Hello and welcome to the June newsletter!
This is my final newsletter as Pesident of Bloomsbury Speakers as the Toasmasters year ends at the end of June and a new President and Committee take over. In anticpation of this handover I’d like to thank Helen, Svetlana, Michelle, Rebecca, Tracey, Peter and of course my predecessor Swarajit for all their hard work – they have all been dedicated to cementing our reputation as one of the most well run and friendly clubs in London. If you are interested in following in their footsteps you will find more details below.
I also want to thank all our members, whose great enthusiasm and supportive attitude makes each meeting a fun and educative session.
Even though I’ll miss being President, I’m really looking forward to getting back into some of the other roles during our meetings, like Topicsmaster, evaluator and of course, Toastmaster.
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 in May?
Lots! As usual in May our regular meeting dates of 2nd and 4th Mondays needed to be switched around because of the bank holidays but we still managed great turn outs to hear an Icebreaker from new member Rachel and an inspiring speech from Emma on taking a leap of faith.
We also changed our usual agenda on its’ head in the final meeting of the month with table topics in the first half of the meeting This was so we could hold a 20 minute Moments of Truth workshop in the second half which effectively holds a mirror up to Bloomsbury as a club. Members and guests broke out into small groups to assess what Bloomsbury does well and what it could do better around a variety of themes. Some great feedback was given and suggestions were noted down so the club can continue improving!
What’s planned for June?
- Monday, 8th June – Regular Meeting – Our first club meeting this month (and my last as President as I am on holiday for the second meting in June). The programme is filling up but the timekeeper role is still available and you could also grab one of the last couple of pre-bookable table topic slots on ClubPlan. PLEASE NOTE THIS MEETING WILL NOW BE HELD DOWNSTAIRS AT THE LIBERTY & FREE SPEECH PIZZA HOUSE – OPPOSITE THE CLERK & WELL PUB.
- Monday, 22nd June – Regular Meeting – At the time of writing, there is availablity on ClubPlan for a Timekeeper, Grammarian, Evaluator, Meeting Reporter and for a Sergeant at Arms to greet and introduce the guests.
What is the Meeting Reporter role?
This is a role which has always existed but is now being given status as a functionary role. You may have noticed that you get Meeting Reports after each meeting. This role is to mke notes or record the meeting (whatever works for you) and then write up the meeting report in word later that week before passing it to the VP PR to review and publish. How long does it take to write? I have gone home from a meeting and written it in just over an hour as it’s fresh in my mind but if you are a non-native speaker it my take longer. But as Emma S said when she recently undertook the role ‘It really makes you listen to the entire meeting and you get so much more out of it’
Having this as a functionary role means it DOES count as the functionary role you must do between prepared speeches so why not sign up and give it a try?
Tip of the Month: Join your leadership committee
Joining the club’s committee is a fantastic way of gaining and putting in to practice those leadership skills that you may not have the chance to work on in your day job – and, just like a regular meeting, a Toastmasters committee is a safe and friendly environment in which to do so. There are roles to suit all levels of skills, experience and time commitment and, not only will you have the opportunity to pick up new skills as well as refine existing ones, but you’ll also have a direct impact on the day-to-day running of your club.
Bloomsbury Speakers’ committee is currently recruiting its successors for the next Toastmasters year (which runs from 1st July to 30th June). Some members have already expressed an interest in certain roles, which is great as we want people who are enthusiastic! However, if you’re not sure what the different roles on the committee actually entail, here’s a quick summary:
Sergeant at Arms (Incumbent: Michelle) The SAA is in charge of logistics. They are responsible for:
- enlisting others to help them prepare the venue for each meeting and also clear up afterwards;
- welcoming guests as they arrive at each meeting and running (or delegating) the guest introductions section of the programme;
- organising club socials and liaising with venue management on behalf of the club.
Treasurer (Incumbent: Rebecca) The treasurer holds responsibility for the club’s finances. Their duties include:
- keeping track of the club’s income and expenditure to ensure financial stability;
- paying dues and other costs on behalf of members to Toastmasters International;
- making sure members pay their renewal fees to the club on time.
Secretary (Incumbent: Peter F) The club secretary is responsible for club administration, particularly with regards to committee meetings and decision making. Responsibilities include:
- arranging and communicating the dates, times and venues for forthcoming committee meetings;
- recording and circulating the minutes and action points from club committee meetings;
- ordering stationery and equipment (with permission of the treasurer) on behalf of the club.
Vice President Public Relations (Incumbent: Svetlana) The VP Public Relations is responsible for raising the club’s profile and attracting new guests e.g. via social media. Regular tasks will include:
- putting a team together to help write up the meeting reports after each regular meeting and contest;
- keeping the club’s website and Meetup page up-to-date, along with other media;
- maintaining the club’s guest book and mailing list and sending out e-mail campaigns.
Vice President Membership & Mentoring (Incumbent: Tracey) The VP Membership & Mentoring converts guests into happy members! They will do this by:
- keeping track of the membership waiting list and inviting an appropriate number of guests to join as new members each month;
- ensuring that new members have all the information they need when they first join;
- assigning a mentor to each new member and monitoring their relationship.
Vice President Education (Incumbent: Helen) The VP Education is the second most senior position on the committee and is responsible for putting the programme together for each meeting along with keeping track of the educational progress of individual members and the club as a whole. Regular responsibilities will include:
- ensuring all the speech slots and functionary roles (including general evaluators) are filled for every meeting and arranging printing of the programme;
- tracking individual members’ progress through their communication and leadership manuals and submitting educational achievements to Toastmasters International;
- administration of ClubPlan and enlisting the help of other members in organising club contests.
President (Incumbent: Jo) The president has overall responsibility for the successful running of the club by supporting committee members in their roles (including all of the above) as well as opening and closing every meeting, writing these newsletters and helping the club meet its goals in the Distinguished Club Programme – and much more besides!
Intrigued by what you’ve read here? Well, why not consider joining the next committee in July? It’s a great way of giving back to the club and you’ll be certain to benefit immensely from the experience yourself. If you’re interested in filling any of the roles above in the coming year, feel free to contact the incumbent member directly or write to president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk to express your interest – and if you’re a member of another club, get involved there too!
Key facts – just the stuff you really need to know
- Our first regular meeting of the month is on the 8th June downstairs at the Liberty and Free Speech Pizza House across the road from the Clerk and Well. The timekeeper slot is still available as is Meeting Reporter and, as ever, please get there early if you can to help set up the room.
- Our second regular meeting of the month is on the 22nd June. At the time of writing, there is availablity on ClubPlan for a Timekeeper, Grammarian, Evaluator, Meeting Reporter and for a Sergeant at Arms to greet and introduce the guests.
- The Meeting Reporter Role is now live on ClubPlan. This role writes up the Meeting Report we publish after each meeting. As a functionary role it DOES count as the functionary role you must do between prepared speeches so why not sign up and give it a try?
- The club’s committee is looking for its successors to take over in July. Contact any of the current committee members or president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’re interested in taking on any of the leadership roles.
Newsletter written by Jo
PS Apologies for any typos but I’m writing this on my Dad’s clunky old PC which has a few keys that stick!!!
