No, it wasn’t some strange clapping cult they had walked into, Zoe reassured the guests who had decided to come to the meeting last night. It was only Toastmasters, and clapping is part of the routine.

So we zealously clapped four speakers unto the stage and off again, as well as the various functionaries and impromptu speakers. Under Glen’s suave leadership, the meeting ran like clockwork.

Joanne volunteered to be the timekeeper when that gap in the programme needed to be filled. And Sergi with the surname that rolled so beautifully off Glen’s tongue proved a skilled first-time grammarian.

Jean-Marc’s speech number four was an eruption of metaphor and emotion, which earned him the title of best speaker of the night. “Without something to say, we are a hammer without nails, gloves without hands, shoes without feet!”, he exclaimed, urging us to inject some conviction into our speeches.

Tilly’s speech ‘The Last Word’ was as captivating as it was daring, as it dealt with a subject that no one likes to think about: death. She too used metaphor, more sparsely than Jean-Marc, but certainly as effectively. She handled the topic with sensitivity and her signature sense of humour.

Next up was Joga, who tried to entice the audience into coming out with embarrassing confessions about addiction. We wisely kept our secrets to ourselves, but he shared with us his own shameful weakness for English mustard and video games.

Zoe told us about the fascinating findings of a study into what makes men fall in love. It turns out skirts on a first date are good, and bossing him around, bad. Although the speech was packed with facts and figures, we never felt overwhelmed because her talk was relevant to all and well structured. She also elicited some profuse audience participation, getting the men to admit they don’t like nagging, boring, complaining women.

Table topics saw Alan present speaker after speaker with some truly awful holiday scenarios. Carl, who educated us about the benefits of cold water in the morning, came out victorious. The audience voted Gary best evaluator, for his constructive and to-the-point treatment of all the impromptu speakers.

Our next regular meeting is on 7 February. Next week (24 Jan), it’s the evaluation workshop; as I write this, there are still a few places available for members, so sign up quickly before they’re all gone. If you need persuading: there will be pizza.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Wednesday, January 18th 2012 11:21 pm

Have you ever sat in your seat and been inspired by watching our club’s experienced members delivering fantastic evaluations? And wished that you could do the same?

Well Holborn Speakers is pleased to announce that we are holding an evaluation workshop at our club on the 4th Tuesday of this month, 24th January. The aim of this workshop is to equip you with proven tips and techniques for helping you to deliver helpful and inspiring evaluations.

And it gets better…

Running this workshop will be our very own Chris Boden. For those that know him, he needs no introduction, but for those that don’t: Chris has been a member of Toastmasters since 2007 and has very quickly developed into a highly effective speech evaluator. He is the current UK and Ireland Evaluation Contest Champion, having won the final in May of 2011.

So whether you’re chasing that best evaluator ribbon at your club or aiming for the District Championship, this seminar from Chris can help you get there. In a session packed with tips Chris will show you:

How you can make your evaluation stand out;
How to give the speaker the greatest benefit;
And how your own evaluations can make you a better speaker

This workshop is open to both Holborn Members (free) and guests from other clubs (£5 cost + admin fee), but booking is essential as there are limited places. To book you place, visit the following link: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/2730058679.

If all the places are taken, then please email me on alanmountain.career@gmail.com and we will see if we can squeeze you in.

We look forward to seeing you all on the 24th for an evening full of practical advise on how to develop and refine your evaluation techniques.

Alan Mountain

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 11:10 pm

Fresh starts, high hopes, firm resolutions: 2012 has only properly begun now we have the first Toastmasters meeting under our belts.

The first session of the new year was also the first one in the new venue, the Real Man Pizza Company. Two members delivered their first prepared speeches, and for many guests, turning up may have been their first step towards becoming more confident speakers.

Nadeem certainly already looked assured during his icebreaker, despite the self-deprecating title ‘It’s only me’. He told the audience about growing up in Pakistan, his dangerous fascination with electronics, and inventing the word ‘crab’ as an 8-year-old. He got some big laughs from the audience, and as his evaluator Jay said, left us wanting more.

