| Last Meeting |
Malvern Speakers Meeting 14th May 2019.
Journalist - Caroline Bellhouse
The sixth anniversary meeting of Malvern Speakers aptly began with the announcement that founder and stalwart member, Steve Birch was recently voted UK’s Toastmaster of The Year. The award recognises dedication and exceptional service; certainly, members are proud and grateful to have Steve in our club.
David Evans sobering presentation on The Perils of Manufacturing highlighted how very costly ‘the indecision of Brexit’ is to so many industries. Due to the back log of supplies leaving Calais, parts now take weeks rather than days which has resulted in panic buying on a huge scale; BMW for example, have increased storage in the UK by 70% to cope with the backlog. Claire Davies positive and analytical evaluation of the presentation was justly awarded Best Evaluation.
In ‘How to send your trousers by Fed Ex to Indianapolis’, Roger Granville amused his audience with his frustrating experiences of hotel laundry services, complete with prop of ‘bio-hazard’ dirty washing in a plastic bag.
Caroline Bellhouse took members on a sun-soaked journey from sunrise to sunset through a cascade of colourful images of skies around the world taken on recent travels. The sunshine wooed the audience to vote the presenter Best Speaker on the night.
The impromptu session brought out the amateur dramatists in the audience; Graham Sterry became an incensed Che Guevara, David Evans was a remarkable likeness of Winston Churchill on discovering he was a twin of Adolf Hitler but it was Karen Lowen's portrayal of Ms Important Double-Barrell that was voted best Table Topic Speaker.
A varied and enjoyable evening was had by all and the next meeting is on 28th May at Great Malvern Hotel 7.30pm start.
All welcome and free entry.
Paul Davies | Stephanie Bilton | Will Dutton | Jen Cashmore | Hilary Benoit
Malvern Speakers report April 23 2019 Colin Jackson CC
Recent unseasonably summery weather had led Isaac Baker to opt for a holiday theme for his Table Topics session. Most participants rose bravely to the challenge, with cherished memories of places as far apart as Morecambe, Cornwall and Banff in the Canadian Rockies. Two speakers rather let him down, however. Jen Cashmore, invited to recall a favourite outdoor meal, revealed a preference for the comforts of home, the sofa and the TV to open-air gastronomy; while Caroline Bellhouse, asked about her favourite ice cream, explained that she didn’t like the stuff at all, and amazed her audience with a description of a Malaysian equivalent featuring shaved ice and sweet corn!
In the first of the prepared speeches, a more serious note was struck by Isaac’s Mum Jackie Baker, with her thoughts on the importance of managing her personal time. This brought out the surprising detail that one day she had to admit to an unimpressed husband that she had spent 4½ hours looking after the dog!
Humour was never far from the surface in the confidently delivered icebreaker speech by new-dad-of-three-months Paul Davies. His subject – French Kids Don’t Throw Food – examined differences between the French and British ways of bringing up children. He identified three key principles: teach them to wait, give treats at just one time of day: and feed kids the same food as adults – giving them their veg first while they are really hungry!
“...and I thought he was such a nice young man” was Steph Bilton’s wistful comment as she began her evaluation of Will Dutton’s provocatively titled How To Lose Your Friends. It turned out that this was through the game of Monopoly, in which Will is obviously an expert. His advice: be as greedy as possible; drive a hard bargain when trading properties; and build houses and hotels aggressively. His tongue-in-cheek talk really engaged his listeners, generating an animated post-speech discussion and the evening’s Best Speech ribbon for Will.
Steph Bilton’s recollections of her time as a maid-of-all-work and a marine attraction in Morecambe won her the Best Table Topic vote, while Jen Cashmore’s forensic appraisal of Jackie Baker’s speech was judged best evaluation.
Next meeting will be at the Great Malvern Hotel at 7.30pm on Tuesday May 14th guest welcome.
|
|
| Penultimate Meeting |
Steve Birch | Karen Lowen | Jackie Baker | Isaac Baker
Malvern Speakers Report Tuesday April 9th 2019
Attendance of members was somewhat depleted, as on the previous evening many had been to share the celebrations as Malvern’s daughter club Worcester had achieved Toastmasters International Charter status. However this deficiency was made up for by an unusually large number of guests who enjoyed a typically lively and varied meeting.
It opened with Mike Snoswell’s slightly surreal Dr Who-themed Table Topics session. Speakers responded with suitable flair and imagination with unprepared talks on some pretty weird subjects. It was the contribution from the club’s youngest member Isaac Baker, who also had a busy evening as Toastmaster, that was voted best.
