Harrovians Christmas Party: speeches on: Christmas; Resolutions; and Festive Food

Two speeches. Followed by food.

New Year's Resolutions. Summary: People don't keep resolutions. How to keep them. Achievable goals. A buddy. Write your resolution on paper and keep the paper on your desk or the wall.
A book to read on the subject.

Christmas customs by Angela Lansbury. Covering crackers, tree. (With props.) Crackers were invented by Tom Smith, based on a wrapped sweet. The tree, made popular by the Punch magazine showing Victoria and Albert\s and their tree.

Only two speeches so no votes.

Table topics were supplied by Jayanthiny, who supplied a bag containing fruit. Amazing amount of knowledge shown by members on the fruits.

Food, glorious food

Food was a mixture of traditional British, European and Asian / Indian /meat, fish, cheese/  vegetarian

cakes pies and desserts.


Angela Lansbury

What An Evening Christmas in Harrow with Harrovians Speakers Club Monday Dec 7 2015

Amparo's Speech on The Spanish Lottery, El Gordo

Amparo told up about how her family, and many families in Spain, do the Spanish Lottery. It is called El Gordo meaning the big one, because of the large prize.

It is a large prize because the amount you have to bet is large. The amount you have to bet is more than many are willing and able to pay. So groups of people get together and contribute a share towards the betting money. Then of course the whole group are all equally interested in gathering together to hear the results.

Angela's Speech
on Harrow Arts Centre

HOD Christmas Party People and Entertainment

Entertainment was provided by Peter, Bill and Mike Freedman.

Jokes were passed around the room to all the tables so that everybody in the room got the chance to read out a joke.

Angela Lansbury.

HOD Christmas Party at Dona Theresa Restaurant

HOD members and guests.

Clockwise from left: Churchill, Pam, Ivy, Pali, Neil, Chris, Bill, Lisa, David. 

Elsa in foreground. Mike far left.

Simon, Sue, Peter, Lorrine

Aubergine with parmesan cheese

Avocado and smoked salmon

Turkey with stuffing, chipolata sausage, cranberry sauce, potato, green beans, carrots, battered courgette

Christmas pudding with custard or with cream

Elizabeth and Coralie

Simon

Angela and Simon 

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

More photos available.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Types of humour.

I read elsewhere about four types of humour:
Puns
Observational comedy

One liners
Rants
Repartee
Riposte
Anecdotes

Slapstick
Stand-up
Surreal

Mask
Disguise 
(costume)
Being yourself
Being somebody else
Being two contrasting characters
Playing a host of character 
The same character in different hats
Acting different characters - only revealing yourself as all of them at the end

Being an observer

Characters
Know it all
Depressive
Optimist
Pessimist
Realist
Religious
Political
Profession
trade
transport workers
recorded announcements/ satnav voices/ speaking clocks/ phone answering machines

Foreign languages:
signs
brochures,
marketing questionnaires
hotel receptionists

Primary school children
teenagers
teachers

Topics:
Medicine, doctors, nurses, vets
ages, toddlers, teens, young married, 7 ages of man, elderly, heaven
Mechanical objects which thwart you
Forms of transport

Travel: passport, security, ferry, bus, train, plane, ski lift, fairground
Holidays; packing a suitcase
putting up a deckchair
missing the flight

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker.ACG. CL. Winner of more than 60 ribbons for best speaker, best evaluator and best table topics speaker (impromptu speeches).

Tall Tales Contest? Have you ever had one?

I just saw a fellow toastmaster Alan was running a workshop on humour. I wrote to him:


"Maybe you could help us organize a tall tales contest. Is it instead of Humorous or in addition? I just watched your sword speech on YouTube."


Later I had feedback from Steve, Area Director (used to be called Area Governor). He said he had been to Tall Tales contests where the speakers spoke after dinner, so that the Tall Tales were all an after dinner speech.

In addition, the contestants brought along their manuals for written feedback, (working towards awards) for a manual speech from the different manuals which the contestants had chosen. For example, one Tall Tale was for project from the humorous speech manual. Others were from the first Competent Communicator manual. Oner person used it as get to the point. The point was about the safety of running shoes. Another used the Tall Tale for the project on vocal variety. Another used it for the project on getting familiar with visual aids.

Because the Tall Tale was not going to qualify for the International contest, although it followed rules, it was less stressful for both the contestants and organisers. So it was more relaxing and fun - especially as nobody had to worry about being truthful.


Angela Lansbury, ACG, CL, Member of HOD and Harrovians.
Author of books including: Wedding Speeches & Toasts; Quick Quotations.
Speaker and Workshop leader and tutor.

Testimonials from feedback for books, websites, confidence

Producing a new book, you find you are told to put testimonials. Years ago I was very anti testimonials. Big companies did not need testimonials. Only suspicious mail order companies wrote themselves suspect testimonials from anonymous or first name people. But now marketing people everywhere are saying that you need testimonials.