In his first speech, ‘Going solo’, Stuart confessed to being a workaholic who’s into self-help literature and dreams about setting up his own business. It was a polished, poised performance, and Stuart has all the makings of a very strong speaker indeed.

Ros earned the award for best speaker with her story about a little boy called Leonard Thomson and the discovery of insulin. What was initially ‘a murky, canine pancreatic extract’, as she eloquently put it, is now a clear, life-saving liquid kept in a vial. It was a gripping speech, featuring wonderfully descriptive language, a strong structure, and highly effective visual aids.

Sergio and Gary took on first-time roles as timekeeper and grammarian, while News Quiz aficionado John hosted his first round of table topics. The audience voted Ian’s slightly sarcastic, hilarious mini-speech about the High Speed 2 railway project the winner.

There were free pizzas at the end, a kind gesture from Giuseppe and his crew. (Try the butterscotch and banana one. It is surprisingly delicious.)

Next events of note: regular meeting on 17 January and Chris Boden’s evaluation workshop on January 24, both at the Real Man Pizza Company at 6.45.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Wednesday, January 11th 2012 11:08 pm

Yesterday’s ram-packed, Christmas-themed programme and line-up of eager speakers could have spelled a late night for Holborn, but thanks to an assertive timekeeper, an efficient toastmaster and our energetic president, the meeting ran over only a tiny little bit.

We finished at about ten past nine, but with five speeches to deliver and evaluate, this was not a bad result at all.

First up was new member Carl. In his icebreaker he described himself as an ‘explorer of new waves’, and talked about important experiences that have made him the person he is today – such as his discovery of alternative music at the age of 15, working for a number of internet companies and becoming a life coach. Carl has a way with words and a confident manner, so his toastmasters career is off to a promising start.

George told us that all he wants for Christmas is a return to the innocence of Christmases past, and less of ‘the spirit of Christmas presents’. He encouraged the audience to do charity work this year, and stop obsessing about food and expensive gifts. It was a topical, witty, well-delivered number three speech.

In his winning number nine, Alan frightened the audience into getting travel insurance. He used anecdotes and personal experiences to make his point, as well as effective body language and vocal variety, cutting a very persuasive figure indeed. Today I have been looking into my own insurance situation, so he definitely hit a nerve with at least one audience member.

As one of the assignments from the advanced communicators manual, Jay delivered a gripping interpretive reading of Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open. Who knew the man was so crippled by concerns about his hair? Jay kept everyone on the edge of their seats, completing yet another speech project with flying colours.

Finally, Ros held an informative and well-researched talk about rhetoric, and gave the audience tips on how to add rhetorical devices to their speeches. The topic couldn’t have been more relevant to an audience of public speaking fanatics, and she was clearly passionate about the subject herself. So much so that the timekeeper (Diana) had to gavel her off the stage.

As table topics master, Douglas presented the participants with some tricky Christmas conundrums. Ian was voted the best impromptu speaker, with his perfectly reasonable suggestion to start delivering presents over ice pathways from Lapland, in the face of an EU crackdown on reindeer pulling sleighs.

Final meeting of 2011 (and the last one in the Rugby Tavern) on 20 December. Be there at 6.30 for a prompt start at 6.45.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Uncategorized
Thursday, December 15th 2011 12:04 am

Three new members took their first steps on the path to public-speaking greatness on Tuesday, as David and Sophia both injected a dose of comedy – one as a toastmaster spreading scurrilous rumours, and the other with her choice of word of the day (comedy).

Anthony kicked off with his icebreaker  ‘La Vita è Bella’, telling the audience about his life up to now, from growing up in war-torn Lebanon and living in Paris as a student, to getting married and moving to the UK after unexpectedly landing a job in London. It was a polished first speech, well prepared and assuredly delivered.

