Hummerous Speech contest winners

Jackie Baker (3rd) | Issac Baker (2nd) | David Evans (1st)

Table Topics contest winners

David Evans (3rd) | Stephanie Bilton (2nd) | Steve Birch (1st)

Jackie Baker | Rodget Granville | Andrei Rezmeriţã

Malvern Speakers Report       27th August 2019

Recently elected President Roger Granville is already making his mark on the Malvern Speakers club. Sadly he had to miss the previous outdoor event he had arranged at the Priory Park bandstand, but he grabbed the headlines at the late August meeting. Not only was he presented with a Toastmasters International Distinguished Toastmaster medal (as did past Presidents Hilary Benoit and Steve Birch) but he was voted the night’s best speaker. 

In addition he  presided over a novel Table Topics session in which everyone present was asked  briefly to describe “my favourite dish”.  This produced a predictably wide range of delights, from salmon-en-croute and chicken dhansak to blueberry muffins and Dubrovnik orange cake - not to mention several items of crockery and even Julie Christie as Lara in the film of Dr Zhivago!  However It was Jackie Baker’s mouthwatering description of sticky toffee pudding which won the vote. 

President Granville’s winning speech was a consideration of the contemporary phenomenon of “fake news”.  We were living in what he called an “Age of Anti-Enlightment” which contrasted starkly with the 18th-19th century “Age  of Enlightenment” with its emphasis on proven evidence rather than rumour and old wives’ tales.  Today people were cherry-picking the news (real, fake or propaganda) from social media to suit what they wanted to believe.

The club’s 2018 Toastmaster of the Year Jane Anson gave us a thoughtful piece about the role of art in society, to a striking background slide show of cave paintings. She left us with the memorable quote “If you can say it in words there’d be no need to paint”.  Romanian-born Andrei Rezmeriţã impressed everyone by beginning his fluent critique of this speech by quoting Sigmund Freud - no wonder it was voted best evaluation!

Finally, Kevin Bennison, who must have  arrived expecting a relatively quiet evening , bravely stepped into the vacant Third Speaker slot and in a matter of minutes produced a polished and lucid speech on the tension between logic and emotion in decision making.  It was illustrated with easy-to follow flip charts and delivered with  totally um-free confidence. A remarkable effort from one of the club's newer members.

The next meeting, a contest for unprepared and humorous speeches which could lead to a District final in London, will be at Great Malvern Hotel at 7.30pm on Tuesday September 10^th.