The second meeting in the George last Tuesday saw four experienced Holbornites take the stage and wow the audience with some high-calibre speeches.

Glen related how he once – we’ve all done it – mistakenly lobbed a dead puppy at a group of young Christian men at a stag do; Saj spoke up for capitalism as the best political system there is, asserting that it can lift people out of poverty and harness their competitive streak, while Ros’s well-structured and entertaining powerpoint presentation about Steve Peter’s Chimp Paradox was voted the best speech of the evening.

It was an important night for Nathalie, who delivered her tenth and final speech from the competent communicators manual. Speaking with confidence and credibility, she urged the audience to follow their dreams. She even managed to quote Martin Luther King without sounding pompous, reminding us that he said “I have a dream” and not “I have a plan.”

Matt was a rigorous and efficient first-time timekeeper who was not afraid to use the gavel; Sarah proved an attentive grammarian, introducing us to the excellent word ‘assuage’ and winning the President’s award for her efforts.

John presented an exciting round of table topics, with Ruth getting the most laughs from the audience with her impression of a primary school teacher talking about fruit and veg to a class of 4-year-olds. She expertly used the audience-participation method, and won the prize for best table topic.

The next meeting will be on 22 May in The George, 6.45 kick-off.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Tuesday, May 15th 2012 11:26 pm

Hooray, we have a home again! It was worth the wait: a bigger room, more space to practise walking around the stage, a screen for powerpoint presentations, and a proper selection of beer in the bar.

It turns out we can even have food brought up during the meeting, although, perhaps let’s not make a habit out of that, Gary O.

Doug set the tone with his well-researched speech about the evolution of mobile devices. The theme kept recurring throughout the meeting, with Joga confessing to owning a designer phone and the Samsung Galaxy featuring heavily in a table topics session about space invaders and aliens.

Making brilliant use of pauses, vocal variety and movement, Jean-Marc held a thought-provoking talk about his father and where he might fit in the autistic spectrum. He interspersed his narrative with different colours – a blue jumper, a yellow submarine – which brought all the elements of the speech nicely together. He earned the award for best speaker.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, but deservedly, prizes for best evaluator and best table topic went to veteran Holbornites David and Chris. David’s evaluation of no fewer than 11 topics was energetic and engaging, and his suggestions for improvement were spot on; Chris won over the room by ad-libbing about an inter-galactic internet and the promise of all kinds of adult material so far unheard of.

We look forward to seeing you in The George again next time, Tuesday 8 May, at 6.45.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Saturday, May 5th 2012 5:29 pm

Toastmasters rules were flouted during last Tuesday’s meeting, with profanities flying left right and centre and phones going off. But did it cause a scandal?

Sarah made it all the way from ‘the wild depths of the South London suburbs’ to the Lamb to deliver her icebreaker, which she did with confidence, humour and great stage presence. A mix of English, Irish, Scottish, Malay, Indian and Burmese, she is often mistaken for any nationality but British, and has always felt herself to be ‘somewhere in between’, she said.

John held a passionate talk about the importance of a proper education, grabbing the audience’s attention with a gripping story about Winston Churchill, Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin. It was clear that the topic was close to his heart and he went home with the award for the best prepared speech.

Joga created ‘a massive kerfuffle’ by leaving his phone on, and earlier, by announcing that he was going to save the Eurozone from collapse by abolishing all bank holidays and by drilling a hole in Iceland and pouring oil into it. He also floated several other hare-brained economy-saving ideas that met with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Someone who certainly did cause a kerfuffle was Jean-Marc, with his brutally honest evaluation of Joga’s speech. This included a very bad word that somehow sounds a lot nicer when done in a French accent. Joga had requested a merciless evaluation, and he certainly got one; the audience liked it too, voting Jean-Marc the best evaluator.

Manolis, a ‘Toastmasters tourist’ from Greece, won the award for best table topic with an impromptu speech about his biggest regret: proclaiming his love for a girl in the presence of his high school friends. “Do it in private, or don’t do it at all,” he concluded.

The grammarian, Douglas, introduced us to the wonderful word kerfuffle, not to be confused with kafoefel in Afrikaans (thanks Graeme). It proved to be one of the most-used words of the day, with thirteen people incorporating it in their speeches.

The next meeting is on 17 April, in The Swiss Church of London, 79 Endell Street, WC2H 9DY.
Start at 6.45 sharp.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Friday, April 13th 2012 10:54 pm

It was nice and warm in our snug interim venue the Lamb last Tuesday – despite the fact that the door stayed open all night for those who were delayed, couldn’t find it or had lost track of where to go.