Matt impressed by making his first speech also his first impromptu one. He had bravely signed up for his icebreaker the day before, which was apt for someone working for lastminute.com. Though he had hoped to have more time to prepare during the day, he hadn’t had time because there were some last-minute changes to his schedule, he told us, getting some big laughs from the audience. If his unprepared speeches are as good as this, we can’t wait to hear his prepared ones.

The audience voted John best speaker of the night. His icebreaker was partly about his childhood growing up on a farm, going to school in Scotland and starting his own business; and partly it was about his wife’s battle with cancer, which he told us is a big part of his life at the moment. It was a moving speech, and John is clearly a confident and eloquent orator – proved also by his effortlessly slipping in the word of the day.

In a thought-provoking number three speech, Jean-Marc showed us that behavioural experiments on rats can give us valuable insights into human society, and prove that the social roles we play aren’t fixed. As always, the storyteller in Jean-Marc came to the fore – one of the highlights was when he mimed what a rat looks like, eyes screwed up, teeth protruding and paws in nibbling mode.

Pierce hosted a high-energy round of table topics, with Tilly snatching the prize for best impromptu speaker. Her account of how she would refrain from blackmailing Charlotte Church, and instead get her to persuade young people to have higher ambitions than being on the X-factor, was hilarious as ever.

See you at the next meeting on 13 December, Rugby Tavern, 6:30. One of the last in the pub that was Holborn Speakers’ home for the past ten years.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Saturday, December 10th 2011 10:05 pm

A warm welcome to our five latest arrivals. Here’s a bit more about three of them:

Carl works as a Life Balance Coach, helping busy people become more productive and fulfilled. His passions include music, art, design, the journey within, connecting with people, nature and discovering new things.

Stuart is 32, works in banking, and has aspirations to run his own business. He is looking forward to improving his public speaking skills in order to encourage, influence, hopefully entertain, and to increase his own profile.

John has been running different businesses for the past 18 years. Although now semi retired, he is busier than ever and has several ventures on the go, based in the City. He joined Toastmasters hoping to make better after dinner speeches, especially off the cuff, and potentially even do stand up.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: New Members
Saturday, November 19th 2011 12:51 pm

What a great way to spend a cold November evening.

I’m really enjoying being Club President and I kicked off the evening recounting some of the really helpful workshops that are available at TM conferences. From how to tell great stories, to Professor Max Atkinson — famous for his book Lend Me Your Ears — giving us a masterclass in adding impact to our speeches.

Conferences are a significant cost but the contests are spectacular and supporting David Jones and Chris Boden in the Table Topics contest was superb entertainment. Congratulations to Chris for coming second and commiserations to David for getting eliminated for going over time.

The next conference is in Wexford, Ireland and there is a 5% discount if you book before 31/01/12. I also mentioned the current plans to split our District as we now have over 200 clubs. Look at the District 71 website for up to date details of the plans and our chance to feed into the process.

The meeting was a scrumptious delight – Alan picked food as the theme. I have never seen a Toastmaster dress up in character before and, as head chef, Alan kept us entertained, spiced up and cooked to perfection. Deliciously, everyone jumped on board with the theme with foodie topics and even recipes from the time keeper! I was very hungry by the end of the meeting.

We were also treated to Chris’s very moving icebreaker detailing his journey to date, and he has definitely left us wanting more courses! Tilly took on Topics Evaulator and deservedly won the prize for best evaluator. Trang Lee took top topic by introducing us to innovative uses for an avocado – with milk and sugar for breakfast, and as a weapon if you need to throw things at people.

Don’t forget the Christmas Party on the 2nd December: 3 courses and coffee, £15 for members and £25 for guests. There will be excellent company, festive topics and good food, hope you can make it. Book your ticket here.

Due to popular demand we have three meetings in December – please book up roles as soon as possible if you can make it. (If the meeting on the 22nd isn’t booked by the 13th December it won’t go ahead).

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Conference, Contests, Meetings
Thursday, November 17th 2011 11:20 pm

“This room is a theatre of experimentation; a laboratory of learning,” said Ros, our Toastmaster, in her introduction. And experiment and learn we did at Tuesday’s meeting.

