Harrovian Speakers on singing, quotations and more

Thanks to VPE Ruth who gave me a lift, I arrived early at Harrovians Speakers' Club in Stanmore. We were to enjoy a speech on singing, my speech on quotations - an evening of fun lay ahead. First we were busy with practical matters, setting out the chairs, and I insisted on moving the timer's table with lights to one side of the aisle so that the aisle was not blocked and in an emergency everybody had a quick, clear run to the fire exit. Safety first.

Heroes of the evening included Gosbert Chagula, a former President, presented with Heroes chocolates by Ruth Vishnik, another former president.

President Indra Sikdar, ATMS, AL,  opened the meeting with the Toastmasters' International mission statement. He told a story about soldiers painting masks to help cope with internal traumas.

Toastmaster of the evening was Gosbert Chagula, who began, most originally, quoting a radio announcer, 'Welcome to another edition of Harrovians!'
Gosbert welcomed returning member Matthew who, I recall, once gave us a speech on throwing Frisbees, and guest Aslam from Northwood.

 Guest Aslam, an enthusiast who joined at his first Harrovians Speakers' Club meeting, like I did the first time I attended. President Indra Sikdar was able to offer the choice of pay tomorrow on line or now by cheque or cash, whichever is easier and quicker for you.

Grammarian Karim Tharani had prepared by researching very thoroughly and spoke authoritatively. he told us that his name is Arabic for generous, and generously shared his knowledge with us. His word of the day was Augur, from Greeks who interpreted the flights of birds in order to predict. Karim reminded us that Hamlet, in the Shakespeare play of that name, defies the auguries (plural of augury). Karim recommended the Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar. He advised that he would be looking out for alliteration, triads and accurate spelling in any visual aids.

Ampura was our timer.

Hari who was supposed to be table topics master was unable to attend, but had emailed his topics to VPE Ruth who took over.

The first question for the impromptu speeches was:
1 Tell us about a brave or heroic new activity you've tried. 

Dear Reader, I suggest you think about how you would answer this topic and the others.

Indra Sikdar described how he belonged to Spice which organises outdoor activities and restaurant visits. The group took him to Luton for indoor surfing. Indra demonstrated surfing horizontally, balancing.

The other new activity he tried was a mock parachute jump. A fan created the rich of air you would feel when jumping - handy to prepare you if you are planning on the real thing. He finished, 'Been there - done that.'

2 Your serene holiday turned into an adventure. Tell us about it.

Veeren - went to an overseas wedding and enjoyed witnessing a beach wedding at a hotel with all inclusive unlimited food and tried the Caipirinha cocktail, the Brazilian national drink. After three days on the beach he took tours to see a Mayan temple, the Tuloom caves, an astrological hole, and swimming underwater in sunlight.

3 If you had a dream job, what would it be?

Lorna,

What (crazy thing) did you do to attract the attention of your first crush?

myself (Angela) on my first crush and what I did.

Which one item would you buy if you won the lottery?

Jay said she would have a car, for independence, so she would not have to wait for a bus.

In a crisis, what would you do?


Jayanthiny Kangatharai gave a speech about the small number of minority ethnic and racial groups in academia and as professors. The lack of women also. So there were few role models. She quoted statistics.

Sanjay started his speech The Joy of Singing by singing. He ended by quoting Ella Fitzgerald: The only thing better than singing is - more singing!

I (Angela Lansbury) gave a speech on quotations entitled: All's Well That End's Well.
I began by asking who could not say who originated that phrase?  To my surprise, I saw a sea of hands.

So I asked who knew? Only two people. English teacher Lorna, and Indra Sikdar, were confident that is was William Shakespeare (Shakespeare's play is given the title All's Well That Ends Well).

Angela Lansbury with book Quick Quotations for successful speeches. Angela Lansbury is another former President of Harrovians.

Evaluations

VPE Ruth Vishnik presented Gosbert, immediate past president who is leaving to live elsewhere, with a blue and white shirt as well as the chocolates called Heroes.

Sanjay the singer won the ribbon for best speech. He had used a quotation, too.

Glossary
ATMS
AL

See previous post for glossary.

Birthday Cake, Dates, Beetroot Cupcakes at HOD meeting March 2015

What a wonderful selection of food we had. Heart shape biscuits from my previous themed Valentine's meeting, Bronte biscuits from our contest, Bijan's mother's dates in pastry, Robert Baker's wife's beetroot and chocolate cupcakes with buttercream swirls on top, and my birthday cake from Morrisons supermarket, a traditional sponge birthday cake with a topping of white icing and the words Happy Birthday.

Bijan's mother offering date-filled pastry confections.

Birthday cake from Morrison's, for Angela Lansbury's birthday theme. Madeira sponge with raspberry jam and buttercream.

I am waiting for Robert to send me the recipe for the beetroot and chocolate cupcakes.

What will our toastmasters pick for the themes of two meetings in April, and what will members and guests bring?

Future Meetings - Note in your diary: HOD; LBS, London; Notts; Las Vegas, USA

NEXT HOD

Next HOD meeting is on Thursday 2nd April 2015, arrive after 7 pm, ideally about 7.30, for an 8 pm prompt start at The Bridge, beside Harrow Leisure Centre. (When leaving, avoid the bus lane which starts half way along a narrowing nearby road which becomes one bus lane only, because if you enter the bus lane you get fined, as four or more of us, including me, know, literally to our cost.) Tea/coffee milk and biscuits provide, £1 contribution and/or bring your food to entertain the group or celebrate a special occasion or theme.