By the end of the first half of the meeting, the room had filled up nicely and temperatures risen accordingly.

Acting president Alan worked feverishly with Graeme behind the scenes to make the evening run its normal course; Gary, the evening’s Toastmaster, handled it all with great poise – the latecomers, cancellations and last-minute changes to the programme, and injected a lot of energy and a bit of tongue-in-cheek.

The calling order was turned upside down to allow for late evaluators and speakers to arrive, so Ros kicked off with an informative speech about the charity sector, followed by a Q&A session which she led with great control. She impressed with her in-depth knowledge of the subject, and had clearly researched her topic well.

Cheska explored the reasons why women are under-represented in TV panel shows and on the standup comedy circuit, and got so inflamed about the sexism underlying it that she needed a glass of water halfway through her presentation to cool off. Well, it was getting hot in there.

Carl then calmed things down again with his speech Be Here Now. He involved the audience in a breathing and meditation exercise and encouraged us to do this more often. Apparently our ‘monkey mind’ thinks about 60.000 thoughts a day, so it’s good to take a break from them sometimes.

Sam, finally, held a passionate talk about his love of music, which goes back a long time and which he is lucky enough to have turned into his day job. A new member with a powerful voice and great stage presence, he pocketed the award for best prepared speech.

Joga stepped in to host a round of table topics that he’d had two minutes to prepare, which made for an at times slightly controversial, but amusing string of off-the-cuff sales pitches from seven very brave members and guests.

Our newest member Gary O. won the prize for best impromptu speech, in which he tried to solve the Greek debt crisis by auctioning off the island Skyros and which featured the immortal phrase: “What is the Greek currency?”. A very good question indeed!

Sophia was voted best evaluator for her warm and witty dissection of the topic speakers’ efforts.

The next meeting : 10 April, 6.45, The Lamb.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Thursday, April 5th 2012 10:25 pm

Afrikaans, Urdu, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Greek, Vietnamese – who knew that Holborn Speakers spoke so many different languages? Toastmaster Nathalie (Swiss German) made our various linguistic capabilities the theme for the night.

Immo (German) introduced the audience to the Lebensreform movement of the late 19th century, in which the nudist and green movements, but also the cult of the physique associated with the Nazis, have their roots. It was an appropriate theme for a speech focusing on body language, with Immo posing as a  warrior and sun worshipper, as well as using effective  gestures throughout. The audience voted him the best speaker.

Jean-Marc (French) had kindly offered to do an impromptu speech, and managed to cram in all the topics suggested by the audience: ice cream, bicycles, the French presidential elections and Bordeaux wine. We learnt that De Gaulle was the last proper French president, and that, if you drink a small glass of Bordeaux with every meal, you will never die.

Zoe (Dutch) held a Q&A session about an avenue of lime and chestnut trees in Morden Hall Park, which are sadly getting the chop, but only because they’re diseased and new trees will need to be planted in their place. We were asked to play the role of a hostile audience and ask probing questions, which some people did with so much gusto that for a few minutes, Holborn Speakers’ friendly and supportive environment had all but disappeared. But Zoe could effortlessly bat away all the curve balls she was thrown.

Debuting as grammarian, John (Spanish) taught us how to use the word ‘incisive’; Nadeem (Urdu) and Sergi (Spanish and Catalan) impressed as first-time evaluators, with Nadeem even winning the award for best evaluation.

A highly experimental and hysterically funny round of table topics concocted by Joga saw two hapless guests (Gary and Nick) share the prize for best table topic for their brave attempt at simultaneously telling and miming ‘a day in the life of a moo cow.’ Special mention should go to Gary’s demonstration of sore udders.

Remember: the next meeting is in The Lamb, 94 Lambs Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3LZ. Be there at 6.30 for a prompt start at 6.45.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Thursday, March 22nd 2012 10:05 pm

Go and show your support for Anthony (speech) and Chris (evaluation)!

The competition will take place on 29/03/2012, 6.30pm for 7pm start.

Club members and Guests should  contact Tube talk president John Nyaruwa to attend. Tube Talk will be helping to host this event.

IMPORTANT: the emails to John must be received by the 27th March to enable security passes to be prepared in advance.

The venue is above St James’ Park underground station – use the Broadway exit.

St James’ Park underground station – use the Broadway exit
When: Thursday 29 March 18:30 – 21:00 London
Where: 10th floor meeting room, London Underground, 55 Broadway, London SW1H 0BD

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Contests
Wednesday, March 21st 2012 10:45 pm

If we needed any proof that Holborn Speakers is brimming with talent, the international speech and evaluation competition on Tuesday gave us more than enough. Chris Boden won the double, bagging both awards for the best speech and the best evaluation.

