Contest Time Again!

As you read this, you may be aware that our next meeting takes place on Thursday the 17th of March, at which time we will be holding our International Speech Contest and our International Evaluation Contest, both on the same evening. Planning is well advanced, to ensure the maximum enjoyment for all. We look forward to seeing many of you there.  

Our most recent meeting took place on Thursday the 3rd of March, and included a guest speaker from Woking Speakers, Uzma Afzal, and the return of Lesley Whitfield, after a considerable absence, with plans to rejoin our club soon.

The total attendance was 18: Members: Bob Nisbet, Cathy Richardson, Christina, Dan Benton, Gary Jenkins, Harry Fish, Helen Clark, Mark Jemison, Martin Berry (Club President), Natalie Kay, Quang Truong Le, Rob Sutcliffe, Uzma Afzal (Woking Speakers).

Guest(s): Atulya Verma, Lesley Whitfield, Mark Thomson, Mia Towndrow, Panos Panagou. 

The meeting room was prepared collectively by the members, and the meeting opened by our President, Martin, who welcomed everyone, with a special mention for our guests. Martin explained the last-minute agenda changes, then handed the meeting to Rob, our Toastmaster of the evening. Rob introduced Cathy, our Timekeeper for the evening, and Panos, our Grammarian and Ah Counter, and each in turn gave a summary of their roles. Panos had chosen "SYNCHRONICITY" as his word of the day, and gave us a brief description of its meaning and origins. This word was on display in the front and back of the room. 

Mark J ran the "Warm up" session, by asking everyone to confess what actions they did or still do in their lives that cut across the conventional stereotypes of male and female behaviour. This elicited some interesting and amusing responses ranging from women doing "road rage" and DIY, and men doing ironing and hair straightening! 

The meeting continued with three speeches, as follows: 

1) There's no place like home (CC01) - by Natalie. This was Natalie's "Icebreaker" speech, which took us on a journey through her experiences living in different places, and was punctuated with many amusing anecdotes.

2) The Life's Compass (CC04) - by Uzma. This was a deep and meaningful speech about human behaviour and the mental processes that often mould the future for young children, different approaches leading to different outcomes.

3) A Twist in the Tale (ST03) - by Harry. This was an adaptation of one of Aesop's fables, about the Lion and the Mouse, with a Moral in the story "Little friends may prove to be great friends". 

During the break, the assembled members and guests had informal discussions, and Christina dispensed tea, coffee and biscuits. 

The meeting resumed after the break with the speech evaluations. Bob gave an appraisal of Natalie's speech, Gary gave an appraisal of Uzma's speech, and Martin gave an appraisal of Harry's speech.  

The Table Topics Master was Helen, who had an interesting list of job vacancies, and asked each participant to explain why they would be perfect for the role selected. Those chosen to speak on this occasion were: Gary, Mark T, Christina, Dan, Bob, Mark J, Natalie, Martin, Lesley.  

The Topics Evaluation was carried out by Christina, with a summary of the roles played by each speaker, and some useful feedback for everyone, including the use of posture to help gain stage presence.  

Panos took the floor as Grammarian/Ah Counter for the evening, and detailed the use of good and bad English over the course of the evening, identifying those who had used "filler" words. (Ah, Oh, So, Um etc.) He praised the use of good English, and those who had used well-structured phrases and the Word of the Day. 

Quang gave his General Evaluation of the evening, with some constructive comments, and commended Christina with her good listening skills as the Table Topics evaluator. He also commended Rob on coping well as Toastmaster in difficult circumstances, as there had been several last-minute changes. He concluded his summary by saying that in his opinion it had been a successful and enjoyable meeting for those who attended.
The meeting was then handed to Martin (Club President) who presented awards for:

Best Evaluator: Gary, on Uzma's speech.

Best Topics speaker: Martin, on his job application to be a chicken farmer.

Best Prepared Speaker: Natalie, with her lively Icebreaker speech.

Martin concluded the meeting, and many then went to the Four Horseshoes for light refreshments and informal discussions.

Next meeting: Thursday 17th of March 2011, commencing 7.30 p.m.

Excitement is mounting for this special event, which is our International Speech and Evaluation Contest night. Be sure to arrive in good time, we are expecting many guests that evening, and of course a good attendance from our own members.

Club's Newsletter: This newsletter will also be posted onto the website which you can access without a password. If you'd like to include additional information which is relevant to Toastmasters, do let me (Harry) know. 

