Wimbledon Speakers Club

Some of us managed to stay away from the TV culinary challenge of the year on Wednesday, and treated ourselves to a speaking one instead!  It was a fine meeting indeed, where we celebrated the return of newer visitors, and some dear friends, attending after a break. Thank you to all those who took part.

The night was beautifully chaired by Sam who brought warmth, energy and smooth efficiency to proceedings. His topic theme was ‘the best job in the world’ and we all duly took turns to persuade the audience that our career choice was best. Congratulations to Sarah, who won the best topic prize with her great conviction as dinner lady!  Other contenders were the traffic warden, the lorry driver, the night club bouncer, the weatherman, the teacher and tour manager… good fun, and highly original topics.

Michael generously shared his training wisdom and experience in part 2 of the evening, delivering a short perspective on speech preparation, and the integral value of ‘making a point’. It was a reminder that the desire to share stories and anecdotes about oneself is not always the most appealing or relatable part of public speaking!  A story without a point, he explained, is a ramble, and a point without a story is BRUTAL.  We can talk to our audience but how are they going to relate to us?  Examples, contexts, and stories underpin all valid points and bring them to life.  It was super-helpful, and clarified what may seem obvious and yet is often overlooked in speech-making!

Well done to Peter too, who cracked one of the toughest assignments in our programme, in his ‘Use of Humour’ speech.  It was a fine example of how subtle, observational humour is often enough to build and create empathy and rapport with the audience.  Running gags and clever jokes are rarely required;  keep it simple and stay close to your personal style.

We meet again in November, on the 9th and the 23rd, and look forward to seeing everyone there.

A dinner lady with a difference… well done Sarah!

It was a more gentle and reflective meeting last Wednesday, in contrast to the vigour and busy-ness of the previous session.  It’s fascinating how meetings can vary and mood alters, largely due to the group present, but more so I think, to the content of the evening.

Thanks and appreciation go to the 7 new visitors who attended, nearly all of whom spoke for the first time.  Nick will go into WSC history as one of very few who earned the ‘Best Topic’ prize on a first attempt!

We enjoyed 3 terrific prepared speeches this week as well, with 2 of our speakers practicing for other events and occasions, and the 3rd sharing research and learning from a degree course.

It’s so valuable that Wimbledon Speakers Club can offer a safe and supportive environment for people to practice in, before heading out into the world of often bigger, unknown audiences!  Riffi was trialling her speech for a speech competition, and Ollie his, for a charity event in order to raise awareness and funds.  Neil also shared, in another part of the meeting, that he had joined the club as he is getting married next year, and ‘dreading’ the prospect of his speech.

So, many, many reasons to visit a speakers club, and build genuine experience and confidence for all of those opportunities ‘out there’!

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 26th October.  It promises to be a good one.

See you there.

One speech was all about this… with real samples… thank you Simone!

Our second meeting was a wonderful gathering, where we had chance to welcome back friends who hadn’t been for a while, speakers from neighbouring clubs, and some first time visitors.  It’s always inspiring to see the new and the nervous embrace the chance to speak, and step up for a short introduction or a topic.  We invite everyone to proceed at their own pace and simply spectate if they prefer to, and yet a surprising number jump at the chance to be involved on a first visit.

With fewer prepared speeches on the programme this week, we had a double session of impromptu topics.  Without exception on these occasions, even the most experienced speakers are always just a little more relaxed second time around, and often reflect as much.  This is the true benefit of working through the discomfort of being ‘put on the spot’ for 2 minutes.  It sounds like such a tiny fragment of time, but can feel like a lifetime!

Congratulations to Sam, whose topic, ‘Cat Lover’, was voted the favourite of the evening. This was such a perfect example of turning the most ordinary subject into something personal, quirky and humorous.  Sam, together with Riffi, also delivered group evaluations for the first time.  Both shared wonderfully constructive and comprehensive feedback, ensuring that all in the room felt truly seen and heard.

It was an exemplary evening;  sincere thanks to everyone involved, and we now look forward to our next meeting on Wednesday 12th October.

Well done Sam!