We are still looking for Toastmasters of the evening.

Printing Help

Angela Hook says she has assorted machines which can help including a scanner. I suggest Toastmaster of the evening prints 4-6 copies of the preliminary agenda, just in case a printer runs out of ink or the person responsible for printing agendas forgets, falls ill, has transport trouble or has to work on the day of the meeting.

Sign up for speeches, evaluations, other roles if you are a member, or visitor/visiting GE (get a member to sign you in) on our HOD website on Toastmasters International EasySpeak.  

2015 UK TOASTMASTERS SPEAKERS EVENTS

LONDON March 28/29 weekend, Saturday and Sunday at London Business School, a walk from Baker Street Station. Speech contest Saturday, Evaluation Contest Sunday.

LONDON London Tower Hotel (?) conference weekend May 10-12 District 91.  

NOTTS As Coralie explained, we now have so many speakers in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland that Great Britain has been divided horizontally.

Scotland and the North of England have their conference in Nottingham, another opportunity to network and learn, at a city which is relatively easy to reach by car or train if you are in the south of England. 

 (No need for ferry, nor flying - unless you happen to have your own helicopter, airmiles, pilots license or are on expenses. The Nottingham conference is nicknamed The Robin Hood Conference.

LAS VEGAS, USA Toastmasters International, contest finals in Las Vegas.

Come back later for more text and photos of this HOD event and

 checked dates and venues of other meetings.

Birthday Party Theme Speakers' Meeting at HOD Speakers' Club in Harrow and what I learned

Birthday Theme
Birthdays was the theme I chose when I (Angela Lansbury) was toastmaster of the evening at an HOD Speakers' meeting because that week was my birthday. I wore a badge which said Birthday Girl; I placed a larger stand up It's My Birthday badge on the table; I asked a member to hang my Happy Birthday banner across the pinboard behind the lectern and I wore a gold foil hat.

Birthday theme topics was part of my plan. Importantly I had prepared half a dozen topics on the theme of birthdays and written them on a sheet of A4 paper to hand to anybody at the meeting if I had to ask somebody else to do topics unprepared, even a newcomer. All they had to do was look nonchalant and read out the topic.

Looking back, I could have gone a step further by asking each person who came onto the stage to say their birth sign or birthday month and why they like it.

I could have said, "My month is March and it's daffodil month," and I could have brought my vase of daffodils. I did think of that. But I had banner and badges and cake to carry. No time to tip out the water, nor find an unbreakable vase.

It would have been quicker to have grabbed scissors and cut a couple of flowers on my way out through the garden to the car. Maybe next year. If we'd had only two speakers at the meeting I could have filled time with the ongoing chats about birthday months.

Panic, Problem - Keep Calm & Carry On
Panic could have set in. President, Tony Winyard, was unable to attend because he was the winner of another club's contest.  Three more backbone members of the club were absent. Gil Ornstein was a target speaker at a contest.  Founder member and meeter and greeter Mike was away on holiday.

So I was greeting, waving at newcomers, rushing forward to hand out badges and pens. I wanted badges with names written large - preferably felt tip pens, not biro or pencil, to help me remember who was who when calling them onto the stage.

If I could not read the badge at a distance at least thanking them by name and leading applause as they left. The name is important for the audience to remember if they want to vote for that person - in fact next time I'm Toastmaster of the Evening I shall say that, "Please help me give a rousing round of applause for our speaker - 'John/Joan Smith' - and note his/her name on your feedback form and tick his/her name on your agenda it or make a mental note if you think s/he deserves a ribbon."

The reminders about feedback and voting would also help me to remember to ask the audience to write feedback for one minute after each speech and to vote.

Alan was taken ill leaving un unfilled speech slot. President Tony had helpfully emailed members asking for volunteers to fill roles. Early in the week I'd had trouble logging into the club website. At one point I found myself on an old website, which delayed matters further.

I also had too many photos from toastmasters meetings worldwide on my laptops, phones and icloud storage. I knew that I would have computer trouble later in the week. I offered to give up the role of Toastmaster to somebody else who had access for phone and laptop and website, but Tony told me to carry on and said he would get David to send me login details and he (Tony) would email members and try to fill the remaining roles.

The evening before seemed like a total disaster looming, as I had been out all day and had no laptop access at all and very little an intermittent phone coverage. Tony and I agreed that 'it'll be all right on the night'.

Luckily I had printed off one copy of the agenda with mostly empty roles the previous week. I had thought of doing what I'd seen done in a club in Singapore. Set up my laptop, or somebody else's, either to project on screen, or to read off it as a reminder.

Three of us arrived an hour early, David, Peter, and me - thanks to Peter, our Sergeant at Arms (the person who often has the key to the venue as well as setting up the room/s, banners and lecterns and chairs). I wrote onto my agenda the names of people as they came in through the door and volunteered them.

Stand-in President was former President David. Coralie, president of another club and former Area Governor (managing five clubs) could be relied on to do a major role. She wanted to be an evaluator as she was to be an evaluator later in a contest.

