An Interview with Flavia McDonald, Founding President of Liberty Speakers Club by Zainab Mohiuddin (VPPR AreaH15)

Flourishing. Thriving. Vibrant. These are all words that can describe Area H15 in 2018. So where to start when describing it all? Our electric Area Christmas Party and Speakers of Croydon’s 15^thAnniversary? The spellbinding speeches? Awards, accolades and achievements? 

Maybe another time! Today I want you to know about our new clubs. Because new clubs are a sign of fresh growth and excitement in the Area. And we have two new clubs! Legacy Speakers in Brixton and Liberty Speakers Club in Norbury. Both brilliant beacons of hope for public speaking and I was lucky enough to interview the inspiring President of Liberty Speakers – Flavia McDonald

What inspired you to create a club?

I had been thinking about putting on a Public Speaking workshop for a little while, when I was approached by a member of Liberty Christian Ministries and asked if I would help to start a Toastmaster club at their Church; word had got around that I was a seasoned Toastmaster.  I remember first meeting Pearl Cadogan (who didn’t know at the time but was to become our VPE) as I sat in Costa Coffee excited and slightly daunted about this new Venture! Where would we start? How would the Demo Launch meeting turn out?

What makes Liberty Speakers special?

Liberty Speakers Club is special on many levels because an air of excellence permeates throughout the venue. The members of the committee are talented, tenacious and determined that the club will be a success. We all realise that we are on a learning curve so we are patient with each other as well as reaching out to the Toastmaster network to get the necessary knowledge and assistance to fill in the gaps. 

The ambiance of the venue is welcoming and warm.  The meeting is held in the main auditorium in the church and many guests comment that the room is ‘lovely’.  During the networking break the guests are provided with drinks and snacks which are well presented; it has the feeling of “Afternoon tea at the Ritz”!

What have been the highlights so far of the club?

The highlight so far (even though daunting), has been going from zero to Demo Launch; what a learning curve!  The Demo Launch was held on 15 November, an Eventbrite invitation had been sent out, so we were excited as to the potential number of guests that would be attending. 

Name badges were in reception, greeters at the door and hospitality waiting in the wings.  At 6.45pm it was cameras, lights and action – there was no turning back now! The guests started to filter through the doors, including Florian Bay, (ex Club Growth Director) Arnaud Satre (Club Grown Director) and Sandra Mighty (Area Director and Toastmaster for the evening) – all of whom had held my hand as founding President during the process of setting up the club.  

It was an exciting evening of speeches and table topics and 56 guests attended! It was better than Pearl or I could ever have imagined when we sat in Costa Coffee over a couple of lattes back in July!  I was also presented with a special recognition Toastmaster badge as Founding President which was definitely one of my highlights.

What message would you like to share as President

As a committed member of Liberty Speakers, your life will definitely change.  Members will have the opportunity to Discover, Develop and Demonstrate their public speaking and leadership skills and developing these skills will help to enrich their career opportunities, their leadership skills in the community and communication skills within the family setting and to make new friends. Oftentimes I have heard that people would rather go to their own funerals than speak in public! I would like to encourage anyone who feels that they start to stutter with fear, have butterflies in their stomach or come out in a cold sweat – Feel the stutter but speak anyway because there is a whole new world waiting for you.

Fantastic words of wisdom there from Flavia, the Founding President of Liberty Speakers Club! Has that inspired you to create your own club, or create something you are passionate about? Good! Feel the fear and do it anyway. 

Liberty Speakers Club meets every first and third Thursday of the Month at Liberty Christian Ministries, Norbury and is well worth a visit. 

By Zariya Lufu, President Spirited Speakers

Have you ever felt life takes you into something you weren’t expecting? Have you had to step up for something you weren’t prepared for? Have you wanted to be a participant and had to step up into leading?  

I didn’t want to start a Toastmasters club. I just wanted Toastmasters to go into my kids’ school to teach them how to do public speaking. Then one fateful day a lady posted in our village community facebook group that she wanted Speaker Coaching. So many commented! Some people tagged had done Toastmasters. With the post getting such a buzz, I felt there had to be one in our village. So, I began the hunt to find someone else to lead it! I knew who to ask! Someone who attended Tunbridge Wells Speakers but lives here. She said she didn’t have the time. How would I find the time?

