The London Speaker

Division B drink up tonight! Sign up here!

Just a quick reminder. We are having our celebration drinks for all Toastmasters tonight. The premise is simply to celebrate the great results that the Division has achieved over the past year. There will be no speeches or any reason to prepare anything. Just bring a pair or drinking boots (or stilettos depending on your inclination).

We are meeting upstairs at 7pm at The Cheshire Cheese pub. It would be great to get as many folks along as possible. Committee members from both this year and next, please come along. Division Council members please come along. Members please come along – the more the merrier! Please feel free to bring along partners etc.

The address for The Cheshire Cheese pub is 5 Little Essex Street, London WC2R 3LD. A map is below:

There is no charge for coming. If you have a chance please register below as it will help us keep an eye on numbers. However if you are not able to register then feel free to turn up anyway.

Look forward to seeing you there this evening!

Division B Celebratory drinks on July 1st

Sometimes I think we are not good enough at recognising the good things that happen around us and celebrating them. As a result I made this one of my resolutions for this year.

With this in mind there is plenty to celebrate at Toastmasters. We are nearing the end of a hugely successful Division B year. The Division has gone from strength to strength. You, our Club committees and members, been the key to that success.

Additionally, we are about to start what will, I am sure, be another fabulous year for the Division. Our new Division Council already are cooking up exciting plans for the coming year.

Given my New Years resolution, it seems rude not to celebrate this success doesn’t it?

Accordingly, we will be holding a social/drink up at The Cheshire Cheese pub (Excalibur Speakers venue) on July 1st. We will kick off at around 7pm and can keep going as long as you wish! There is no need to prepare speeches or worry about being picked for Table Topics – this is a purely social event. Indeed the only timekeeper will be last orders. Word of the day will of course, be “Cheers”! So please use it at all times!

So who is welcome? YOU!

It would be great to get as many folks along as possible to enjoy the summer sun and sangria. Committee members from both this year and next, please come along. Division Council members please come along. Members please come along – the more the merrier! Please feel free to bring along partners etc.

The address for The Cheshire Cheese pub is 5 Little Essex Street, London WC2R 3LD. A map is below:

There is no charge for coming but please can you register on our usual system. It will help us to keep an eye on the numbers and make sure that the pub has enough staff etc. To register please use the link below:

There are 80 tickets initially but if this sells out then it should not be a problem to arrange some more.

This will be a fun excuse to say goodbye to the 2008/9 year and welcome in the 2009/10 year. Hope to see you there!

An evening of drama, humour, suspense....

A reminder that the Tall Tales Contest Evening hosted by Marlow Orators is this Friday evening 19th June 2009. 

Come and hear tall tales from Toastmasters from different clubs (from Divisions H, G and B - London and surrounding areas). And a short keynote speech from Simon Bucknall.  A glass of wine and refreshments are included in the ticket price.  This promises to be a fun evening and perhaps the start of more tall tales evenings...

Time: 7.30pm Venue: All Saints Church Hall, The Causeway, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 2AA.  Tickets: GBP 5.  Call or email Keith Clarke or Jacqui Hogan for tickets all details on www.marloworators.org.uk

Listen, Think, Speak workshop reminder for June 16th – just 7 days to go!

Tickets are going well for the Listen, Think, Speak workshop on Tuesday 16th June. If we get a few more ticket sales in the next couple of days, I will try to book some extra space for the event.

As mentioned before, I believe this will be a fascinating session, full of practical ideas and techniques to help us with our speeches at Toastmasters. However, don’t listen to me! Why not hear what Simon Bucknall, Nigel’s mentee says:

“The ideas and techniques that Nigel brings are hugely powerful. They've certainly made a real and meaningful difference to speeches I've prepared both inside and outside of Toastmasters in recent years.”