When I was driven to the meeting by Peter, our SAA, extra time talking together was a great help, because I was able to persuade him to give a third speech. As meeting organizer it's my policy to always have a minimum of three speeches to be sure that you can present prizes, which are not awarded when the meeting has only two speakers.

First speaker - 'Lucky' Kuldeep
Out speech session started with an Icebreaker, the first speech in the Toastmasters speech manual, by Kuldeep, whose name means light. His title was 'Lucky'. His punchline was, The harder you work the luckier you get.

Second speaker - Bijan enjoying 'Happy New Year!'
Bijan on Happy New Year, the Persian Muslim New Year which marks the vernal equinox. He explained that the vernal equinox is when the days and nights are the same length in the northern and southern hemisphere. He also showed the set of foods eaten then, which all begin with the letter S in the Persian language.




Third speaker - Peter on 'Belief - or Relief?'
Peter's speech featured a drama, imagine you are in the Lake District following a group, it gets foggy, you lose the others, and fall, hurting your ankle and tumbling over the edge of a steep drop. You call and perhaps pray for help. When your group leader or friends return to rescue you, do you feel belief or just relief?

Table Topics - Birthdays

What was your last/best birthday gift, given or received?
Richard Baker said he got pneumonia in the evening, after a great birthday.

Describe your best birthday restaurant.
Angela Lansbury: Magic restaurant - door handle hidden in a wall of door handles. Magician throws scroll on table which turns out to be the menu. Restaurant now closed. Previous years we went to Fellini and other Italian restaurants in Hatch End dim lights and bring the birthday boy or girl a cake slice topped by a candles which has a flame a like firework rocket, which you blow but it goes out and relights. Happy Birthday music fills the room.

Break time Birthday, Beetroot and New Year Date
I had brought birthday sponge cake. Bijan's mother offered her confections of dates in pastry. (See later post for more pictures.) Robert Baker brought beetroot and chocolate minicakes.

Evaluations
Peter had no evaluator so he conducted an audience Evaluation of his speech.
Coralie praised speakers for triads (sets of three), deeper, steeper, longer.

Evaluator David congratulated Bijan on 'impersonating a clock'.  (The countdown hand on TV/radio going tick tock, Bijan's hand left right left.)

General Evaluation
As we did not have a general evaluator, we asked the whole audience to act as general evaluator of the whole meeting. Toastmaster Angela, was commended for verve and theme. One suggestions was to have a printed agenda, although some people said they'd enjoyed the more informal meeting just for once for a change, like a holiday, or Friday. Another recommend: welcome guests by name at the start and invite them to introduce themselves.

I think the Toastmaster's in HOD has too much to do. In other clubs the President or VPE prints the agenda. The Toastmaster's main job is to set the theme, plan introductions to speakers and guests, and check everybody knows what to do in their roles. So I think the VPE, President or another helper should do the printing and find the GE, timer, and other last minute roles to fill.

Speakers: Peter pointed out that at least two people stood casually with a hand hidden in their pocket. Amusingly Peter said, mentioning no names, then mentioned their names.

Prize Winning Speakers

Peter won the best speaker ribbon, presented by President of the night, former President David Phelops.

Best Speaker ribbon went too Peter Jacques for his speech on Belief and Relief
 Best evaluator ribbon went to David.

Best Table Topics speakers

Best table Topics speakers were Angela and Robert Baker.

Coralie asked how many people had brought their manuals to the meeting and got their role evaluated? I'd brought my manual but not had it filled in for the Toastmasters role. (Can somebody now do that, please,  Coralie?) Coralie asked who had read the entire manual.
A heckler shouted, "Are you going to test us?"
"Yes," enthused Coralie, "read your manual and I'll test you at the next meeting! Manual test - ten questions!"

Storing Club Photos

How many photos do you take? When a local newspaper photographer came to take a photo of me to go with an interview with me about a book I had written, (Wedding Speeches & Toasts), the photographer took 12 pictures of me, all from different angles in different poses, left side, right side, standing, sitting, reclining, on a chair, cross-legged on the ground, in the middle of the room at a desk, by a window and outdoors.

When the article was published they used only one picture. The outdoor picture was chosen for a summer edition of the newspaper.

I asked a member of the newspaper staff why they had taken so many, wondering whether I had not achieved what they wanted with the first pose. I was told the photographer always takes a roll of film for each assignment.

I forgot about the photos, assuming the unused ones were lost or jettisoned.

Month, years later, I was in hospital and asked a member of my family to tell the newspaper. They printed a brief paragraph with a photo. I was told about this and assumed it was cropped from the photo they had originally used. No, they had found another photo which I had never seen, presumably saved from the first batch. Not only was the photo new to me, but more importantly it was new to their readers.

(It could be they just picked one at random from the set, not bothering to look up which was used before. But I suspect they did not need to check the article, the collection of photos would have been marked 'already used'. As I write this I am thinking, that's what I should do. Caption every photo I've used with a subtitle 'used in blog post about club meeting on (date), used in local newspaper on (date), used in club brochure (date), sent to President of club (date), or sent to speaker on (date). That way I could quickly identify if I have in stock an unused photo, especially when somebody rings up and asks, do you have any more photos. If I have two I can instantly see what they already have, tell them, and not waste time sending what they already have.

