Monday’s humorous speech workshop Help! I’m Not Funny – with multiple speech contest champion Dan Magill – is sold out! There are still some free tickets available, but these don’t guarantee entry or seating and you may be turned away if the venue is full.
What’s in this newsletter?
- Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests – 25th September
- Club social – 28th October – Electric Shuffle!
- Pathways is changing
- A new World Champion of Public Speaking
- Next meetings
Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests – 25th September
Our annual Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests will take place on Monday, 25th September.
The Humorous Speech contest involves giving a 5-7 minute speech with added humour. The humour may arise from a funny original story, or from jokes embedded within the speech, but a humorous speech is not a stand-up routine or series of one-liners. As with any other speech, a humorous speech should have a topic, structure and purpose, but credit is also given for the audience’s response.
The Table Topics contest works just like regular Table Topics in club meetings except every contestant is given the same topic. Contestants wait outside the room until it is their turn to speak, and the topic will be read out to them just before they are introduced on to the stage. They then have 1-2 minutes to give their response. The best thing is that it requires no preparation at all!
See the Toastmasters contest rulebook for more information, as well as the ballot forms for the Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests to get a better idea of how contest speeches are judged.
Both contests are open to all paid members of the club, so everyone should take part, even if you’re new. It’s a great way of pushing your speaking skills to a higher level and the winners will go on to represent the club at the next round, so let our VP Education Andrea know if you’d like to take part!
Club social – 28th October – Electric Shuffle!
After a successful summer social at Bloomsbury bowling lanes back in June, our next event is planned for Saturday, 28th October – which coincides nicely with the club’s own birth-week – so please save the date in your calendar for another fun-packed evening!
We’ll be playing Electric Shuffle near London Bridge, followed by food and drinks at the same venue. Contact us to confirm your attendance and for details of how to pay.
Date: Saturday, 28th October
Time: 6pm onwards
Venue: Electric Shuffle, London Bridge
Price: £13 per person
Booking: info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk
Pathways is changing
Toastmasters International is updating its Pathways educational programme. As well as moving to an improved online platform next year, the 11 existing paths are being streamlined into six:
- Dynamic Leadership
- Engaging Humor
- Motivational Strategies
- Presentation Mastery
- Persuasive Influence
- Visionary Communication
Any paths you’ve already started will continue in the existing system and a new learning experience called Explorations will give you more flexibility in what and how you learn.
See the Pathways Updates and Education Programmes FAQ pages on the Toastmasters International website for more information.
A new World Champion of Public Speaking
As we enter a new contest season this month, the previous one has just drawn to a close with the World Championship of Public Speaking (WCPS) which was held at the Toastmasters International convention in The Bahamas last month.
Jocelyn Tyson from New Jersey in America was crowned World Champion for her speech “Have you been there?” Watch it now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEmawDu17AU.
Next meetings
Our workshop on 4th September will be held at one of our old venues, The City Pride.
After that, we return to The Union Tavern for our regular meeting on the 11th and the contests on the 25th.
Our October meetings will also be at The Union Tavern on the 9th and 23rd.
Book ahead on Eventbrite or Meetup to receive a handy reminder nearer the time.
