Hello and welcome to the spring 2019 newsletter!
It’s spring contest season and that means Toastmasters clubs up and down the country are holding their International Speech and Evaluation contests. You can read about what happened at ours below but, before that, please note that our second meeting in April will take place on the fifth Monday (29th April) rather than the fourth, which is a bank holiday.
There’s plenty more dates for your diary below!
What’s in this newsletter?
- Spring contests – the results so far!
- Upcoming workshops
- Club socials
- Want to lead your club?
- New members
Spring contests – the results so far!
At the beginning of the month we held our annual International Speech and Evaluation contests. Five contestants took part in the International Speech contest, with speeches on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to a wander through the streets of Islington and an upcoming swim across the English Channel.
After a closely fought competition, the final results were:
- 3rd place – Sheldon Dee
- 2nd place – Margarita Sachkova
- 1st place – Matt Robertson
In the Evaluation contest, four competitors all evaluated a speech on our visiting speaker’s troubles with Turkish airport security. After the counters and chief judge returned, the results were announced as:
- 2nd place – Matt Robertson
- 1st place – Margarita Sachkova
Margarita won the club Evaluation contest
Matt and Margarita went on to represent the club at the Area 2 finals, which were held last week in Southwark. Matt once again placed first in the International Speech contest with his spectacular speech “Magic Maketh Man”. Margarita didn’t place first in the Evaluation contest but still did a stellar job!
Matt won the Area 2 International Speech contest
Matt is now through to the Division C contest and will be up against the champions of the other areas in central London, so please go along and show your support.
Date: Saturday, 13th April
Time: 10am-3:45pm
Venue: Saint Boltoph’s without Aldersgate church (Map)
Price: £5.92-£8.06
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sharing-your-stories-tickets-56994715729
Lunch is included in the ticket price and, as well as the third rounds of the International Speech and Evaluation contests in our division, there will also be workshops to help you become a better storyteller – an essential skill in giving impactful speeches.
If Matt wins again in this round, he’ll be through to the District 91 contest which will take place over the weekend of 3rd-5th May in Ashford, Kent. This event also includes the finals for the Evaluation, Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests, as well as more workshops on communication and leadership, so there’ll be plenty to see and do. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Upcoming workshops
There are always opportunities to learn and improve at events around the Toastmasters community. Here are just a few upcoming workshops that anyone can attend for free.
Body Language Masterclass
Former UK & Ireland evaluation champion Lynne Cantor will share the “secrets of non-verbal communication”.
Date: Wednesday, 27th March
Time: 7pm
Venue: PMI UK Toastmasters Club, Saint Boltoph’s without Aldgate church (Map)
Price: FREE
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pmi-uk-toastmasters-club-body-language-masterclass-tickets-57924690308
Table Topics Workshop
Table Topics district champion and debating expert Paul Carroll will share his top tips for terrific table topics.
Date: Tuesday, 30th April
Time: 6:45pm
Venue: Holborn Speakers, The Rugby Tavern, 19 Great James Street, WC1N 3ES (Map)
Price: FREE
Evaluation Workshop
Another one from champion Lynne Cantor! Learn how you can make your evaluations even more effective.
Date: Tuesday, 28th May
Time: 6:45pm
Venue: Holborn Speakers, The Rugby Tavern, 19 Great James Street, WC1N 3ES (Map)
Price: FREE
Club socials
We love socials at Bloomsbury Speakers, and this month we’re planning something with a more intellectual slant – a visit to the Natural History Museum’s monthly ‘Lates’ event (and hopefully some food and drinks afterwards).
The details are below, just let us know if you’d like to come.
Date: Friday, 29th March
Time: 6:30pm onwards
Venue: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD (Map)
Price: FREE
Want to lead your club?
As you may know, every Toastmasters club is run by a committee of volunteers from its membership. As we enter the last quarter of the Toastmasters year (which runs from July to June), it’s time to start thinking about whether you would like to lead your club into the year ahead.
Joining your club’s committee is a fantastic way of gaining and honing your leadership skills– 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 you’ll also have a direct impact on the day-to-day running of your club.
If you’d like to find out more about what the different roles on the committee entail, feel free to speak to any of the existing members or get in touch via president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.
New members
Finally, we’re very pleased to welcome our newest members Henrik, Anca, Eoin and John – they’re already playing an active part in the club!
That’s all for this newsletter – see you at a meeting soon!
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