Simon Bucknall, 2007/8 and 2008/9 UK & Ireland International Speech Contest Champion and 2009/10 UK & Ireland Evaluation Champion 

Or perhaps what what Hilary Briggs says:

“I studied earlier versions of the material that Nigel will be presenting a few years ago, and have found it hugely valuable in developing my skills as a facilitator, trainer and coach. Now more than ever, we need clarity of thinking – for ourselves and others. Nigel will be sharing a process that really is cutting edge in this field.”

Hilary Briggs, 2008/9 UK & Ireland Evaluation Champion

If the likes of Simon and Hilary think there is much to learn from Nigel then we can all safely assume that we can too!

As I said earlier, there are a few tickets available in the current room. If you are coming, get your orders in now and I will try to sort some extra space.

As a reminder, the event is being held on Tuesday 16th June at the Thistle Westminster Hotel, 49 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0QT. Doors will open at 6.30pm (and not before as there is another event on) and we will finish at around 9pm.

Tickets and more details can be found and bought here:

Hopefully we will see you there!

Division B workshop - Listen, Think, Speak presented by Nigel Cutts

Have you ever struggled for a topic for your next speech?

Have you ever found a promising topic but then looked at the blank piece of paper and found nothing coming out?

I know I have and I am sure that I’m not alone! Well, a solution just may be at hand!

On Tuesday 16th June, Division B will be playing host to Nigel Cutts with his workshop entitled Listen, Think, Speak.

This will be an interactive workshop which will help you connect your ears, mouth and brain. Nigel will provide a new and exciting perspective on how to listen for promising speech topics, think about what you want to say, and then speak them aloud. Nigel will introduce you to some techniques so simple that you really can learn them in an evening. You will also get a chance to practice your ability to “Listen – Think – Speak!”.

Nigel works with an organisation called Time to Think run by Nancy Kline. They are widely recognised as one of the leading lights in active listening and thinking skills. Their work is offered as modules at both Cranfield and Ashfield management colleges. Her book of the same name also happens to be one of the best I have ever read!

Nigel has been a member of Toastmasters for over twelve years and is the founding President of London Cardinals. Together with his wonderful wife, Gilly, he is huge proponent of mentoring within Toastmasters clubs. Among others, Nigel is the mentor to Simon Bucknall, twice UK & Ireland International Speech champion and current UK & Ireland Evaluation Champion. He is also a past Asst Division Governor.

The workshop will be held at The Thistle Westminster. The address is:

Thistle Westminster Hotel

49 Buckingham Palace Road

London SW1W 0QT

A map to the venue is here:

The brown bit at the bottom of the map is Victoria tube and train stations, just a few minutes away.

The doors will open at 6.30 (and not before as there is another event at the venue earlier on!) and the event will start at 7pm sharp. We should be finished at about 9pm.

There will be usual small charge of £5 to cover the venue hire etc. Tickets can be booked on the link below:

As mentioned, I am a huge fan of this work and I am sure you will be too. Hopefully we will see you there! And as they say…

Listen! Don’t you Think that’s worth an evening of anyone’s time. Speak up!

Tall Tales Contest Night at Marlow Orators

Marlow Orators, the Advanced club in Division H is holding a Tall Tales Contest night on Friday 19th June 2009.  Competitors from a wide range of clubs will beguile you with their own particular brand of speech craft and tall tales.  This sounds like great fun!

In addition to being bamboozled by the stories in the contest you will also have the treat of a keynote speech by Simon Bucknall, UK & Ireland Speech Evaluation Champion 2009, and current European Champion of Public Speaking for Junior Chamber International...

And a free glass of wine, refreshments and snacks all for only _{^{₤5 per head.}}

Spaces are limited so to book your ticket please email Keith Clarke, club President,  kclarke21@btinternet.com or call 07738 540 287.

Time: 7.30pm on 19th June

Venue: All Saints Church Hall, The Causeway, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 2AA

Parking: Plenty of parking at Court Gardens Leisure Centre 3 minutes walk away. SL7 2AE

Flyer can be found on the club website www.marloworators.org.uk.  Marlow Orators - between a cake shop and a pub - perfect!

