Maidenhead Speakers

Toastmaster visits the Inner Wheel Club: take me to your spokes-person!

Mell Shepherd in her role as Social Secretary recently gave a talk to the the Inner Wheel Club of Burnham about Toastmasters, and gave an entertaining demonstration speech – a practice run of her speech contest entry – that was very well received. After Mell’s visit Helen Read of the Inner Wheel Club wrote the following.

Thank you Mell from Maidenhead Speakers for visiting our club recently and contributing to a thoroughly successful evening.  Like many clubs, our membership is dwindling a bit.  Inner Wheel was originally a club for the wives of Rotarians; today the membership is more open although it is still strongly linked to Rotary.  We raise money for charity and carry out

charitable acts but friendship is also an important part of our ethos.  We knew that there were many people eligible to join the club in the local area so we hit on the idea of inviting them all to one of our meetings to demonstrate that we were all friendly people and to encourage them to join.

So we needed to find an entertaining and thought provoking speaker to inspire our visitors and help make the evening a fun event for all – no pressure then…

Mell rose to the occasion admirably.  After a preamble about what the Maidenhead speakers are and how she got involved with them she ‘practiced’ a future competition entry on us.  Everyone was very impressed with both her delivery and the content – amusing, but also food for thought.  After her presentation she answered questions, which included one from a lady wanting some advice about giving a speech at her son’s wedding!  We were very impressed with the work that Maidenhead Speakers does and we wished them well, and we wished good luck to Mell in the competition too!

As a postscript – Helen asked how did it go at the competition? Answer of course: Mell won the club contest and went as far as the area contest. Good effort Mell.

Last night, Thursday 17 May, saw the first gig for the KC Comedy Club at Magnolia Park, a private club in High Wycombe. Several members of MSC were there to enjoy the proceedings. Keith Clarke (MSC member) opened the evening to a lively crowd of over 70 comedy enthusiasts looking for a good entertaining night out. They were not disappointed.

After the introductions there was an ‘improv’ section which was a bit like a high energy table topics with no time limit. The audience were in awe of the participants, especially MSC’s Mell Sheppard who gave an impassioned plea to see the error of your ways for those who have been lured into the clutches of FACEBOOK! Chris Boden entertained us with stories about the 2012 Olympics and how the Australians will be winning all of the medals!

Several of the other guests were members of various other Toastmaster clubs from London and the South East.

At the break which allowed everybody to ensure that their glasses were topped up the owner of the club kindly laid on a free cheese and fruit buffet which everybody tucked into. After glasses were replenished and plates cleared the main part of the evening got underway; with five speakers giving their stand up routines which varied from 5 – 20 minutes each. Quick fire presentations covered:

1.      Being a working mother,

2.      Working in the dubious end of media,

3.      Cultural differences for Indians living in the UK and learning English in Indian restaurants,

4.      Coping with feeding the family,

5.      A misspent youth growing up in the East End of London.

There was something for everyone, the atmosphere was excellent. There were tears of laughter, and people went away with a smile on their face. Personally I am still giggling at remembered jokes and one liners almost 24 hours later.

The evening was heralded a success and the club have invited us to make this a regular event. Two MSC members have already volunteered to do an inprov slot at the next meeting. You will have to come along to find out who.

‘What a brilliant night, I laughed so much I had a bit of a tenna lady moment’ Jane W.

‘The quality was superb, please, please come and do that again’ Kris C

We will be back at the Magnolia club in June, watch this space for information.

Have you got a stand up routine or are brave enough to do an improv slot? Take your Toastmasters experience to the next level or just come along and have a great night out.

Contact Keith on 07738 540287

Shirley and the Slug

I’m going through a real grungy stage with my speeches at the moment,  a bit like a teenager trying to figure out her own style , it won’t be long before I start wearing DMs, heavy makeup and get my eyebrow pierced!  What an improvement I hear you say!!

But that is the beauty of Toastmasters, it allows you to experiment in front of a supportive audience, different techniques and ideas and my speech at Monday Night’s session, “Shirley and the Slug” was testament to that.

Having spent the last 3 months talking about Immortal Jellyfish, I started to worry that I had some sort of animal obsession. Would I ever do another speech again without referring to an animal? Is this the cornerstone of my success? Will I get up at the World Championships one day and have nothing to talk about except  farmyard animals and furry pets?! I hope not!

Getting down to business, I decided in the first instance that I wanted to story tell and try telling a speech backwards. Why? Effective Storytelling is vital if you want to become a good speaker and it’s all about practise. Telling the story backwards? I refer you back to my opening sentence.

My assignment was Speech 8 in the Competent Communicator manual “Get comfortable with Visual Aids” and to help me on my journey, I brought along a homemade Dali-esque clock to indicate the different timelines in my story.

