Open House

A Speech for that Special Occasion at City Limits Speakers.

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of City Limits Speakers, and the club has recently celebrated its 500th meeting. That achievement merits a special speech, but why not a whole online workshop dedicated to creating Speeches for Special Occasions?

Following on from the highly successful Wedding Speech Workshop, Toastmaster Andrew P Bennett DTM devised a session with model speeches and coaching on how to create the speech for your special occasion. This was enjoyed by the club members and guests on November 14th.

The very first speech example came with President David Salamons’ meeting introduction which was a model of how to’ Introduce a Speaker’ correctly. This is so often done haphazardly , but it is an important skill not only for our Toastmasters meetings , but to take out into the world when we are asked to MC at conferences and events of all kinds.

There was something of a seasonal feel to the workshop as TM Sophia White, a sommelier by profession, offered ‘A Toast to Jack Frost’ and TM Serena O’Keefe ‘A Comedy Roast of Father Christmas.’

President Elect Julie Parker and VPM Jill Segal shared the ‘Giving and Receiving of an Award.’ In this instance an award to the Best Dressed Christmas Shopper!

VPE Marc Lottig offered the ‘After Dinner Speech’ using elements from a speech hot off the press that he had given at a breakfast business club just a few days earlier.

A poignant moment came when DTM Andrew, our Workshop Leader, shared a ‘Eulogy’ entitled ‘ Latter Day Viking’ These were words that he had written following the death of his elder brother last year.

Speaking at a funeral or commemoration is one of the toughest situations a speaker can find themselves in. It was important that we discussed how to create and deliver this kind of speech in our workshop session.

Breakout time gave the opportunity for our guests to share the speeches that they were working on and receive feedback from City Limits Members. DTM Andrew had also devised some Table Topics around Special Occasion Speech themes so that everyone got to try out their voice during the session.

Wonderful support was given by Kim Crosby , Zoom Master and Leo Shkembi, Sergeant At Arms.

President Elect Julie Parker

& Andrew P Bennett DTM

A Wedding at City Limits Speakers

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On August 22nd at the early morning online meeting of City Limits Speakers Toastmaster Rashmi married Toastmaster Leo!  

The club played host to the Wedding Speech Workshop devised and led by  DTM Andrew P Bennett.  

Many guests become members of Toastmasters International Clubs because they have been asked to give a speech at a wedding or partnership celebration.  

The Wedding Speech Workshop made an excellent Open House event for the club. 

So real was the sense of being at a wedding that one guest participant even sent written congratulations to the Bride and Groom. 

 Adding to the enjoyment of the occasion our ‘wedding family’ and even some of our guests dressed in style for the great day. 

City Limits members gave short, model wedding speeches with Toastmaster Andrew underlining the all-important learning points. He also gave us an interactive  physical and vocal warm up to calm nerves on the big day. 

 We were pleased and mindful that there were several guests attending their very first Toastmasters meeting . To assist them Toastmaster Laura Chattington  gave a ‘Tips for creating a speech ‘ presentation. 

Indeed attendance included not only many  folks from the UK , but also New Zealand , Korea and Uganda . 

A breakout session allowed guest workshop participants to try out parts of speeches they were preparing and receive encouraging feedback . 

There were also fascinating public speaking discussions in response to the workshop content. These ranged from how to cope with noisy distractions during a wedding speech to the balance between a scripted speech and spontaneity for an inexperienced speaker. 

Thanks were given to Toastmasters Kim Crosby ( Workshop Promotion) and Julie Parker ( Acting President for the session) who joined with Toastmaster Andrew in organizing the event. 

City Limits Speakers will receive credit for their model Wedding Speeches towards their Pathways Educational Awards. Our guests were delighted and inspired by this Open House event.  

 Julie Parker & Andrew Bennett. 

 

  

 

Woking Speakers Open House Event, 23rd March 2023

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By Seema Viswanath, VPM

Introduction

Woking Speakers Club held our Open House event on the evening of 23rd March 2023.  We had 18 guests who attended this year making it one of the most successful Open House events for the club. Milica Bennett VP-Public Relations and Seema Viswanath VP-Membership led the organisation of the event; they were ably supported by Bob Nisbet, Sergeant-at-Arms.

Preparation

Leading up to the event, we designed and published the below poster at the local library and supermarkets in the local area. We advertised the event on Eventbrite, Facebook (including on the local community pages) and LinkedIn. We invited the club alumni and previous guests who have attended our public speaking meetings. We also shared the details of the event through club members, all of whom helped promote the event in their own networks.

We received the required materials (badges, name tags, leaflets) from the Toastmasters International District 91 support team on time which were distributed to the members and guests before the meeting began.