I used to save every photo I took, regardless. I know that technology is being developed to bring out of focus pictures into focus, eliminate red eye, move rubbish out of pictures, and impose new backgrounds.

However, after my computer seized up because it was over-full (message "no space") I needed to delete a few pictures.   

CC, CL, AL, ALB What Do Those Letters Mean?

When you obtain your CC award you receive a certificate and on request a letter to your employer confirming your achievement. Afterwards communications from the Toastmasters International HQ in the USA will address you with the letters after your name.

Your club website should list you with the letters after your name. If you are a President or VPE or have any committee role or are helping out and compile an agenda the letters should be after the speakers and VIP guests such as visiting GE.

Toastmasters Awards Letters

CL - (or CTM) Competent Leader - has completed projects for managing a group (timing a meeting etc).

CC - Competent Communicator - has completed ten speeches from the first speaker's manual, each project covering learning and practising subject matter, structure, spoken language text, voice projection and variety, body language, use of varied props and visuals, persuasiveness, motivation.

AL Advanced Leader - further projects completed

ALS  Silver - Further projects

ATMS Silver (Two more speech books, each containing five speech projects)

Advanced Leader Silver, later renamed Advanced Toastmaster Silver

ALB Advanced Leader Bronze

ATMG Advanced Leader Gold

C stands for Competent or Communicator
A stands for Advanced
TM stand for Toastmaster
B stands for Bronze
S stands for Silver
G stands for Gold
L stands for Leader

For more details see Toastmasters International website.

Other Abbreviation using Initial Letters
(Acronyms are initial letters making up a new word, a name or noun, for example NATO.)
HQ head quarters
VIP very important person

Angela Lansbury BA Hons CL ASG

Obtaining Photos of Club Meetings

How To Get Photos Of Yourself / Others / Groups

I would not have time to email photos later when away from my desk, nor if at my desk but busy with other tasks (such as writing this).

You can grab the photos off the internet. Please ensure you credit me with photos by Angela Lansbury and the copyright notice. This rewards me for my time, and ensures that any commercial organisation knows they must pay me for copyright photos. It also tells everybody that I probably have more photos of the event.

If you want photos you can email me, but my pictures are not all in one place - both my computer and phone are currently jammed with too many photos, so I have photos spread across a mix of various old computers and phones and backups on the internet. Therefore so it's much quicker to find a photo I have just taken which is still on my phone.

Angela Lansbury B A Hons

President of Harrovians, Indra Sikdar, presenting best speaker ribbon to Lorna.

Most clubs present ribbons or other trophies to speakers.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, author, speaker, photographer. 

Exchanging and Obtaining Photos of Yourself at Club Meetings

Photos

At the end of the Harrovians evening Jayanthiny asked me to send her the photo I took of her receiving her ribbon. It is much easier for me to send the photo to you immediately after the meeting rather than your hoping I'll have time later.  We spent five or ten minutes exchanging emails and phone numbers, identifying which photos she wanted, reducing the size to send it, establishing whether her phone could receive photos with a text message, deciding on emailing instead. We agreed she would email next day to confirm she had received pictures or ask me to re-send after I'd loaded photos elsewhere.

How To Get Photos Of Yourself / Others / Groups

I would not have time to email photos later when away from my desk, nor if at my desk but busy with other tasks (such as writing this).

You can grab the photos off the internet. Please ensure you credit me with photos by Angela Lansbury and the copyright notice. This rewards me for my time, and ensures that any commercial organisation knows they must pay me for copyright photos. It also tells everybody that I probably have more photos of the event.

If you want photos you can email me, but my pictures are not all in one place - both my computer and phone are currently jammed with too many photos, so I have photos spread across a mix of various old computers and phones and backups on the internet. Therefore so it's much quicker to find a photo I have just taken which is still on my phone.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons CC ATMG

Birthday Cakes at Clubs - how to serve it, save it - who should provide it?

Who should provide a birthday cake at clubs?

Affluent clubs, or those keen to attract members, serve birthday cakes for members' birthdays. The club funds the cake, organises the birthday message on top, organises the cake cutting knife, and proper china plates, or paper plates, or serviettes, cuts enough slices for everyone. Leftovers will be given to the birthday boy or girl, and/or taken by the president or shared amongst the committee or those present to take home. If the birthday boy of girl cannot attend (ill, working at an evening job, kept late at work, overseas, forgot) they are sent a picture of the cake, possibly with all those present waving or raising a wineglass in a toast. and a congratulations message from the president.

At other clubs the birthday boy or girl is expected to supply a cake, because at most other meetings, especially in a large club with forty or more members, they have been offered a piece of cake by other members.

At other clubs it is entirely haphazard. Those in the catering business may chose to bring in a cake for themselves, or a friend, to demonstrate their cake making skills and hope to get orders (leaving their business cards next to the cake). If another member has organised the cake, either the birthday girl or boy, or president, or VPE, or Toastmaster of the evening or the General Evaluator will commend the cake maker or organiser and propose a round of applause.

Maybe you don't want to go to the expense of ordering a cake costing £8 for every club, if you belong to four or more clubs. (In Singapore Ernest Chen belongs to six or more. In the UK Tony Winyard belongs to four. Coralie Francis belongs to two. I belong to two.)

