Summer’s arrived early, so it was lovely to sit outside in the Wheatsheaf pub’s garden (on Kingston Road) enjoying a glass of wine with some fellow members after Monday’s meeting. And what a meeting that was! After getting through the formalities of the AGM (see President’s Report for summary of the year), Toastmaster for the… Continue reading You ain’t seen nothing yet – May 22nd
Category: News
Are We There Yet? – May 8th
“We got there in the end,” said Costa, General Evaluator, in his feedback to Toastmaster for the evening, Kevin Perkins on his handling of Monday’s meeting. This was Kevin’s first time as TM and aside from his computer problems and difficulty in getting roles confirmed, he faced the challenge of juggling some last-minute changes to… Continue reading Are We There Yet? – May 8th
A not so normal, normal Club meeting – April 24th
“Where has the time gone?” I hear myself asking as I write this. With the Easter break followed closely with May Day holiday, it seems ages since our last meeting. That was on Monday 24 April, when we had held a “normal” Club meeting not at our normal Bourne Hall venue, but at Reed’s School… Continue reading A not so normal, normal Club meeting – April 24th
Exceptional Evaluations Workshop – April 10th
It was a great pleasure to welcome Freddie Daniells to ESC to deliver his “Exceptional Evaluations” workshop on Monday 10th April. This was the 139th time he’s given this workshop. His aim is to help us become more effective and exceptional evaluators, because, as he says: “When you give feedback, you have the chance to… Continue reading Exceptional Evaluations Workshop – April 10th
The F Word – April 3rd
What four letter word, beginning with F, comes to your mind when you think about speaking in public? Yes, FEAR. Yet everyone managed to talk about “What fear have you faced and learnt from?”, for no more than the allocated 20 seconds as part of the Warm Up session, led by Phoebus – quite possibly… Continue reading The F Word – April 3rd
Area 53 International Speech & Evaluation Contests – March 27th
Congratulations to Ian Uption and Stephen Taylor, respective winners of the Area 53 International Speech and Evaluation contests, held last night at Bourne Hall. They go on to represent Area 53 at the Division H contest to be held on Saturday 22 April, 12.45 to 15.30 at Oxsted Community Hall, 53 Church Street, Oxsted, RH8… Continue reading Area 53 International Speech & Evaluation Contests – March 27th
Laughing out Loud – March 20th
There’s nothing better than a good laugh out loud and Monday’s club night was packed with comic relief. All four speakers managed to weave light touches, and heavy doses, of humour in their stories. In his C1, Paul van der Hagen demonstrated not only his existing wide range of speaking skills but also his theatrical… Continue reading Laughing out Loud – March 20th
International Speech & Evaluation Contests – March 6th
Our annual International Speech contest attracted six contestants, delivering inspirational, motivational and highly entertaining speeches and demonstrating a wealth of speaking talent: Ian Upton, Peter Parker, Costa Nicolaou, and our three Dave’s – Villa Clarke, Goodman and Lane. Many thanks to Jean-Marc Pierson from Holborn Speakers, who travelled to the depths of Surrey to be… Continue reading International Speech & Evaluation Contests – March 6th
Energetic, electric and educational Speaking & Evaluating – February 20th
What a packed and exciting meeting we had on Monday. Not only did we have to get more chairs, we had a full agenda with an Educational slot and three speeches, including an Advanced Speech with a Q&A session. Amanda Zwartz, Toastmaster for the evening, expertly and efficiently manoeuvred the proceedings, keeping us all to… Continue reading Energetic, electric and educational Speaking & Evaluating – February 20th
A Virtuous Fun-Filled Cycle – February 6th
It’s February already, and less than five months remaining in this Toastmaster’s year. How are you getting on with your goals? Like all Toastmaster clubs around the world, our meetings are designed to get you speaking, learning and developing communication and leadership skills by “doing it”, getting and giving feedback – a virtuous cycle, with… Continue reading A Virtuous Fun-Filled Cycle – February 6th