Cotswolds conference report – an exhausting but great fun few days!

This is a long post so find yourself a comfy chair and a glass of whatever and relax! Here goes:

Wow! Another conference is over and what a few days it was. It was evident that everyone was there to have fun and let the economy be hanged!

Mrs Fred and I arrived on Friday at about 4.30pm and checked into our room. We had a lovely view over the water so were already off to a good start.

At 5pm, there was a workshop by Brian McLoughlin, one of the funniest of our Irish members. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the workshop for reasons that may become apparent later in this note. The people who attended told me it was great fun, informative and very interactive.

At 7.15pm we came down for the pre-dinner drinks. Much hilarity ensued as everyone turned up in their fancy dress outfits. The theme was musicals and there were many excellent costumes on view!

As you can see below, the Tube Talkers turned up as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Our Immediate Past Division Governor, Dick Dixon, paved the way with his hilarious nun’s outfit. Yes, he is seen in the second picture in a clinch with our groover District Lt Governor, Marketing, Teresa Dukes, who came as Sally Bowles from Cabaret!

Music was provided by the Oxford Drum Troupe and was followed with belly dancing by the Vale Dancers. The men were, of course, particularly interested in that part of the evening!

From what I remember, we then retired to the bar and kept on drinking and then went to another bar and then there was some singing and then…oh, I don’t know. What I do know is that when the alarm went off at 7.30 the next morning, neither Mrs Fred nor I were in the best of shape!

But off to the 8am Area and Division Governor breakfast meeting it was. There was plenty of good information about successes and challenges that the organisation was facing plus plenty of talk encouraging us to make sure that clubs have sorted out their succession. Have you?? ;)

Between 9am and 11am there were more workshops.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend either. Both Dick Dixon and myself were standing later in the morning for the UK and Ireland PR Officer role. This role is elected by all the clubs so there was plenty of campaigning to be done!

It was evident that quite a few Londoners had joined us on the Saturday morning, significantly boosting the numbers. Some were staying the day but a few came for the rest of the conference.

At 11am was the District Council meeting – this is where ‘the business’ of Toastmasters is conducted. The exciting news for Division B is:

1. The Division is to be split into 7 areas rather than the current five. I will write a note on this shortly.
2. Hilary Briggs of Early Birds Speakers, Grosvenor Square and St Pauls Speakers has been confirmed as the new Division B Governor in 2009/10. She will take over from me on July 1st. Hopefully we will hear more from her shortly too!
3. Our new District 71 (UK and Ireland) council were elected with Joe Gibbs as the new District Governor, Teresa Dukes as the new District Lt Governor Training and Education, Jim Hegarty as the new District Lt Governor for Marketing and myself as the new District PR Officer. Below is a picture of Joe Gibbs speaking at the meeting.

At the end of the meeting Dick Dixon and I were in need of a swift beer and fast! These votes are a stressful business…

At 2.30pm the International Speech Contest began. The host for the contest was our very own Tube Talker, Iain Duthie, who did a first class job of running the show. I know he had wanted to do this for a while so a big well done to him.

The interesting thing about this years contest was the variety of speeches. There were the speeches on how the motivational industry doesn’t work and we need to look for the simple things that happen around us for the solutions, on war memorials, on human trafficking, on how we do things we want, not what we need and many more. As ever the quality was outstanding.

Franco Vaccaro of Riverside and our Division B representative did a great job and I am sure that it was a close scoring by the judges. However, he did not place and the results were:

1. Gareth McHale
2. Bob Ferguson
3. Colm McGlade

I believe that Gareth is an ex member of London Corinthians and Bob is a member of Excalibur so along with Franco they did our Division proud. Below is Iain Duthie handing out the Certificates of Participation to Franco and the winner Gareth respectively.

Mrs Fred and I were quite tired at this so crash we did!