However, if you have a large cake for your birthday for the family, and still have leftovers, you might want to bring them into your club.

Leftover Cake
At a recent meeting I brought in leftover birthday cake saved from the weekend. My family recently read that the way to save a cake to keep it fresh is to cut a vertical slice with two parallel lines instead of triangular cake slices, so you can push together two halves. Depending on the decoration on top, and whether you cut out an oblong vertically or horizontally, you might also be able to preserve the original decoration or wording intact. I had brought a plastic knife to cut the cake but our venue has proper knives, as well as rockery. You just need the time and energy to wash up afterwards.

What reading or creating a newsletter can do for your club and you

I am compiling a newsletter. Warren Sheng started a humorous account of Harrovian Speakers' meetings called What an Evening which was emailed to members. 

Pinky Tanna started emailing Harrovians members a monthly Newsletter, in two columns, with a banner headline. She inlcuded articles by herself, the President and the VPE and/or past president -  one or two other members who had time to send her snippets.

The History And Future Of Newsletters  - What Editing Newsletters Can Do For You

Sending out a newsletter takes time. It is a service to members, so that those who attended can relive the enjoyment, and see photos of themselves. Those who missed the meeting still get value from their membership by finding out what they missed. They are able to send compliments or congratulate friends and friends-to-be. Creating or continuing a newsletter for your club is a way of publicising yourself.

The newsletter draft newsletter is usually sent to Presiden who then forwards it to the committee to check names, facts, dates, eliminate or anything considered necessary.  Then it is forwarded to the members, or they are given a website link.

You can take over a newsletter from an ongoing editor just once whilst they are on holiday to get practice and see how it is done. If you have the time and inclination to write and edit it several times you can get a credit for it as a project in your Toastmasters' Leadership manual.

Angela Lansbury CL ATMG

Author of Wedding Speeches and Toasts (Ward Lock / Cassell); Quick Quotations (Lulu); Who Said What When (Lulu). 

Harrovian Speakers Monday 16 March 2015 - What An Evening!

President Indra, ATMS, AL* opened the meeting and he and Ruth Vishnick had co-ordinated well during Ruth's absence, as Indra had brought the fresh milk, teabags and old biscuits and fresh ones. I was observing what he did, noting it for when I am Toastmaster at sister club HOD. (I belong to two clubs in the UK and was a member of a club in Singapore.) The President is allowed only five minutes, which gave him time to introduce the guest, Nadine. He joked about the 'political' badge I was wearing, 'Birthday Girl', and the birthday cake I had brought for everybody to enjoy at the interval.

Toastmaster of the evening, Veeren Taylor, introduced Timekeeper Karen Carter succinctly by saying the Timekeeper was an important role. In the past I've heard the timekeeper or teamaker introduced as a 'thankless task'. ' A positive phrase such as 'A vital role' applies to both the timekeeper and the teamaker and anybody else. How much more encouraging for the evening's timekeeper, makes people listen to her, or want to volunteer to take the role.


Grammarian Jay Makwana had chosen the word of the day, LIMINAL. She had remembered to write it up on a card and bring Blutac to fix it. She went to stick it centrally, then sensibly moved it to the right of the stage so it would not be hidden by the speaker, helpfully telling everybody the reason.

Table Topics Master Minh Tran told us how she'd been longing to be the Table Topics Master ever since she joined. Great to see such enthusiasm. She had brought photos cut from newspapers for the impromptu speakers.

Table topics speakers were:
Indra, Warren, Chi, Angela, Nadine, Nigel, Dupe, Chi.

We had four longer planned speeches. Harri Seth, a mortgage adviser, gave a speech on mortgages. He advised, 'The best way to make money is to use somebody else's money, banks', and pay back using rent. Britain is landlocked with a rising population so there's dwindling supply and increasing demand. Population in London alone is 8.5 million now with an estimated 10 million in 10-15 years. The mayor of London plans building 42,000 homes a year. Where there is a demand for social housing, sometimes you are offered guaranteed rent, and maintenance paid for.

I was filling in my feedback slip, on a scrap of paper the size of my thumb, wondering how to condense my 'recommend' that he should answer the audience's prospective mortgage taker's fears about the rent being paid not to the landlords but to tenants who run off with the money, but we were on to the next speaker.

Thulasi Arunthavanatha gave a speech on drugs and clinical trials.

Jayanthiny Kangatharan gave an Icebreaker speech. She revealed that she is doing a PhD in psychology and impressed us with her use of several languages to translate research documents to report for the news section of her radio programme for graduates.

Lorna Burns CC gave an advanced project on How to Negotiating to Win-Win (both sides feel they have won or gained). After introducing the subject, she demonstrated a negotiation with her boss acted by Seema. Lorna's tips included picking your time to negotiate, whether with your spouse or your boss, preferably not first thing in the morning nor first thing in the evening. Talk about how I feel, listen to the answer, I appreciate your point, (and you benefit, not you don't understand).

Tea Break and Birthday Cake. I counted we had present 20 members (19 members and one guest). So I cut the cake into twenty pieces, hoping nobody would take two. I hung back for the first five minutes in case there was not enough for everybody. In the event a few people were not cake eaters so at least two people had seconds.

As a general rule, the thin people refuse cake. The people who are or were plump and jolly types smile broadly, discuss dieting, indulge themselves by taking the first piece, and want to be persuaded to take another. (Me, definitely, Indra, highly likely, Thulassi - possibly.)