Execution

Each guest was greeted personally on arrival by a Club Member to ensure they felt welcomed. After declaring the event open, James Sanderson – Club President introduced Toastmasters to the guests. Chris Arning – VP Public Relations, D91 attended the event and addressed the audience. All the members and guests then got a chance to speak at the warm up. The prepared speeches were carefully chosen so we had a mix of beginners and experienced members. The speakers and evaluators were all confident communicators. They shared the benefits of being part of Toastmasters such as access to online resources, mentors and above all being a fun and safe environment for public speaking with the guests.

It was a pretty packed schedule as you can see from (just the front page of!) the Agenda below:

After a 15 min networking break with tea, coffee and biscuits, the second part of the meeting was focused on our guests.

Every guest was asked to fill in an interesting, unique or adventurous aspect of their life that they were proud of at the beginning of the meeting. We used this information for the table topics asking guests to come to the front and speak on their specific aspect. Due to time restrictions, not everyone got a chance to speak, but 10 guests got the opportunity to speak in front of us.  Following the evaluations and awards, we handed out certificates of participation to the guests.

The event closed in our usual manner, with a trip to our local pub.

District PR Manager, Chris Arning was in attendance with his friend Nick (who lives in Woking and whom he had been trying to get to come to Toastmasters for ages).

For a flavour of the some Guests reactions to their first Toastmasters experience and Milica, Seema and James Sanderson’s reflections on the event, see the below video.

We thank all the members and guests who participated in making this event a success. If you want to find out more about our club, please visit us at www.wokingspeakers.org.uk.  We look forward to welcoming you as a guest. And you may find these resources from Toastmasters International helpful too: https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/resource-library?t=open%20house

Seema Viswanath, VPM, Woking Speakers, 2022-2023

Welcoming the World to Toastmasters

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By Tina Plamadeala

City of London, Open House, 17th January 2023

The City of London Toastmasters held a successful Open House event on the 17th of January, which drew over 150 attendees who were interested in improving their public speaking and leadership skills. The event was organized by a dedicated team of Toastmasters members and the committee, who worked tirelessly to ensure its success. The speakers at the event demonstrated a clear commitment to their personal development, each bringing their unique style and perspective to the event, making for an engaging and diverse line-up. For a flavour of the venue and the great atmosphere and vibrancy of the event we have made a take away video which you can view here:

What Made the Open House a Success?

Teamwork

The success of the Open House can be attributed to the collaboration and teamwork between club members and the committee. By working together, the team was able to ensure that the event ran smoothly and effectively achieved its goals of attracting new members and promoting the club.

The team was composed of members with diverse skill sets, such as marketing and promotion, event planning, organisation, and public speaking. Having a positive and supportive team dynamic, where members encouraged and supported each other, shared ideas and skills, and worked together to overcome challenges, helped build a strong and cohesive team.

Effective Communication

Communication was key to the success of the Open House. Effective communication within the team helped ensure everyone was on the same page and that tasks were completed efficiently. Clear and concise communication in promoting the event on social media (including this eye catching graphic) helped attract more guests. Effective communication also created a welcoming atmosphere, providing attendees with information and guiding them as needed.

Execution

The execution of the Open House was critical to its success. From setting up the venue to welcoming guests and promoting the club, careful planning and attention to detail were necessary for a successful execution.

Free Pizza!

Providing refreshments and creating a comfortable and engaging environment also contributed to a positive experience for attendees.

Converting Guests to join us…

What we try to impress on Guest attendees is that a Toastmasters club in your local area has so many benefits, a few of which include:

  1. Improved Public Speaking Skills: Joining Toastmasters community provides the opportunity to improve public speaking skills in a supportive and encouraging environment. Members can practice speaking in front of a group, receive constructive feedback, and build confidence in their speaking abilities.
  2. Personal and Professional Growth: Toastmasters not only helps improve public speaking skills, but also provides opportunities for personal and professional growth. Members can develop their leadership abilities, enhance their communication skills, and improve their listening and feedback skills, leading to increased confidence and opportunities for growth and advancement.
  3. Sense of Community: Being a part of a Toastmasters community provides a sense of belonging and a supportive network of individuals who share a common goal of improving communication and leadership skills. Members are encouraged to support and encourage one another, fostering a positive and uplifting atmosphere.

At City of London Toastmasters we strive to create a safe and supportive place for personal and professional growth. The Open House gives us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that and to invite Guests to come back and eventually to join us and be part of a community dedicated to improving communication and leadership skills. We hope that the success of our Open House inspires other Clubs to organise similar events to welcome potential Members in their area.

If you’re already a Toastmaster but in London want to join us here’s our Club website : https://cityoflondontoastmasters.org/faq/

Tina Plamadeala, VPPR, City of London Toastmasters

If you want to find out more about how Tina promotes her Club then you can check out this interview with D91 PR Manager, Chris Arning.