Not only was the quality of the speeches and evaluations outstanding, the president, Zoe, and our South African duo Graeme and Alan made sure spirits were high and the evening ran smoothly and to time.

Seven contenders took part, with Saj stepping up first with a gripping, well-researched speech about master-strategist Hannibal and the power of storytelling. He was followed by David, who spoke about the metaphorical ‘elephant in the room’ that is everyone’s mortality, linking it to the physical elephant that almost killed him a decade ago. The speech earned him the second place.

Ratan asked the audience when they had last gone ‘beyond the call of their duty’, and urged them to do so in order to live life to its full potential. Dom showed how a bit of self-deprecation works wonders for establishing rapport and grabbing the listener’s attention, acknowledging that the subject of his choice, climate change and nuclear power, might not get everyone’s blood racing, but persuading us that it was important to think about nonetheless.

Anthony came third with a beautifully written and delivered speech about the precariousness of life, arguing that ‘we must know ourselves or the consequences may be dire’. Joga dazzled us by talking about ‘E=mc²’ and announcing that we all have enough energy in us to cause an explosion that could blow a large hole into the planet.

In his winning speech, Chris urged the audience to stop being victims and shatter their self-imposed chains preventing them from feeling truly free. It was a flawlessly delivered motivational speech with a strong opening and conclusion, and powerful language. A lot of people probably would have paid good money to hear it, and we got it for free (well, the price of a Toastmaster membership, but still).

Chris’s evaluation of Taz Miah’s impressive speech about e-books was equally masterly and won him the prize for best evaluation. Runners-up were David, who came second, and Tilly – our relatively new member who keeps coming out with great speeches, and who looks set to one day challenge Chris and David.

Other excellent evaluations were given by Glen, Ros, Joga, Ratan and Dom.

More information on the next rounds of the competition can be found on The London Speaker.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Contests, Meetings
Saturday, March 17th 2012 6:11 pm

Ten guests, an icebreaker and three prepared speeches: despite a delayed toastmaster, the meeting ran its course thanks to Zoe, who remained cool and collected and simply reshuffled the order of the programme.

Ruth finally mustered the courage to deliver her first speech, and left everyone wondering why she’d put it off for so long – so at ease was she on stage. Her icebreaker about the three rules she lives by showed that she’s a talented and engaging speaker, and she even used different voices for different characters. The highlight was an anecdote about her boss calling her in church and summoning her to go and buy every single copy of Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion she could get her hands on.

In his second speech, Sergio gave an effective and well-structured pitch for the book that helped him to stop smoking. He cleverly waited until the very end to reveal what the book was, and who wrote it. He compared the relief that nicotine gives a smoker to the feeling you get when you take off tight shoes: it’s nice, but it would be pretty silly to wear tight shoes all the time just for the rush that you get from removing them.

Gary told us about the crimes against fashion that he committed in his youth, which included tartan trousers and a kilt, and the crimes that fashion itself inflicts on us, such as size zero role models and clothes made in sweat shops. It was an informative presentation, with a particularly strong opening and ending.

Jean-Marc surprised everyone with a personal and understated speech about his mother, a departure from his usual flamboyant and boisterous style. He told the audience how her death when he was not yet two years old had left him feeling like a tree that had had its roots cut off, and he talked about the way psychological wounds affect different people in different ways. The audience rewarded him for his courage with the prize for best prepared speech.

Table topics winner was Sarah, a guest, who confessed her guilty pleasure is playing badminton – according to her a sport favoured by freaks obsessing about shuttle speed and the right kind of goose feathers.

“Comedy lady” Jackie lived up to the moniker Joga gave her and raised lots of laughs, taking home the award for best evaluator. Ros was our fair and diplomatic general evaluator, and earned the president’s award for her efforts.

Next week: competition night, at the Real Man Pizza Company, usual time (18.30).

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Wednesday, March 7th 2012 9:51 pm

Tuesday night’s meeting saw some of Holborn Speakers’ finest take the stage, as well as some (returning) guests. Doug was impressive as a first-time toastmaster, injecting enthusiasm and encouragement into the meeting, while acting president Alan gave a polished performance as Zoe’s stand-in.

John was on an alliteration roll in his speech about our entrapment and enslavement by (rather than emancipation through) new technology. He touched on the social, economic and security aspects of the digital revolution, and concluded that, in his opinion, face to face communication still beats Facebook. This was only John’s second speech, but he showed great conviction and structured his argument clearly and persuasively.