Ideally you should have testimonials from famous people. If you can't, you just need testimonials from others. If you are shy and modest, it's hard to get the courage to ask for testimonials. The people asked are worried about committing themselves, are too busy, or don't know what sort of testimonial to give.

However, if you are a member of toastmasters international and go to speakers meeting, every time you do a speech or a role, you get written testimonials in the form of feedback, either in your manuals, or on feedback slips or both; and if you are not a member of a club, but give any kind of service or product, you can enclose a form asking for feedback.

It's important to keep a record of who wrote the testimonial, and what it was about. I ended up with a lot of slips in pockets or bags, with vague statements such as, 'Brilliant', well done.

The solutions are:
1 Ask people at the time to write their names on the feedback forms.
2Write the subject of your speech on the top, even a word, or the date as a reminder.
3 As soon as you get home, either staple to feedback slips to your manual of speeches. Or make up a folder with the speeches in transparent pages and the feedback slips either in a pocket, or help together by a staple or paperclip.

When you start a new book or website on the subject of your speech, go back and find comments.
You can, if you wish, ring up the person who gave their comment and ask for permission to quote their whole name, first and last names. If they don't like that idea, they might agree to be described as, member of ... workshop / college / event.

Whether or not this give potential buyers confidence to buy your book or service, it is a real confidence booster to you.

Angela Lansbury, writer, photographer, tutor, author.

Christmas Customs and New Year's Resolutions at Harrovian Speakers' Christmas Party

Mince pies, a traditional English Christmas food, were on the table when we arrived, but each member brought something new to the pot luck Christmas party. We started with the savouries and vegetarian dishes and delicacies before moving onto the seasonal speeches.

President Seema was away in India, and we hoped she would bring back Indian food to share. Indra Sikdar, acting president or former president, introduced toastmaster of the evening, Sushil.

Timekeeper Sarda, remained calm despite the fact that the rest of the members idea of the evening seemed to be run by watches set to India.

I liked the way Sushil said to topics master, Jayanthiny, 'the stage is yours'.

Jayanthiny's topics were based on items drawn from a bag (should have been a Santa's sack). Amparo  started with an onion. She described how to make Spanish omelette.

Ruby, Indra's relative, received a potato, which seems to English, yet was originally brought to England from South America - and Africa.

Trevor had an apple. He talked about the cultivation of apples and grapes and that each new plant grown from a pip or seed was a new variety. By now it was clear that all the items would be food.

Jesus had a banana. He talked about big bananas, small bananas and Banana Republics. Later somebody said the most dangerous fruit was the banana - because you can slip on it.

Ruth received a pear. She began with a joke about having 'only one'. She paused, as various members of the audience understood the pun on pair, and laughed.

Sushil had a pomegranate. He explained how you cut it around the equator and tap out the seeds.

Jay had garlic. She likes eating garlic, both as a flavouring and whole cooked garlic.

Angela's speech on Christmas Customs
Angela was dressed in red with a Santa jacket. She spoke about: The First Day of Christmas, the partridge and the pear tree; the Christmas tree and panettone, Luther, Prince Albert, Norway Spruce; Christmas crackers, bonbons, concertina hat, motto, Tom Smith; Santa arriving on sleigh drawn by the reindeer Rudolph (Disney) or arriving on a red London bus.

Her props included a fabric green Christmas tree, a red Christmas cracker and fabric reindeer antlers. She ended humorously with the Australian version of the 12 Days of Christmas, which starts and with 'a gum tree'.

Evaluator Jesus won the ribbon for best evaluator


Thulasi's Speech on New Year's Resolutions
Tulsa told us about a book which revealed that most people break their New Year's Resolutions. More importantly, ways of keeping the resolutions include small changes, involving incorporating them into existing routes, such as flossing one tooth when you clean your teeth.

In the interval we enjoyed more of the savouries and Italian Pandoro cake, meaning golden cake.

Indra closed by reminding members and guests that Harrovian Speakers' Club's first meeting of the new year will be on Monday Jan 4th 2016.

Angela Lansbury ACG, CL

Highlights of Speeches at Harrovians Speakers Club Monday November 30th 2015

 The President of Harrovians' Speakers' Club, Seema Menon, CC, ALB, opened the meeting with the best welcoming speech I have ever heard.

Standing Firmly or Moving?

She gave us a quick guide to how to stand looking firm and authoritative when speaking. Then how to use the stage when speaking, moving to show progress through life or time, but not marching up and down distractingly.

Our Toastmaster of the evening was Karen, a tall figure with an enviable statuesque, commanding height but a warm manner, friendly smile and soothing voice.

  The enthusiasm and confidence of members and guests received a momentary setback when Warren stood up to deliberately challenge us with table topics of the kind that interviewers use to throw us off guard and reveal our weaknesses.
   Guest and returning member Francis West was delighted at the warm reception he received from  several of us. I see him regularly on Facebook, so I was delighted to meet him again in person. Warren Sheng, ACS, ALB, an old-timer, and long-term membership secretary regards every departing member as a personal loss, and every member returning as a guest as a personal triumph.

