| Last Meeting |
Stephanie Bilton, Steve Birch, Manon Trebaul
Meeting Report 9th July 2019 Club Journalist Caroline Bellhouse
The postcode of Wimbledon Tennis: SW19 5AE provided the ingenious inspiration for impromptu topics dreamt up by Tristan Mitchell which led to an inspiring and amusing session won by Stephanie Bilton who described her father’s first post war family swim, complete with trendy knitted swimming costume which utterly embarrassed the young Stephanie. Humour shone through but was eclipsed by an honest and emotional delivery. Other speakers regaled with tales of stag-do go-karting contests (Paul Davies) , digging a latrine on Beef Island in sweltering heat (Steve Birch), watching wildlife in wellington boots (Caroline Bellhouse), the domain of darkness being overcome by light and positivity (Anna Simpson), having to wait a whole two years for strawberry plants to fruit (Manon Trebaul) and feeling like a king at The Granville Hotel in Vancouver (Roger Granville).
Prepared speeches began with a fascinating discussion of leadership – styles, ethos and methods from Jackie Baker. Jackie explored styles from Hitler - ‘come with me or else’ to Ghandi – ‘come with me and have a group hug on the way’.
Graham Sterry’s talk ‘Is Alexa Dangerous?’ was an unsettling and informative presentation about artificial intelligent, including ‘the rogue intelligent being’ predicted by Stephen Hawkins. Graham concluded by agreeing with Bill Gates that ‘humans should be a bit worried’ about the future with artificial intelligence. Evaluator Roger Granville praised Graham for ‘not going all nerdy’ and using terms such as ‘gigaflops and nanobits’ in order to reach his audience.
But the winning speech was given by sixteen year old visitor Manon Trebaul – her first ever - in her second language. Manon compared and contrasted her native France with England and described superbly her roller coaster of emotions and experiences during her three month stay locally. She received a standing ovation and the audience seemed to agree with her evaluator Steve Birch’s comment that ‘the future is golden, Manon is golden’.
President Roger Granville delivered the splendid news that the club is ranked 38th in the world (achievements and growth) and urged for yet more improvements.
Next meeting Tuesday 23rd July 7.30pm at The Great Malvern Hotel. All welcome.
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| Penultimate Meeting |
Malvern Speakers – 25th June meeting report
Club Journalist - Colin Jackson
This meeting included youthful visitors from France and Russia (Manon, Dasha & Nikita) some of whom even bravely (and impressively) took active parts in proceedings. It was opened by new president Roger Granville, who introduced his term of office by announcing that the August meeting (weather [permitting) would take the form of a picnic on the Priory Park bandstand – an original idea for the club.
Originality was a key feature of the winning speech from Karen Lowen on “Riding the Coaster” of life. Contemplating the ups and downs of life, she drew up a list of guidelines, the first of which was to accept that happiness in your life was nobody’s responsibility but you own. Another, touchingly, was to” forgive everything, and everyone, all the time”. Although serious in content, the speech was delivered in Karen’s smiling, light-hearted and self-deprecatory style and clearly won the hearts of her audience,
An upbeat note also pervaded the unprepared Table Topics session compèred by Hilary Benoit, who asked speakers to talk about some of their best experiences. This brought out a wide range of memories, from Jackie Baker’s run on a wet day and Roger’s going to see the Beatles in a Hard Day’s Night to a sea voyage up the Norwegian coast by Stephanie Bilton and Steve Birch’s best meal ever – which was voted best in a vintage set of talks.
The two other man speeches were of a more serious nature, both elaborating on the Toastmasters’ recently introduced Pathways programme. Tristan Mitchell pondered the importance of self-awareness in public speaking and understanding the impact of one’s own particular style on an audience. Senior member and experienced speaker Steve Birch also discussed what he had learned from the Pathways programme which he had recently completed – one of the first to do so.
Next meeting will be at the usual venue, the Great Malvern Hotel, on Tuesday July 9th at 7.30pm.
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| Committee Contact Info |
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| Roger Granville |
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07709 958545 |
| Daytime Phone |
07709 958545 |
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+44 (0) 7709958545 |
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| Elaine Watt |
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+44 7795 633233 |
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| Hilary Benoit |
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| Steve Birch |
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| Evening Phone |
44 (0) 1684 568676 |
| Daytime Phone |
44 (0) 1684 568676 |
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44 (0)7831 846997 |
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| KarenML |
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| JackieBak |
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| GeoffRichardson |
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| Site Links |
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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. |
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| Social Media |
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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.
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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!
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| Yours Subs |
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Bank Details:
S/C: 30-95-41
A/C: 27751760
Malvern Speakers |
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| 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! |
| 23 Jul 19 at 19:30 |
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Open to all |
Contact the Vice President Membership |
Mobile
+44 7795 633233 |
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