Evaluators Nigel Tranah, Chinemelu Ezah, Sarda Hirani, Sanjay Ratnam, Jesus Parada.

General Evaluator Warren Sheng, ACS, AL, said 'the job of the General Evaluator is to evaluate everything', (including the Evaluators of speeches). He commented 'brevity is the key'. He said that the timekeeper should time everything, including the break, to be sure the evening ran to time. You should could call people back two minutes early, because nobody would notice or complain, and it takes two minutes to get everybody back to their seats. A Timekeeper should not simply stand up at the back, but come to the front stage (and enjoy) - the Timekeeper's five minutes in the limelight.
Warren's comment on the Table Topics Master, Minh Tran, was that she did well to invite the guest to speak.

Future Meetings
March 28 Contest on a Saturday, starts at 9.30 am, at London Business School a walk from Baker Street station. (Cost?) Warren Sheng is doing a workshop/training session (so he won't be paying).

You will have a chance to hear Harrovian Speakers' Gosbert Chagula, a former president, giving his prize-winning speech on Africa. He is Harrovians' winner of the club contest, then won the Area contest, now reaching the third level, division contest. If he wins that he represent us in the International Contest.

Another personality at the event is Hilary Briggs who has already visited clubs in the area giving training sessions on Evaluations - the other contest on the day being the Evaluation contest.

Our toastmaster for the evening, Veeren Taylor, is planning a workshop/training about success, including various motivational topics, at the club meeting place, Glebe Hall, Glebe Road, dates and details to be confirmed, fee covering the cost of hall hire and/or other expenses, to be announced later.

WINNERS
President Indra Sikdar presented prizes.
Jayanthini Kangatharai was presented with a ribbon for having the courage and dedication to present her first toastmasters speech, project one, the Icebreaker.

The winner of the table topics ribbon was the President, Indra Sikdar.

The winner of the speech ribbon was Lorna Burns.

The winner of the evaluator ribbon was Jay Makwana.

Nigel was presented with his CC award, a wooden plaque which has a tab at the back to enable you to stand it on a shelf.  This was Indra's good idea. I had received only a certificate from head office for my CC and Indra said the club would not pay for the plaques for previous years. So now I shall go through the manual again to win a point for the club and the plaque. Meanwhile I photographed myself with Nigel's plaque.

(Note the letters listed on agendas: PP which is short for a Past President. IPP is immediate Past President).
More on newsletters see later post.
For more on cakes see later post.
Angela Lansbury CL ACG* (For more on Toastmasters awards letters see later post.)

Where's tonight's meeting? Is there one? Frustrated by old websites! Why The New One is A Success

I just lost 30 minutes trying to find out if there's a meeting on tonight. I'm a member of a club. If I were a visitor I would be equally perplexed. Lucky I wasn't working or I would have given up looking or got told off by the boss for wasting time.

I find this problem all the time on older websites. First you go through the whole preamble of sign in as a member.

What's Good
The best websites - even on the old one there was one great feature. Your log in - first commend, very good that the site tells you that you can log in with your email. Lots of sites ask you for your 'username' - what's that, my married name, passport name, maiden name, pen-name, nickname, name I use on blogs, last year's password, the one I changed to after being hacked, the site's own password. At least one good website lets me sign in with my email and tells me to sign in with that.

Hurray! After trying assorted passwords, including my last known password and the default welcome one, suddenly the site activates. (I still don't know which of the previous attempts hit the power system).

Now I can see some useful information: correct spelling of all members' names, useful for my write-up of club meetings, as well as their Toastmaster status such as CC competent communicator. This helps me address them correctly in documents. Later I can give them status on an agenda or website. When I am toastmaster of the evening I can introduce them properly at meetings, handy if I have not had time to research anything else to say. Other bonuses, their qualification level helps contest organisers decide whether members are eligible to enter a contest, judge a contest. For regular meetings, it helps you to know if a new member  should be encouraged to take on a beginners speech or easy role, or a challenging advanced members only role at a meeting.

Later I learned that I was using an old site. That explains why only three people other than myself had logged onto the site in the last month. I was wondering they the president had not logged in. On the other hand, it shows that four of us were hunting on the internet and had inadvertently looked at an outdated site without the latest news.

After trying various links I still don't know whether there is a meeting tonight.

Why don't I know when the next meeting is? The last meeting (a contest) changed venue. I just received an email from a member (another Angela) who missed it by going to the wrong venue because the venue was changed. She had just got off the plane and rushed to the meeting without spending time checking emails.

The club venue has changed in the last year, also the meeting dates (second and fourth to first and third). I have to remember the dates for another toastmasters and a writers group, meeting the same night as the Toastmasters at two different venues according to the week. (Not counting clubs in another country, nor the book group, the gardening club and computer training lessons. They all change date and time and venue, sometimes a week before and sometimes the same week.)

When I try checking the next meeting as a visitor what do I find?

What do I like as a visitor to a site? Seeing information immediately. I now see why the new site is such an improvement.