We learned that 13 percent of Holborn Speakers are Justin Bieber fans; that ‘moot’ is a surprisingly easy word to use; and that the carpet in the Rugby Tavern strikes terror into the hearts of some. We experimented with lyrics, ad-hoc evaluations and on-demand speeches.

Matthew’s entertaining icebreaker, I Love Stats, was crammed with interesting data, none of which turned out to be true, except the fact that a worryingly large proportion of Holborn Speakers are into Justin Bieber. It wasn’t all dry statistics though – he cleverly worked bits of personal information into the story, comfortably meeting the objectives for his first speech.

Graeme told us about Dave McLennan, who he met when they were both doing their national service in South Africa. Dave was so keen to escape the army that he tried to take his own life. Despite his injuries, he soon found himself back in the service, a changed man – with a phobia of lines and squares. When Graeme sees the patterned carpet at the Rugby Tavern he thinks of Dave and wonders what became of him. It was a moving tale that won the award for best speech.

By popular demand, Zoe held an impromptu talk about her latest work project, the renovation of a stable yard in Morden Hall Park. Her passion for the topic showed through, and she also managed to give the speech a clear structure and message: you need vision, funds and determination to make things happen.

David convinced the audience that jelly ‘calms you down and feeds the soul’ and bagged the prize for best table topics speaker. Let’s hope he continues his winning streak at the Flourish Conference in Glasgow, where he’s participating in the Table Topics Competition.

Femi received the President’s award for his heroic handling of an impromptu evaluation, which he took on in addition to his role as General Evaluator.

Next meeting: 15 November, Rugby Tavern. See you there!

Blog written by Cheska, with contributions from Ros.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Saturday, November 12th 2011 10:57 pm

Well what a convivial meeting to kick off November! Alan picked a superb word of the day in ‘convivial’ and it was a meeting filled with conviviality!! (Do I get extra points?!) Alan gave us a master class in being a top class grammarian – with further top tips recommended in the book ‘lend me your ears’ which sounded very helpful as for me being grammarian is the scariest role!

The speeches were as varied and entertaining as usual with Matthew leaving us wanting to know more with his ice breaker ‘watch this space’! Jean Marc spoke with his usual eloquence encouraging us winning isn’t good but there were also tips on how to kill the competition in a car crash – great humour. Ros won best speaker with her first speech to inform on mentoring. Please let her know if you would like to be a mentor or have a mentor.

We had great evaluations with a welcome return of our past president Dominique Fourniol where we are always in safe hands. Joga dished out excellent advice with his usual good humour and David Jones won best evaluator despite hitting one of the guests (by accident – we believe you..).

Gary Shaw did a great job with his first try at topics master – expertly linking to Ratan’s theme of the day which worked really well. As Ratan beat us all to the Christmas themed meeting, Gary asked us what various celebrities past and present we would ask Father Christmas for – from Victoria Beckham to Winston Churchill – which worked really well.

Well done to everyone!

Don’t forget the Christmas Party on the 2nd December – more details to follow very soon.

Tonight we are going to have the makers of a short film join us and film one of their actors and then one of us can evaluate them and maybe end up on the big screen – if you’re up for it please let Graeme know! (Still roles available for tonight so please join us if you can.)

Report by Zoe Colbeck

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Uncategorized
Tuesday, November 8th 2011 8:29 am

For those of you who are looking to complete the Competent Leadership manual this year, I have created a one page overview of the manual that summarises the roles within each project that you will need to perform in order to get the Competent Leader award. I have uploaded the matrix as a PDF to the Holborn Speakers website.

You will need to complete a total of 21 roles from a possible 43.  Some projects require more than one role to be completed, and some of the roles are mandatory.

http://www.holbornspeakers.org.uk/competent_leader_matrix.pdf

Filed by: sramay | Category: Competent Leader
Thursday, October 27th 2011 11:30 pm