The speech was actually a true story. When I was at Uni, I decided to buy a hamster (Shirley) which was a challenging time for some of my housemates. One day, after a big night out, my housemate Paul informed me that my hamster had eaten a slug the night before and was dying. I rushed her  to the vets, only to open the lid of the shoebox in front of the receptionist to see her charging around, looking better than ever. Embarrassing!  I then realised as I was heading home that I’d locked myself out and had to jump over the next door neighbours’ wall and gain access to the house as I raced against the clock to get to Uni. When I returned, I decided to clean out the hamster’s cage but as I was lifting Shirley back in, she bit me so hard, blood literally splattered on the white wall and I can honestly say that bite was delivered with heartfelt meaning and venom – I had been a bad owner.

I was delighted to get back on the Maidenhead stage and if the RSPCA don’t come knocking in the next few days, I will be back on the 14^th June with my final speech of the CC manual – what a couple of years it’s been!

Big shout out to my partner in crime, Julie Farrell for a fantastic ( oh no, we’re not allowed to say that anymore ) a, err… tremendous …evaluation – good work all round and a great night.

It was obvious my speech title should be E=MC². The Toastmaster announced the title and at that moment, before the introductory applause, I heard a murmur and stirring from the audience. Was it trepidation or anticipation? I wasn’t sure.

I opened by reassuring the audience that by the end of the evening they would have a better understanding of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity – they didn’t seem too sceptical and they didn’t laugh; my speech had started well!

Thinking back, when I opened the manual and came to this speech I wondered where I would start. It was the last speech in my ‘Speaking to Inform’ manual, which would assure me of achieving my ‘Advanced Communicator Bronze’ award. The subject was ‘The Abstract Concept’ a subject that many speakers have pondered over for ages before me I am sure. The manual directed me to create a speech explaining a theory, principle, philosophy or social issue – what should I do? In the examples, the only one that jumped out off the page was Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. I have always been interested in science and I did study physics so could I pull this off? It was a massive challenge but I decided to give it my best shot.

The initial research was easy. I just dumped information from the internet and consulted a book I had, but much of it was complicated and not that useable. To explain a complicated and abstract theory using examples of boats on rivers or moving railway carriages as my research had done didn’t cut it for me. I wanted to bring it to life and involve my audience somehow.  So I wrapped the theory in little stories using club members as part of the examples.

I thought that our Sgt@Arms, Julie, being on the International Space Station travelling at 18,000 mph would be something that the audience would remember, especially Julie. I described Thomas playing with mirrors on an aircraft whilst on holiday and our club president,Mary, looking into the aircraft from the ground seeing something entirely different, from her point of view. The audience seemed more engaged that I had hoped – my plan was working.

I finished off with Captain Kirk’s well-known instruction – ‘Beam me up Scottie’ and reminded the audience that in a way Einstein gave us Star Trek!

My final call to action was to save on the face cream. Why try to look younger when you could jump into a spacecraft, travel at ultra-high speeds and actually become younger (at least compared to the rest of us)?

This was my most challenging speech to date, yet it has become the most enjoyable one to present. It took some effort, and at times as I drafted it I wasn’t happy with the content, until I found a magic formula and it came together – after which I was gratified to receive a lot of positive feedback.  Maybe it won’t be long before the next speech: anyone for a helping of Schrodinger’s Cat!?

(PS: S2I=ACB: Speaking to Inform = Advanced Communicator Bronze!)

Nick Bailey

15.5.12

After a few last minute changes and despite a number of blank slots still to be filled when the doors opened at 7.00pm – with encouragement from Jacqui Hogan as Toastmaster of the Evening and Helen Elliot as General Evaluator, all the roles were covered by 7.30pm in time for a prompt start.

The energy was high in the room as everyone set about tasks.  No less than four guests arrived to share the evening and contemplate the possibility of joining the group. I had a feeling Rob D. was won over by the end of the evening.  We look forward to what the future holds.

What I remember the evening for the most was its energy and entertainment.  As a new member and with no allocated task for the evening I mentally prepared myself for the possibility of being picked upon for a Table Topic 2 minute speech.  What a self fulfilling prophecy that turned out to be!  But it’s great to feel you are in a room of supportive listeners who are there to help and so with that in mind I took to the floor. Aside from no less than 8 “ahs” recorded by Eric (for my learning) all went well – it was great to be an active member.  Picking up 1^st prize helped too!

Then the speeches: Richard Davies told a wonderful story with great imagery of a train journey he undertook: I can still smell the curry and chips! I felt I was on the train with him and enjoying every moment of it. In fact I have decided to take the Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh in September in the hope of an adventure. Thanks Richard for the inspiration.