Down with Dowloads
On the old site, four items all required download. My reaction was, Sorry, I am not downloading. My laptop has jammed up because of too many files. I can't open my photos. I keep getting warnings to delete stuff. Every email wants me to download something and every website. My computer is so full I have had to buy a new one. Spent all week looking at old secondhand out of date computers which are better than the new lightweight models which won't take discs - but have to check the specifications of each to see what's compatible. Hours listening to music trying to get though to get quotes from two companies to compare or change company.

I shall be out of action for a week during the changeover. (More passwords needed for both my mobile phone and laptop. First the temporary one from the company sending the goods.

Meanwhile - even if the visitor wanted the downloads. The first has the unexciting title Corporate info. the first word is too long and abstract. Many toastmasters manuals tell you to avoid jargon and long words. The second word, info is too short, and totally inconsistent in style with the first word. you alienate the texters who like things simple with the first ugly word 'corporate', upset the pundits and erudite with the second word 'info', and the aesthetes and style lovers with the bizarre combination.

Worst of all, it's entirely a sales pitch and doesn't reach the call to action which is COME TO THE NEXT MEETING DATE >>> TIME ??? PLACE!!!

I am one of Toastmasters Internationals most devoted members, member of two clubs. I was a member of three when one club offered half price membership if you were already a member of another club (meaning you already had the manuals and magazine and didn't need the one of joining fee to get you on the HQ system. Then they discontinued the reduction. Now they are flourishing you'd think they might reinstall it. Maybe that's the problem. They don't need members.

Back to the downloads.  No, don't lets go back. I shall now phone somebody. But half the people are creatives like me who won't know.

Who will know? The scientist, the diary keepers, the follow the rules and agenda types. They are called 'Yekkers' in Yiddish, from the German for jacket-wearers. Yekkers know the date and time but get angry if you ask. All clubs are run by yekkers. The membership secretary should be a salesperson who wants you to feel praised and wanted. But the unfriendly accountant is busy following the rules. (That has a plus side - it is great because he or she will not run off with the money).

They will make me feel unwelcome and a failure, an idiot, an unwanted member, by saying to me, "I don't have time to tell you. Why can't you look it up on the website?"

Rant over. What do I want? Call to action!

On the front page of every website. Call to action. Box in top right hand corner with flashing lights all around it.
COME ALONG TO NEXT MEETING.
DATE .........
TIME .........
PLACE ......
FREE PARKING IN .......

PS Final gripe. Harrow Council wants to cut the free parking at Harrow Leisure Centre. After widespread protests they agreed to consider allowing free parking for two hours. The main letter from a bowls club member says that's not enough. You can't meet and go off for coffee or lunch afterwards.  Any meeting to which you invite another club is likely to last four hours. You can't have everybody dashing off at assorted intervals to move their car or feed the meter or check or go home early.

Summary and reiteration of main point:

By the time your website reader has been distracted by the delivered local newspaper, the postman, a phone call, the server has gone down, and your ember or guest has accepted the invitation to do something else such as go to dinner or coffee with a neighbour or friend.

When I'm in Singapore or America I meet somebody in the lift (elevator to any Americans reading this). I have one minute to tell them, 'When you are in London go to the Toastmaster Speakers club in Harrow / wherever. Just look at the website.'

I am told that our committee have spent unpaid and unappreciated hours upgrading our websites. It's great that the BBC and other sponsors are helping the next generation to be technically trained on computers.

For those who set up websites, which club and committee members have to spend hours adapting and transferring information - it's great to have the vital information on page one answering the classic questions you are taught at the start of any journalism course on news reporting:
WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY?

PUT THE NEXT MEETING ON PAGE ONE OF A CLUB WEBSITE VISIBLE TO BOTH MEMBERS AND GUESTS!
Thanks for reading my rant. Hope this helps you make user-friendly event sites.

Winners of Speech & Evaluation Contests At Areas Level

Winners of the contest are in the centre. Gosbert Chagula, of Harrovians Speakers Club, holding his certificate, won the Speech Contest. To his left in the picture is Gil Ornstein, of HOD Speakers, holding her award for best evaluation.

How to change your life, from rags to riches, and use singing to enhance public speaking - HOD Meeting Thursday March 5th

President Tony Winyard

Toastmaster of the evening
Bijan

Grammarian Angela Lansbury with her props, a percussion instrument to get attention, plus a dictionary and a grammar book.

From the club cupboard Angela had found the pack of words of the day and selected recapitulate. Re-cap-it-u-late.

Visitors included General Evaluator Geoffrey Freedland, a former HOD Speakers' Club member who now lives in Glasgow and attends a Toastmasters club there. 

David fetched a display board from the second library. Angela wrote the word of the evening large and positioned the display board diagonally so it could be seen by both speakers on stage and the audience. She used a clipboard from the cupboard as a ruler to get the lettering straight.

 Geoffrey Freedland, who suggested she should write on the board a reminder of the meaning of the word so Angela wrote underneath the synonym Summarize, using the American spelling, which was on the card supplied by Toastmasters International which has its HQ in the USA where the organisation started. In any case, IPC converted to using Z in spellings two or three decades ago when Angela worked there as a sub-editor.

The first speech was an ice breaker or first introductory speech by Adam. His speech was full of humour about his life as a gambler. He described his grandmother as living until her nineties.  'She smoked, and drank - and was an inspiration to us all!'

The second speech was entitled Me, and was a rags to riches story. The speaker's turning point was reading the book: The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Steven Covey.