Challenging Topics

I was aghast at Warren's opening question, to Francis, in the form of a table topic of impromptu speech. What was your worst business mistake?
 West's reply was that it was giving an investor a 51% stake in the company, which enabled somebody else to later tell West to leave the company which he had founded. He recalled leaving, not even taking his computer.
   I'd always heard about keeping a 51% share of the company so that you had the majority vote on any decisions. I had also heard of people being asked to leave the company they had founded. But I had not seen the two events juxtaposed so vividly - in the two minutes allowed for an impromptu speech. Francis won the ribbon for the best table topic answer.
 
The other guest, Indra's aunt, was given another challenging topic, about explaining sex. How do you tell a seven-year-old boy child where babies come from? She produced a brilliant answer to avoid the facts of life. She said: 'A man and woman get together and love each other they make a baby. But making a baby is like a recipe for making a cake. It's quite complicated and you wouldn't understand it or be able to do it until you are older. When you are ready, we will explain the whole thing to you. The simple version, and all you need to know now, is, that the important ingredients are a man and woman being together and the fact that they love each other.'

Warren's other challenging topics included: 'When have you regretted being married?' Warren knows the secret to humour is to follow the start of the sentence with its opposite. He said,  'I have only regretted being married once, or twice - a day.'

Prepared Speeches

Every Cloud Has a Silver Living
We then moved on to the prepared speech. I spoke first on the subject: 'Every cloud has a silver lining.' I held up an umbrella against the rain that falls into every life. My three stories are described in another post in my blog on Toastmasters. I began with the story about my uncle whose disadvantage in life was that he was colour blind. So when he joined the RAF in WWII he could not be a pilot; he was very disappointed. But because of this seeming disadvantage, he survived WWII, and outlived everybody he knew.

 Francis evaluated my speech, giving valuable feedback. I had followed Seema's advice and moved forward across the stage from the first story about my uncle, set in 2002, to the next story, the London bombing, set in 2005. Francis explained on how I could improve my use of the stage, stepping forward across the stage, yet again, for the last story (the Paris bombing in 2015), but although the stage movements could be steps and pauses, verbally I need to make stronger verbal transitions or connections from one story to the next.

The Most Important Day

 Sanjay won the best evaluator ribbon for his analysis of a speech by Jesus on 'the most important day in the 1960s', the day Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. Jesus began with a count-down:, 'Ten, nine, eight ...' He ended dramatically 'with a giant leap for mankind,' taking an emphatic step, stamping on the stage.

Sanjay's useful tip on how this excellent speech could be made even better, was to turn the title into a question or something generating excitement.

India and England

 We also enjoyed an entertaining ice breaker speech introducing us to new member Vipul. Lorna, his evaluator, was warm and encouraging. She complimented him on his 'conversational style', said 'his enthusiasm shone through' and 'he has made a great start to his Toastmasters journey.'

I loved his phrases contrasting England and India. He said that India was known by the English, nowadays, as 'a land of snake charmers and - call centres'. That got a laugh. His school in India taught him :'more about cricket than mathematics'.

Amparo, our Grammarian, gave us the word of the day Gravitate. Several of us were able to incorporate into our speeches. One useful trick is to write the word of the day at the top of your speech notes and use the word straight away in your opening sentence.

Presentation to Indra Sikdar

Former President Indra Sikdar was presented with an antique ship's compass (an appropriate and personal gift thoughtfully chosen in honour of the fact that his late father worked in shipping). Indra was a founder member of Harrovians and has been a constant supporter through the years, bringing guests and organising and helping in innumerable ways.

Angela Lansbury, ACG, CL.

Glossary Of awards from Toastmasters International, HQ in the USA
ACS Advanced Communicator Silver
ALB Advanced Leader Bronze
ACG Advanced Communicator Gold
CC Competent Communicator
CL Competent Leader

Amparo, grammarian, chose gravitate as word of the day.She added a word to our working vocabulary, as well as reminding us not to keep repeating word fillers such as 'so ...'.

President Seema instructed us on standing sill and moving.

Seema presented ribbons.

Angela won best speaker ribbon.

V i p u l achieved first step with his first icebreaker speech.

The audience.

More happy faces.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. In this one you see me in the second row behind Seema and next to Warren. Francis has kindly offered to take a photo so I can be in the picture.

Newsletter report by Angela Lansbury.

Next club meetings, last chance, two chances, in 2015, Monday December 6th and Monday December 13th for the pot luck party. Bring your best seasonal stories and some seasonal food.

For more details on Toastmasters International club meetings worldwide, check Toastmasters International Find a club. Check with clubs about their December and January meeting dates and venues. Some clubs have their Christmas meetings at local restaurants.