There were two sparkling prepared speeches, the first from Tristan Mitchell, who considered The Problem with Problems. He pointed out that we are constantly solving problems without even realising it – for instance deciding which of 40,000 possible combinations of the order of putting on just eight garments when we dress in the morning! He ended (with appropriate actions!) with the famous tale of Archimedes’ Eureka moment when solving a problem in the bath.
The other main speaker was accountant Karen Lowen, who set out to demonstrate that far from being a bean counter, her profession was daily full of interest and surprises. Her point was convincingly (and entertainingly) made by her citing tax relief claims made by her clients for fertility treatment and a ‘nose job’ (one of which was actually successful)! She also quoted HMRC’s Top Ten list of totally ridiculous excuses offered for late tax returns, and outpointed Tristan for the Best Speech ribbon.
Annual committee elections saw veteran member Roger Granville elected President for the coming year. Next meeting will be on at 7.30pm on St George’s Day, April 23rd at the usual venue, the Great Malvern Hotel.
|
|
| Committee Contact Info |
|
| GeoffRichardson |
 |
| Evening Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Daytime Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| Steve Birch |
|
| Evening Phone |
44 (0) 1684 568676 |
| Daytime Phone |
44 (0) 1684 568676 |
| Mobile |
44 (0)7831 846997 |
|
| Hilary Benoit |
|
| Evening Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Daytime Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| JaneAnson |
|
| Evening Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Daytime Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| TristanM |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| nottud |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| KarenML |
|
| Evening Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Daytime Phone |
(Hidden) |
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| nottud |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| Mobile |
(Hidden) |
|
| Steve Birch |
|
| Evening Phone |
44 (0) 1684 568676 |
| Daytime Phone |
44 (0) 1684 568676 |
| Mobile |
44 (0)7831 846997 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Site Links |
|
View the next meeting details including the structure and roles.
View the previous meeting agenda.
Find out more about the new and improved programme Pathways and begin your journey. |
|
| Social Media |
  |
|
Does the mere thought of standing up to say a few words fill you with fear?
If so, you’re not alone! Fear of public speaking is reputed to rank even higher than death! Whether it’s the upcoming wedding speech, an important pitch to a client, or simply making your point in a meeting of colleagues, it’s easy for the fear to take over – so that you don’t perform at your best. There are consequences for how you’re viewed by friends, family and your boss, with follow-on emotional and economic impacts.
So what would you like to do about it?
If you’re employed in a reasonable sized organisation, you might have already attended a presentation skills course. Whilst good, you might have found that the learning wore off quickly and you’re still not that much further forward. If you really want to tackle your fear, and also if you’ve not got access to in-house training, Toastmasters is the perfect answer.
Our wide network of clubs and their learn-by-doing programme are sure to help you become a better speaker and leader because you’ll be building your skills at a pace that you choose. And the regular meetings (typically twice per month) ensure you practice and develop your skills – just as you might build your muscles through regular exercise (well some of you might!).
Here are just some of the benefits of joining Toastmasters:
- Regular and constructive feedback from other learners as you practice organising your thoughts and presenting them clearly
- Access to a wealth of educational materials and resources on public speaking, listening skills and effective communication in conferences and meetings.
- A free subscription to the Toastmaster, a monthly magazine that provides insights on communication, leadership, club activities and other relevant topics.
Members quickly gain the skills that allow them to excel at job interviews, present humorous, informative or special occasion speeches or give powerful business presentations.
Come along to our next meeting to find out more and see it in action. Guests are most welcome and can come as many times as they like.
|
|
|
Looking to improve your speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Gain the confidence to speak up?
You’ve come to the right place. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped more than 4 million people just like you, from around the world, become more confident speakers and leaders.
Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development, with more than 345,000 members in over 15,900 clubs in 142 countries. This network of clubs and their learn-by-doing programme are sure to help you improve.
Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to express yourself effectively in any situation. Whether you are a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retired, Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication skills. You'll learn how to:
- Formulate and express your ideas effectively
- Be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations
- Improve your one-on-one dealings with others
Don't delay! Become the speaker and leader you want to be. Confident, charismatic leaders weren't born that way. As you progress in Toastmasters, you'll get to practice your skills by organising and conducting meetings and motivating others to help you. Become a better negotiator. Gain trust. Inspire your team.
Visit our next meeting - guests are most welcome. You won't regret it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Yours Subs |
|
Bank Details:
S/C: 30-95-41
A/C: 27751760
Malvern Speakers |
|
| Why Not Join Us! |
| When do we meet? |
| 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month at 19:30 |
Where do we meet? |
| The Great Malvern Hotel |
Graham Road
Great Malvern
Worcestershire
WR14 2HN |
Be a guest at our next meeting! |
| 28 May 19 at 19:30 |
|
Open to all |
Contact the Vice President Membership |
|
|
|
|
|