The third speech by Coral Dawkins was from the advanced Storytelling manual. She used confrontational conversation when she told us about her childhood drama standing her ground against her teacher and head master. Despite being good at maths she had been marked down, and refused to accept the paper. Her punchline was that she had been given the paper of a girl named Carol. She refused to accept the paper with the low mark. The moral of the story is that you should not accept others' underestimation of your abilities.

The fourth speech was by David Phelops on using singing scales and songs to improve speaking. He sang and used gestures. He successfully persuaded us to sign up for a singing event or course.

Peter Jacques was Topics Master and despite being pushed into the position on the day because somebody else was unable to attend, he came up with some challenging and amusing topics.

All the topics speakers were amusing and interesting. But the winner of the ribbon won despite being off topic because he was truly memorable and impressive. Nobody can remember what the topic was but we can all remember his response - a demonstration of asking everybody in the room to say their name - then remembering all the names.

The last photo shows Toastmaster of the evening, Bijan, presenting the ribbon for the best table topic.

Photos by Angela Lansbury, copyright Angela Lansbury. More photos of this event and others are available to members of Toastmasters.

If you wish to attend an HOD meeting, see details on Facebook, or on the club website, or on the Toastmasters International Find a Club website.

Evaluate Speeches With Confidence - Workshop by Hilary Briggs at Harrovian Speakers

Hilary Briggs, District Governor, UK South presented an Evaluation Workshop. President Indra Sikdar told us that Hilary had 25 years of business and management experience. She added later that she was an engineer. 

Indra read from the top of the evening's Agenda the Mission Statement:

Our mission is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and person growth.

Indra Sikdar, President of Harrovian Speakers' Club; Hilary Briggs, District Governor UK South

Front: Angela Lansbury, a former President of Harrovian Speakers, Indra Sikdar, current President of Harrovian Speakers

Middle row l-r: Reliable Lorna who teaches EFL; cheerful Seema Menon, a committee member who could be a future president; erudite Chi who gave a speech which challenged us but a collaborative group of six managed to decipher most of it and evaluate it; Jay Makwana a generous and on time car-sharer; Ruth Vishnick, former president and ex tea shop owner who organises catering and in the past gave us a demonstration of scone making with scones to eat in the interval; Peter Jones who conducts humanist funerals in you are planning a funeral of anybody else or leaving instructions in your will for your own; Hilary Briggs - VIP of the evening

Back row l-r: Jesus Parada - pronounced Hey - Zuss, because he's Spanish speaking from Venezuela; Sanjay Ratnam who makes you feel that being time keeper and finishing on time is not a penalty but an achievement; Warren Sheng who delivers humorous speeches mostly about how as club treasurer he has saved us all money; Amparo Villamil,  Guest who we hope will be a member my next meeting - we are as keen for new friends t join us as we hope they are to join us and learn new skills - most of us - in our club and members worldwide, are sorry we didn't discover the club sooner - why wait?; 'Jay' Jayanthiny Kangatharan - another Jay; peeping from the back, Nigel Tranah, Hilary Briggs, our VIP, happy after successfully training us all to give better evaluations of speeches. 

Front: Angela Lansbury, ACG, CL, a former President of Harrovian Speakers, Indra Sikdar, ATMS AL, current President of Harrovian Speakers

Middle row l-r : Seema Menon, 'Chi' Chinemelu Ezeh, Jay Makwana, Ruth Vishnick, Peter Jones, Hilary Briggs

Back row l-r : Sanjay Ratnam, Warren Sheng, Amparo Villamil,  Guest, Jayanthiny Kangatharan, Nigel Tranah

Hilary Briggs explained how to evaluate.

Four speeches were presented and evaluated:

First Prepared Speech: Should Have Gone to Specsavers by Ruth Vishnick CC.

Second Prepared Speech: Icebreaker - Why Toastmasters and about myself by Amparo Villamil. 

Third Prepared Speech by Warren Sheng.

Fourth Prepared Speech The Systems of The Mind by 'Chi'.

Future meetings:
Area Contest at Watford Speakers from noon on Saturday March 7th 2015.

Committee Meeting / Party President's Birthday., at a committee member's home.

Time: 19:00

Date: 9 April 2015.

Expect cake made by Ruth Vishnick who used to own a tea shop in Pinner. Our committee meetings are potluck food, bring what you like, which simplified catering, but please RSVP so we can give you the address give the host the guest list and have sufficient chairs.

Glossary:
ACS Advanced Communicator Silver
ACG Advanced Communicator Gold
AL Advanced Leader
ALB Advanced Leader Bronze
ATMS Advanced Toastmaster Silver
CC Competent Communicator

Hilary Briggs provided a handout to those who attended the meeting. Members who were unable to attend the meeting can contact President Indra SIkdar and ask to be put in touch with Hilary or be emailed her handout.
 For more about clubs see earlier and later posts.

Angela Lansbury is a member of Harrovian Speakers meeting two Mondays a month in Stanmore, HOD meeting two Thursdays a month in Harrow. She is also a former member of clubs in Singapore which she visits regularly. She has written several books, including four on speaking: The History of Harrovian Speakers; Wedding Speeches & Toasts; Quick Quotations; Who Said What When? She is a mentor for speakers, in person or online.