Updates & Posts Archives - Page 61 of 62 - Toastmasters UK South

Churchill: great rhetorical devices

7th September 202031st January 2015 by Susan Rayner

From Paul Carroll, President 104 London Debaters

Rhetorical devices: the master Churchill — Winston Churchill: Master of rhetorical devices

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill and many commemorations have been published.

As a public speaking club, we specially remember the power of his leadership through communication. Indeed, when Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature the citation read: For his mastery of historical and biographical description, as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values. [Click here to see the citation]

In his biography of Churchill Roy Jenkins explained that on a visit to New York in his early days in politics he met a Tammany Hall politician whose oratory had a great effect on him. “I must record the strong impression this remarkable man made upon my untutored mind. I have never seen his like, or in some respects, his equal.” This was an Irish immigrant named Bourke Cockran, who became a US Congressman. “He was my model, “Churchill said, “I learned from him how to hold thousands in thrall”. [Read article here]

In his school days at Harrow, young Winston, being poor at Latin, did treble English and clearly put his heart into it. He has left us with many examples of skillful use of language and rhetorical devices.

Here is a small sampling of some of those rhetorical devices:

Spring 2015 Tower Conference

7th October 202020th January 2015 by Susan Rayner

Spring is in air! Well, not quite – but it is here at Toastmasters UK South District 91!

The conference team are excited to announce the launch of District 91’s very first Spring Conference – Spring 2015 Tower Conference – with its own dedicated website! The conference will be held over Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May 2015 at the Grange City Hotel in the heart of London and the team are busy putting together a jam packed programme that will whet any Toastmaster’s appetite.

One meeting: two continents

7th September 20207th November 2014 by Susan Rayner

From Daniel Broadhead, President Berkeley Square Speakers

Why not have public speaking in two continents at once? Creating video-linked Toastmasters’ meetings with other clubs in other countries and even on different continents to your own is a stunning experience and eminently possible for you to achieve. We invite you to be inspired to make such a meeting and, in the words below, be enabled to make it happen!

Our vision for this year at Berkeley Square Speakers is to create breakthroughs for our members in our personal and professional lives. A key way we inspire these personal breakthroughs is by achieving breakthroughs as a club. To this objective, and inspired by a letter in May 2014 Toastmasters Magazine by Bruce Yang DTM, Bruce talks of a more connected global toastmasters community, and using teleconferencing to achieve this. On 3 November 2014 in the spirit of “Nation shall speak peace unto Nation” Berkeley Square Speakers, in Mayfair, London, held our inaugural intercontinental toastmasters meeting with Swakupmund Toastmasters in Namibia, by live video link.

2014 11 03 BSS and Swakupmund Toastmaste

At the meeting we enjoyed a powerful icebreaker from from Mari-Claire Rencs from Swakupmund Toastmasters on the obstacles she has overcome to become a chartered accountant and we received an eye opening CC9 speech of discovery from Saskia Kort of Berkeley Square Speakers on the Gorilla that exist across Africa that Saskia is going to visit on a forthcoming trip to the continent. Our Table Topics Master Kate Rowland, in London, ran an inspired topics session across the two clubs, picking out toastmasters in London and via the screen in Swakumpmund.

I declare this website formally launched!

7th October 202016th October 2014 by Susan Rayner

From Hilary Briggs, District Governor D91 UK South

I’m delighted to formally launch the new website we have developed for all Toastmasters within District 91 – UK South: http://d91toastmasters.org.uk/.

The purpose of the site is to:

Highlight news items and external media coverage across the District
Enable members to share knowledge and best practice – for instance briefings for contests, key dates for the District, where to find key information
Publicise events such as workshops, contests and socials

It is designed to complement the other three websites that are fundamental to our success:

The easy-Speak Club Management system (www.toastmasterclub.org) which is the District’s preferred tool for members to book their meeting roles and keep track of their progress
Our public-facing website (www.toastmasters.org.uk/), covering Britain and Ireland, which is focused on providing information and raising awareness about Toastmasters to non-members
The Toastmasters International website (www.toastmasters.org) which is used for updating your member profiles, to order supplies, to track performance across the District, to act as a font of knowledge and for Club Treasurers to pay dues

The site is the start of something new which we hope will improve communications between our members.

I’m most grateful to all the hard work behind the scenes by Tazud Miah, Dorothea Stuart and Jean Gamester in particular for enabling us to launch this site.

Please give us your feedback on the site and ideas for how you’d like to see it progress.

Martin Berry, Distinguished Toastmaster

7th September 202015th October 2014 by Susan Rayner

Martin Berry at work

Bob Nisbet DTM interviews Martin Berry DTM (Camberley Speakers, Farnham Speakers). Martin is the first person in our new District 91 (UK South) to complete both the communication and leadership tracks and become a Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest award bestowed by Toastmasters International.

Q: How long has it taken you to reach Distinguished Toastmaster?

A: I went to my first Toastmasters meeting on 4 Oct 2005. I still have the agenda! I joined about a month later and did my first ever speech on 12 Jan 2006. My DTM plaque arrived in September 2014. So about nine years.

Q: Why did you first come to a Toastmasters meeting and why did you join?

A: My friend Doug New had been raving about Toastmasters and kept nagging me to go along. I told him quite firmly I wasn’t the least bit interested in hearing a load of stuffy speeches. Eventually he made me an offer: “ If you agree to come along just one time, I’ll pick you up from your home, drive you to the meeting, buy you a pint afterwards, and then bring you back…if you don’t like it I’ll never bother you with it again.” Of course, I loved it. I never guessed the speeches would be so personal, so entertaining, educational and often funny or uplifting. It was as good as going to the theatre.