates for your Diary
Monday 1st September – we will be hosting our humorous speeches and improvisation workshop on Monday, 1st September. The workshop will be led by Gayna Cooper who finished second in the UK & Ireland with an impressive speech which many thought was worthy of winning (borrow the DVD if you haven’t seen it). The workshop is on Eventbrite so register there if you would like to attend. Link: Humorous Speech & Improvisation Workshop
Monday 8th September – we will be hosting the Bloomsbury Speakers Humourous Speech and Table Topics contests. Members should already have received an email from Bloomsbury Speakers outlining how to enter (sign up on Clubplan!) and some tips on preparing. Whilst we want to see as many eligible members as possible enter the contest, in order to have a successful contest we also need non-competing members to:
- judge contests at other clubs so we can ask their members to judge at our contest. To be a judge you need to have completed six speeches – there are contests organised throughout September at various London clubs eg Clerkenwell Speakers’ contest is on Wednesday 17th September.
- help our VPE Helen with organising the judges and the paperwork both before the contest and on the night itself.
- take a role on the evening – contest chair, vote counters and timekeepers are all needed
- be enthusiastic audience members at our contest!
Let’s everyone get involved to make this the best ever Bloomsbury Contest! If you could be a judge at another club’s contest or can spare even a couple of hours to help Helen with our contest organisation please contact her at education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk
Events at Other Clubs
Saturday 16th August – Excalibur Speakers are holding what promises to be a lively event at Speakers Corner with lots of audience participation. Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/Excalibur-Speakers/events/194578212/ and don’t forget your picnic! NB Swarajit is VP of PR of Excalibur this year so can provide further details on this event.
Tip of the month: Contact your Mentor today!
Mentoring is an area of the club’s offering which is underused by many members and mentor / mentee relationships often peter out over time through no fault of either party. However, 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 often easier than you think to work with your mentor. 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 onlyinitiating 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 James (VP Membership and Mentoring) 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 James?
You can contact him directly at mentoring@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know
- Contest Season is coming! Get involved as either a Contestant, a judge at another club, a functionary on the night or a contest organiser! The Humourous Speech and Table Topics contest is on Monday 8th September – sign up on ClubPlan to enter or be a functionary.
- To get judges we need to send judges to other clubs – contact Helen at education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk to help choose the funniest speech at another club.
- As prep for our contest there’s a Humourous Speech Workshop on Monday Sep 1st at the Clerk and Well. The workshop is on Eventbrite so register there if you would like to attend. Link: Humorous Speech & Improvisation Workshop
- Our regular meetings in August are on the 11th and 18th – we still need a Grammarian for the 18th August
- Events at Other Clubs: Saturday 16th August – Excalibur Speakers are holding what promises to be a lively event at Speakers Corner with lots of audience participation. Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/Excalibur-Speakers/events/194578212/
- Tip of the Month: Contact your mentor today. If you don’t have one and would like one, contact James our VPE at mentoring@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
- Contact membership@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’re interested in becoming a member.