At 6.30pm we had been invited to an invite only soiree by the Old Corinthians, Ian Millen and our winner Gareth. Probably 30 or so folks crammed into their room, drinking Pimms and other wonderful concoctions. It meant we were in great shape for the dinner at 8pm! Thanks guys!

Another evening, another haze! Excellent food, good company, an funky band called the Funtime Frankies, too many more drinks and a long sing along at the Craic in the early morning. Chris Boden of Holborn and of course Dick Dixon of Tube Talk took their turns to lead the festivities. I think we finished at 3ish but things were still in full swing.

You may just spot our incoming Division Governor below shaking her stuff. (Hilary – the voting is already over! hehe!)

I woke on Sunday at 9.45am and there was immediately a mad dash downstairs for breakfast as it finished at 10am. There had been a workshop that morning that people said was good, but I think many of the Division B’ers were happy for the lie in.

The evaluation contest started at 11am.

We had a short promo for the November conference to be held in York. We will write this up soon. And then it on to the contest proper. Simon Bucknall was representing Division B representative and Excalibur Speakers.

The test speech was a big wow! The contest chair, John Evans, introduced the speaker and there was a round of applause but no speaker! Suddenly, the speaker burst through one of the doors at the back literally screaming ‘there's been a murder, there's been a murder!'”

We all turned round to find the speaker, Pania Lee of Limerick Toastmasters, dressed in a maids outfit, running around the back of the room asking whether there was a doctor in the house. As the  speech unfolded, she came to the front, asking us whether we had ever been on a Murder Mystery weekend and encouraging us to go on one. It was a rip-roaring effort from the wonderful Pania and one, I must admit, I was glad I did not have to evaluate!

However, the contestants didn’t have that choice! For me (biased Div B Governor that is!) Simon was the clear winner. And indeed he was chosen by the judges to be as well. The results were:

1. Simon Bucknall
2. Lindy Irving
3. Sue Coppens-Browne

See below a pic of Simon with Pania waving her feather duster below.

Everyone could see how chuffed Simon was with the award. I found him later still calling family and friends to share the news, beaming like the proverbial cat.

It was a fabulous way to end the conference and another winner for Division B – yay!

So that is the end of another conference, onwards and upwards to York in November we go!

Workshop: Improving Your Speech Delivery Skills

Riverside Communicators are holding an improvisation workshop on Wednesday 13th May 2009 led by John Craddock and Zahid Bashir.

We promise you an action packed workshop to help you hone your speech delivery skills.  We'll be using techniques and excercises from the world of improvisation so you can:

• Increase your vocal power
• Add emotion to your voice
• Maximise your engagement with the audience
• Let your body tell a story

Improvisation is about generating an idea, story or scene from nothing.  For Toastmasters this sounds a bit like Table Topics!  Improv stems from the world of acting and many of the tools, techniques and games used can help us develop our speaking skills.  Come to this workshop with an open mind and ready to join in.

During the two hour workshop you'll have the chance to try exercises to develop your vocal strength, body language and interactive skills - above all it will be fun!

Venue: Riverside Communicators, HYDE ROOM, York House, Twickenham Map/transport info here

Time: 7.15pm 

Date: Wednesday 13 May 2009 

Dress: Comfortable loose fitting clothes.

Please join us next week!

 

Support our Division B Contest Winners at the UK & Ireland Finals

What should you be doing this coming weekend (8-10th May)?

Treating yourself at the Cotswolds Water Park Hotel!

How?

• Supporting our Div B International Speech and Evaluation winners at the UK & Ireland Finals
• Enjoying the quality of speaking in both contests
• Attending educational workshops and the District Council meeting
• Networking, partying and having fun!
• And all from as little as ₤10 for the day

The Spring UK & Ireland District 71 Conference is near enough to London for us to attend either for a day or for the whole weekend.  And its next weekend 8-10 May 2009 so...if you want to come along you need to book now via d71.org.  Click here for booking and programme details.

Prices start from ₤10 for the day of conference events including contests and workshops. Lunches and evening meals can be added separately.  Advanced booking is required.