I contacted Toastmasters International and got an email from Arnaud Sartre soon after. He made it sound fun and easy and asked for a date to start. A date? So soon. I didn’t even know if I was doing it! Oh my! It began to feel real. My nerves triggered that luminous air around me, where the world starts to stand still. Why not just leap in? If it doesn’t work, I would have just lost an evening. The date was set for two weeks later. That meant a manic rush to get flyers, and leaflets created and printed, rooms booked, and people found to do a Demo meeting as I had never attended a Toastmasters meeting.  

I dashed over to Gatwick Toastmasters, so I could least so I’d attended one meeting, and would vaguely know what I’m doing. Thankfully that weekend was a contest – so I got to meet Arnaud and speak to other speakers about their experience. I hadn’t ever been part of a club, so I was going in blind! I delved into reading, watching videos, and emailing anyone I could that would answer me. 

Sylvia kindly created an agenda – we filled it with good souls from Kent, London Victoria, and Tunbridge Wells. I was amazed by the support and care. Toastmasters seems to create kind generous people: servant leaders! Two weeks after the call with Arnaud, I arrived to find Jon Parth from Kent Speakers already in the venue setting up. He’s been there every meeting without fail and checking in to see how I am each week. He and Sylvia have done zoom calls with me to help me to understand the roles, and pathways. They continue to offer outstanding support as our area manager and sponsor. 

47 people came on the first night. I’m incredibly grateful to the Toastmasters who’ve come from other areas to support us. The room was tingling with excitement, the laughter flowed, and people were courageous in standing up for the first time. A VPE, Secretary and VPM stepped forward – and we welcomed guests open heartedly. None of us knowing what we were doing, but Toastmasters from out of area guided and lead us. The energy of the room sustained and enlivened us. I knew we’d have our charter number of 20 on the night. I could feel it! 

While we got 22 membership forms filled in the first 48 hours, the bank hadn’t released our account details yet. So frustrating. People couldn’t transfer their money. Momentum was lost. I lamented: “If only the bank had been open. If only… We would have been able to charter on the first night!” Instead, we had a slow drip of people signing up. Jon signed up people and latches us onto Kent speakers. First 8 people. Then 4. Then 3… Until now we have 17. While not having a bank meant we didn’t charter on the first night, I have hope we will soon. I’m trusting that the members who have signed up are the perfect ones and hope the others will join when they’re ready! We only have 3 more to go to Charter! Soon Spirited Speakers will be a fully-fledged club.

I’m sure you reading this knows how powerful Toastmasters is. It’s like a non-stop train that picks you up and takes you to transformation city. I hadn’t even attended a meeting before October last year. That’s when I wanted others to teach my kids, while I got on with my work. When I saw the opportunity, I wanted to be a spectator, not a participant. When I saw the local interest, I wanted to be a participant in a vibrant club, not a leader. When I realised a local club would mean I didn’t have to drive and I’d get to hang out with the amazing people in our village, I became a leader and a public speaker. What a turn-around in less than 3 months! 

I’m incredibly grateful. Thanks to the leadership in the area, to the Toastmasters who’ve come to support, to the members who’ve joined, to those that have taken up roles and the guests who’ve laughed and enjoyed their time with us.

By Peter Thomas, Member of TPR Speakers

TPR Speakers, now in its third year as a corporate club, is starting to make waves both internally and externally. The club has evolved from a platform for senior staff to refine their public speaking skills to a much broader and organisational wide learning and development tool.

A new committee has also brought renewed energy, attending three separate training workshops over the summer and actively promoting the club internally and externally. Attendance has almost doubled at our fortnightly meetings with a greater emphasis on engagement leading to a more focused and productive environment whilst still maintaining an element of fun.

In April we welcomed Toastmasters International CEO, Dan Rex, to Brighton on his world wide tour and our own CEO, Lesley Titcomb gave us a public recognition recently – TPR Speakers is driving forward!

The club gained its first two Competent Communicators, prior to the introduction of Pathways, as Juliet Mullany led the way in completing her ten speeches. We were also represented at the Area 55 competition round by Melanie Jarman for her humorous speech and Kimberly Middleton in the table topics contest. 

The club has welcomed guests and representatives from many other clubs in Sussex over the past year and also received a speech from a professional Toastmaster. Thanks to the endeavours of VP of Education, Ollie Martin, we already have two workshops and an awards meeting planned for 2019. Should anyone like to come along, you are more than welcome!