Zahid Aziz instilled in us the benefits of crystallising our lives into action and overcoming the crippling habit of procrastination (which many of us could identify with; myself included).  He was living proof of what is possible when we first acknowledge that we are procrastinating, then create a plan of action and finally – and most importantly – take action; for in front of us stood a slim fit Zahid, having lost around a stone over the last 12 months.  Thank you Zahid – it was easier to jump out of bed this morning and go to the gym after your inspiring speech!

Mell Shepherd’s imagination had us all in suspense as we were drawn into the story with a twist of Shirley and the drama that ensued when she ate a slug.  Mel’s enthusiasm and expressive style was full of energy and entertainment as she told the story demonstrating that while a good speech should have a beginning, a body and a conclusion, they don’t necessarily have to be in that order.

Having listened to Nick Bailey’s speech E=MC squared for the first time in my life I have a clear picture of the impact of the theory of Relativity.  Pity Nick had not been my physics teacher, as he had failed to get the message across so well.  I am still looking forward to the day “Beam me up Scotty”  becomes a reality.

However, it was Thomas White’s speech on “Your eyes are for life” which is potentially life changing.  I have joined an Eyeball Fit Club to strengthen my eye muscles through exercises which will have me glasses free for life.  I am writing this without my glasses.  Not only was it informative Thomas had us all in stitches as we followed his instructions and did the exercises.

Thomas was indeed a very deserving winner for the evening.

Steve Catchick rounded off with a summary of high quality of entertainment at the National Toastmasters Conference held in Wexford, Ireland and encouraged us all to save for the next event in Cork. I can only imagine that the crack there will be mighty!

The meeting ended on time with the award and the concluding comments from President Mary Fraser.  Fellow Toastmasters – thank you all for making it such an enlightening evening.

Doreen Gowing

15.5.12

Maidenhead Speakers Tall Tales Contest announced – Oh Hell! 

Experienced Toastmaster Ian Rees took the trophy at the Maidenhead Speakers Tall Tales contest held at the Bird in Hand at Knowl Hill on Saturday 28 April; the occasion coincided with the annual club dinner which was well attended by around 50 Maidenhead Speakers and guests

Ian did well to win over stiff competition as a plethora of tales from the other contestants unfolded: of tricky highwaymen on Exmoor, a desperate revenge by a desperate woman who had been wronged, the little known origins of the cat in the hat, advice from a professional beggar, and running out of fuel around Maidenhead … in the dark…1000 feet in the air! Were any of these stories completely true? Possibly not but they provided for splendid after dinner entertainment.

Ian’s winning tale centred on his intention to establish a new magazine aimed at those in their middle and maturing years: a cross between OK and Hello magazine: “Oh Hell“

Summing up he finished with a jingle he had composed to promote his new publication:

If your life is starting to crumble but you’re not ready for kiss and tell then go down the newsagent and ask for your copy of Oh Hell!

Presenting the award, Maidenhead Speakers Club President Mary Fraser, commented  “It was a very strong field at this year’s contest and Ian was clearly the winner. Judging by the audience reaction there should be plenty of subscribers for Oh Hell!

It was an honour for fellow Toastmaster Mell Sheppard and I to be asked to give a speech at Club President Mary Fraser’s local event, celebrating International Women’s Day in March.  It’s an annual event, which Mary and colleagues have been running for several years now, where members of the women-in-business networking community Success Network, come together to socialise and speak about how to empower themselves and each other.  www.successnetwork.org.uk

When Mary informed us that we would be giving this speech to an audience of sixty women, the nerves trickled into my chest.  I’d only ever given a speech to thirty-or-so people, so this was a big deal for me.  I tried to work out why it feels more confronting when there are more people in the audience, but I couldn’t come to any conclusions, other than ‘More people to humiliate myself in front of’, which wasn’t very helpful!

Everyone was, of course, welcoming and supportive.  Mell and I were privileged to hear the other scheduled speakers for the evening, who covered issues ranging from advice about how best to organise personnel, to a speech about what International Women’s Day means to women around the world – some women gave each other presents to celebrate their sisterhood!

Mell and I decided to air a discussion that we’d recently had about whether men are better than women, each of us giving our side of the argument in a humorous and informative way.  Mell spoke of a time when she and a friend had struggled with a DIY project, but had refused any offers of male interference, simply because of female pride.  She explained that nowadays, if she needs any DIY done, she’ll contact her dad, rather than struggling on her own.   She urged us to be comfortable with the fact that there are some things that women can’t do that men can do.  Great advice.

I then gave my side of the argument, saying that the reason it looks as if some women aren’t so good at DIY is nothing to do with their sex, but instead, it’s to do with their upbringing.  Adults praise male toddlers for their toughness and intelligence, and they praise female toddlers for their beauty and elegance – even if the toddler in question has been ‘cross-dressed’ by a cunning scientist.  If we never practise honing our DIY skills, our parallel parking, or our maths ability, we’ll never become better at it.  Your brain is what you do with it, regardless of your chromosomes.