Joanne showed how having the right body language can give you the edge in social situations. She drew from her personal experience as a participant in an acting class where she was taught that holding your head still and maintaining eye contact gives you an air of authority. It also gives you a stiff neck if you try it for too long, she discovered. It was a funny and engaging talk that won her the award for best speaker.

Also on the theme of body language, an animated Ros revealed she knows sign language and taught the audience some useful common phrases. She argued that actions speak louder than words and that non-verbal skills can help to bridge the communication gap. In passing, she also managed to debunk the myth that 93 percent of communication is supposed to be non-verbal – a presumption based on research that is often misquoted.

In a motivational-style speech, Jay spoke about how she caught the marathon bug six years ago, and likened running a marathon to being in Toastmasters. Both require practice, stamina and determination, and both are about “taking part and enjoying it”, to quote Sir Steve Redgrave, one of the three men who inspired Jay to continue running. She met him at her first marathon, and it turned out the Olympic rowing champion was just as nervous about the experience as she was.

Nadeem gave the speakers, including a handful of brave guests, some business-themed topics to grapple with. Saj took the prize for the best impromptu speech, having come up with a number of cut-throat corporate strategies to boost profits for a shady mining company that employs Nadeem’s imaginary friend ‘Fred Flintstone’.

Dom was voted best evaluator for his insightful analysis of six table topic speeches, and Gary earned the President’s award for his hard work behind the scenes, guest introductions and evaluation of Ros’s speech.

Remember, there is no meeting next week! The next meeting will be on 6 March, in the Real Man Pizza Company, at 6.30 pm.

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Meetings
Thursday, February 23rd 2012 11:53 pm

Dear Holbornites,

Exciting times are ahead of us…the International Speech and Evaluation competition is coming to our club in a few weeks time. The date for the Holborn Speakers club heat of the competition is Tuesday 13th March at the Real Man Pizza Company.

Taking part in the competition is a fantastic way to improve both as a speaker and an evaluator as well as gain recognition for your speaking skills within the club and outside.

As the name of the competition implies, there are two parts to the evening:

1. Speech Competition

- Speech timing: 5-7mins
- Contestants must prepare their own speeches and each must be substantially original
- Who can enter: anyone who is a paid member of Holborn Speakers that has delivered at least their number 6 speech from the Competent Communicator (CC) Manual.
- Note that the speeches will not be evaluated as per our usual meetings
- Disqualifications will occur if: you are not a fully paid member, your speech is not substantially original (your own work), the timing of your speech is less than 4 mins 30 seconds or exceeds 7 minutes 30 seconds

2. Evaluation Competition

- Evaluation timing: 2-3mins
- Who can enter: anyone who is a paid member of Holborn Speakers, no minimum requirement in terms of experience (speeches or evaluations).
- Speaker for evaluation: a mystery speaker from another club will be delivering a speech during the evaluation competition. Each evaluator will evaluate the mystery speaker’s speech. As mentioned above, the speeches delivered during the speech competition will not be evaluated as part of the evaluation competition.
- Disqualifications will occur if: you are not a fully paid member, the timing of your evaluation is less than 1 mins 30 seconds or exceeds 3 minutes 30 seconds

Thus for all Holborn members who have completed at least speech number 6 from their CC manual, sign up and take part in the Speech Competition.

For ALL Holborn Speaker members (even those not yet at speech number 6), sign up and take part in the Evaluation Competition.

Understanding the judging criteria for speeches and evaluations will help you with your preparations to ensure you meet the speech / evaluation requirements. Please find below 3 links that will be of interest if you are taking part. I couldn’t work out how to attach a pdf via the Clubplan broadcast forum and have thus uploaded these documents to my gmail account and have shared them for your convenience. Let me know if you cannot access the links and I will email you the documents directly.

- Speech judging ballot with some useful guidance on criteria
- Evaluation ballot with useful guidance
- Speech contest rulebook for your interest (also details the route from the club contest all the way through to the international final)

We hope to see many of you taking part in this competition as either a speaker, evaluator or both. Please sign up on Clubplan. If you decide not to enter the contest, then please come along on the night to support your fellow Holbornites. Also, if you know anyone from another club who would like to judge at our event then please let me know.

The winner of the speech and evaluation club contest will go through to the London Area 34 final on the 29th March 2012.

I look forward to seeing many of you competing in the competition and making yourselves and the club proud!

Kind regards,
Alan (on behalf of the Holborn Speakers committee)

Filed by: cheskapolderman | Category: Contests
Sunday, February 19th 2012 4:48 pm