Saturday afternoon is the time for the UK & Ireland Final of the International Speech Contest.  Sunday morning for the UK & Ireland Evaluation Contest. We all know that a Toastmasters audience will be supportive and...that it is even better if you have your own club and Division members to cheer for you!  Franco Vaccaro and Simon Bucknall will appreciate your enthusiastic encouragement so please come along if you can.

2009 Division B International Speech and Evaluation Contest Winners

Last Wednesday’s Division B International Speech and Evaluation Contest Final was a truly marvellous evening.

We were greeted by our friends at Citi Criers who did a brilliant job of ushering everyone through in an efficient way. A glass of vino was there waiting for us, which in the true Division B style, everyone used as used as lubrication for their vocal chords – these would be needed for the raucous evening that lay ahead.

I started with a little exercise that had virtually all of the 170 people there boogying away – they were truly warmed up! Thank you to Julie Holness for the idea!

The first half was the International Speech Contest. Led by our Contest Chair, Assistant Division Governor, Dave Sellman, the Speakers in order were:

1. Ola Aralepo of Area 34 and Tube Talk
2. Simon Bucknall of Area 6 and London Cardinals
3. Agnieszka Rees of Area 31 and Citi Criers
4. Franco Vaccaro of Area 29 and Riverside Communicators
5. Sarah Green of Area 33 and Broadgate Speakers

Ola entertained us with a speech about how power comes from revealing ourselves. Simon discussed a fraud that is parents had suffered and what he had leant from it. Agnieszka discussed being bullied and Franco told us of how he had become like his father, needing to control everything. Finally Sarah inspired us with her personal journey of overcoming shyness, urging us all that we could achieve our goals too. The quality of the speeches were amazing.

After the break, we returned for the Evaluation Contest. Led by the ever ebullient Contest Chair, Paul Carroll of Athenians, the contest started off with a rousing speech from Alastair Watson-Gandy, Area Governor of Area 4.

While we waited for the contestants to come back to give their evaluations, Joe Gibbs, Lt Governor Training and Education for Toastmasters District 71 introduced himself to the Division and told us we still all had time to follow our esteemed leaders (Gary Sander) chant of ‘the courage to make a difference’. Inspiring stuff indeed.

Then the Evaluators fed through one by one. They were in order of speech:

1. Julie Holness of Area 33 and London Communicators
2. David Bennett of Area 34 and Tube Talk
3. Kerry-Anne Smith of Area 29 and London Trojans
4. Simon Bucknall of Area 6 and Excalibur Speakers
5. Clive Broadbent of Area 31 and Canary Wharf Communicators

While we waited for the votes to be counted, I suitably embarrassed myself and the contestants while handing out the Certificates of Participation.

In no time our Chief Judge, Sammy Babister, Division H Governor returned and she together with Joe Gibbs announced the winners. They were as follows:

Evaluation Contest

1. Simon Bucknall
2. Clive Broadbent
3. Julie Holness

International Speech Contest

1. Franco Vaccaro
2. Simon Bucknall
3. Sarah Green

Needless to say, a large group retired to Cafe Rouge for a little after contest analysis.

It was a great evening and I have to say thank you to Dave Sellman for leading the arrangements, Dave and Paul Carroll as Contest Chairs, Alastair Watson-Gandy for being brave enough to do the Test speech, Sammy as our Chief Judge, all of our judges, Himanshu Vora, Nigel Cutts and John Craddock as our Counters, Hilary Briggs and Iain Duthie as our Timers and Catherine Desson who acted as Sergeant at Arms. Indeed, a BIG thank you to Catherine and her merry band of helpers from Citi Criers who helped make the evening such a success. Finally, thank you to Joe Gibbs for flying in from Ireland especially for the evening.

Needless to say, Franco and Simon will both be competing in the Dictrict finals this coming Saturday. I will be there supporting them – hopefully so will you!

(a bunch of very happy Area 29ers with the winners)