We concluded that some men are better than some women, and some women are better than some men, but that it’s time to stop judging ourselves and each other on such superficial things as gender.  We need to start accepting people for who they are.

So were my nerves worth it?  How did I feel after giving a speech outside the club, to sixty business women?  I felt elated, of course.  I woke up the next morning, after the adrenalin rush had faded, feeling secure and proud of myself.  I felt as if I’d contributed a little bit to those women, and that perhaps Mell and I had inspired them to go along to their local Toastmasters club, and to see that, no matter how confronting fearful bodily sensations may sometimes seem, it’s always possible to transcend them, and to come out the other side of fear, with a feeling of self-respect.  And that’s true for ALL of us – men and women alike!

Julie Farrell

Julie and Mell after giving their joint speech at International Woman's Day

It was the first Maidenhead Speakers Club meeting of 2012, well attended with over thirty members and a sprinkling of welcome guests. The new starting time of 7:30pm created an extra buzz of energy from the outset.  Losing fifteen minutes from the available setting-up time, meant that everyone pulled together with one goal in mind: This meeting must start on time.

And it did!  After the initial Happy New Year wishes from the sergeant at arms and club president, TME Keith Clarke led us through a merry romp of spectacular speeches, covering a multitude of subjects.

Firstly, we had John Callaghan teaching us about the origin of the Marathon: a solider ran twenty-six miles from the battlefield of  Marathon to announce that the mighty Persians had been defeated by the outnumbered and – apparently – outmatched  Greeks.  A triumph for the underdog; a tale to inspire us all!

Next was Rob Howes, who opened his speech by reminding us what a small world it is, by suggesting that the ‘six degrees of separation’ that links every human on the planet has actually dropped to three or four degrees of separation, thanks to the internet.  Rob extolled the benefits of social networking, highlighting his message with three personal anecdotes.   Rob was awarded Best Speaker of the evening for this inspiring and entertaining speech.

Steve Catchick then gave a rousing speech, encouraging members who are nearing the completion of their Competent Communication manual to go along as a guest to the advanced club, Marlow Orators.  He suggested that it can sometimes be difficult to acquire an advanced speaking slot at a regular club, as the advanced speeches tend to be longer, which is why it’s so important that we make the most of Marlow Orators.

Thomas White inspired us with his speech, informing us that he didn’t know the answer to the question ‘How can I be happy?’.  He said, with passion and humour, that if anyone claims that they do know the answer, then you should “Run away!”  He left us with the advice that we should follow our heart, and do what feels right for us.  He said that if there’s any fear or guilt involved, then it’s probably not the right answer, because it doesn’t make us feel good.

Nicky Bailey gave an educational speech, just before the Table Topics session, on how to improve our impromptu speaking skills.   He ran through seven main ways of delivering a Table Topic, including, expressing an opinion, telling a story, or talking about past, present, and future.  He reminded us not to apologise, ramble, or waste time.  Valuable advice indeed, which was clearly taken onboard by the excellent Table Topics participants, with Laurie Billson winning the Best Table Topic award.

The Best Evaluator award went to Gerard Pillai for his amusing and thorough evaluation of Nick Bailey’s speech, after which the meeting finished as it had started – on time – setting the standard for 2012!

The talent at Maidenhead Speakers Club abounds, and a vast variety of different subjects is always covered during each meeting.  But one thing that every meeting does have in common is that I always leave a little more knowledgeable and inspired than when I arrived!

By Julie Farrell

Following a recent invitation to speak at the Rotary Club of Burnham Beeches, Mell Sheppard and Julie Farrell picked up the gauntlet. Those who attended the Speakers Club on 12 December were treated to a dress rehearsal of a brilliantly written and expertly delivered double act.

We heard back this report from John at the Rotary Club about how our ambassadors had fared:

The Rotary Club of Burnham Beeches engage Speakers from all walks of life at our regular Thursday evening meetings.  On 15 December 2011 we challenged Maidenhead Toastmasters (Speakers) to talk to us under the heading “A Funny Thing Happened ……”

Maidenhead Toastmasters members Mellissa (Mell) Sheppard and Julie Farrell rose to the challenge magnificently and presented a self written sketch that was pertinent to our Club, clever and humorous and delivered by these two confident young ladies in a most professional manner. So, rather than being spoken to, we were treated to a most entertaining and different evening, the like of which is recommended to all. Our grateful thanks to Maidenhead Toastmasters (Speakers).

Hats off to Mell and Julie for a first class speech and for representing the club so well.