New members: Please welcome recent joiners at Camberley Speakers, Cathy Richardson, Dan Benton, and Mark Jemison. Do give them any assistance they may require on their journey with Toastmasters. If you would like to know more about joining, please read the final page of this letter. 

Members' badges: Natalie Kay has kindly agreed to help us create badges for new members and visitors, so that all are easily identifiable. Please let me or her know if you would like one made up for you.  

Members' manuals: In return for paying a joining fee, new members are enrolled on the Toastmasters International system, issued with a PIN, and receive their first two manuals, the Competent Communicator manual, and the Competent Leadership manual. Do bring these with you to our meetings, and ensure that whenever you carry out a role, you find a fellow member to evaluate your efforts, and have this recorded in your manuals. 

Other news:

1) Subscriptions: How time flies when you're having fun! Every six months we renew our memberships to be part of Toastmasters International, and for a small outlay, get lots of fun in return. Most of you will have received the reminder from our Treasurer, Chris Ayscough, but by way of a further reminder, please see the attachment being sent out with this newsletter.  

2) April meetings are to be held on the 6th, and the 20th. On the 6th, we will be in our usual venue at St Michael's church hall. On the 20th, the hall is not available to us, but we will meet at the usual time, at Camberley Rugby Club, Watchetts Recreation Ground, Park Road, Camberley GU15 2SR. More information follows in due course. 

3) Video of speeches: We have been fortunate to be able to borrow video equipment from another club, to enable us to record speeches at our meetings. This camera is no longer available to us, so your committee is looking at alternatives, including the possible purchase of the appropriate equipment, though this would entail a significant amount of expenditure which is currently outside our budget plans. Is there anyone out there who has their own equipment and would be prepared to bring it to meetings? That would be very helpful, if so, please let me or Martin know. 

Club's atmosphere: Our objective is to help members to develop their public speaking abilities in a friendly and supportive environment. If you have a problem in attending because you need a lift, do say so, somebody may be able to help. If you have a meeting role, but need to cancel, please inform us ASAP, so that the agenda can be revised. We have enthusiastic members, at Camberley and elsewhere, who are willing to take on roles at short notice, and a hard-working VPE (Quang) who is prepared to juggle the agenda as required, to ensure that "It will be alright on the night." 

Many hands make light work: A club like ours relies on volunteers. If you would like to play your part in running the club, even taking on a small role, please contact our President, Martin Berry on: berry-martin1@sky.com   or 01252-650001.   

I hope to see you at the next meeting. Happy Toastmastering All! 

Harry Fish CC - (VPPR, Camberley Speakers)

Phones: 01276-35164 and 07860-201387    E-mail: harryfish@thinkpositive.co.uk  

(See below for membership page)...............>>>>>>>>>

THE MEMBERSHIP PAGE 

 Club Membership: We welcome guests to our growing club. If you like what we do at Camberley Speakers, why not bring a guest or two with you next time, and they can see for themselves? If you would like to know more about joining, please ask a committee member at the next meeting, or e-mail me or Martin Berry for details.

 Some FAQs to guide new joiners:

 - How much does it cost? - Membership is renewed every six months, in April and October, and currently costs £36 twice-yearly, which will shortly increase to £39. This covers the hire of the hall and other expenses. When you first join there is also a "one off" fee which is currently £16, to cover your registration onto the Toastmasters International system as a member, and to pay for your first two manuals.

 - What do you get when you join the club? - As outlined above, your membership is acknowledged by Toastmasters Head Office in California, and you will receive your first two manuals, which have been designed to guide you through your first 10 speeches, and the other challenges you may choose to meet within the club, such as carrying out speech evaluations for others, and taking part in various parts of running your club, which will be acknowledged by your fellow members. Don't forget to bring the manuals to each meeting, where you can be given credit for any roles you perform.

- Is there any help to get started? - Many of those joining Toastmasters for the first time experience a mixture of excitement and anxiety about what lies ahead. Fear not, you are in good company, we have all been through it! Be assured you are amongst friends who are there to help you, if help is required. Your Competent Communication manual will show you the outline themes for your first 10 speeches, and give a fair amount of guidance in writing. If you would also like some face-to-face assistance from a more experienced speaker, there are many within Camberley Speakers who are willing to give up some of their time to do this.

If you decide to join..........Welcome to the world of Toastmasters!