Finding Thursday Meetings And Clubs Meeting Specific Days

Which clubs meet on a Thursday?
You can look at notifications from Meetup to find which clubs are meeting in your local area trough the week.

In London, HOD meets on two or three Thursdays each month, usually the first and third Thursdays.

Toastmasters International Find a Club
If you go to the Toastmasters International Find a Club page, you can select your area, the distance you are willing to travel, and find all the clubs meeting on that day.

If you visit a new country on holiday or business, and you cannot see a club meeting on your preferred day, write to the President or VPE of the biggest and busiest club in the area and ask if there are any meetings.

You might find that they have changed their day or meeting and venue but not yet updated the website. Meetings might have moved temporarily because of a national holiday.

When I go on holiday, whether for a weekend away, or a week, or two months, I check the local speaking clubs. I note the dates in my diary, write offering to speak or evaluate or be grammarian, to take over a role at the last minute if somebody drops out. I ask for directions.

If the club meeting is immovable, I can move my family arrangements, such as dinner out, to fit around important events such as a club Christmas party, a club inviting me to speak, or a seasonl celebration or a contest at which I am a judge.

AuthorAngela Lansbury, CL, ACG, member of HOD in London, England.

Table topics - what are they and why are they so named? Reading and choosing topics in contests

Glossary
Table Topics - are impromptu speeches on a subject written on a piece of paper.

Contest Topics
In a contest the topics are usually selected at random from several concealed inside a sealed envelope.

In some clubs in England I have seen the topic chosen at the last minute by a visiting VIP, related by phone to somebody who types it out, such as the Sergeant At Arms. In other situations it could be the Area Governor, (maybe this was because we/they discovered at the last minute that nobody had brought the topic, so sometimes it is even written out by hand.

Picking out the topic
In a contest to promote the appearance of fairness where there are several topics the folded piece of paper with the topic written inside may be picked out of the envelope by a visiting VIP. Alternatively it is selected by somebody not competing in the contest such as the Chief Judge?

Reading out the Topic
The topic is read out to the first contestant (who is in the room). The topic is read out by the table topics master or in a contest by the contest chair (person), named table topics because in the early days and occasionally still today the topics written on slips of paper are placed face down on a table.

Where Does The Contestant Stand?
In a recent contest the first contestant was in his seat in the front or second row and the contest chairperson was about to read out the topic. Somebody in the audience called out that the contestant should move to stand at the edge of the stage. (Therefore he would not have the advantage of the extra minute taken to step forward but would be seen to be treated fairly and equally with other contestants brought in to stand just inside the door at the edge of the stage.)

I have been a judge in several contests and in the audience at several more.

Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, CL, ACG speaker.

CL = Competent Leader
ACG = Advanced Communicator Gold

Cakes for Clubs and members birthday and anniversaries

A copy of the Magna Carta on a cake is on display in Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, England. The cake maker spent 22 hours carefully copying the writing, painting it by hand with edible ink using a brush with a cut down point for the tiny writing. What's in it for me and you and your club?

In some countries

1 Visit Salisbury cathedral to admire the cake maker's work - and consider how you can adapt this idea.
2 Commission a cake from her with writing drawn on.
3 Commission a cake from somebody else with writing drawn on.
4 Bake a cake and ask another member to draw on writing imitating an old document or invent your own.
5 Buy a shop cake, such as a Marks and Spencer fruit cake topped with white icing ,and write on your own message or document.
6 Order a birthday cake with a photo (of book or document including writing/text) printed on. (I have four family birthdays and one wedding anniversary this year. I shall probably have an exam pass to celebrate.
7 In some clubs and countries the affluent club would pay for a cake for all members to enjoy. In other clubs and countries the birthday boy might use their initiative to bring in a cake to share with members. If you are overseas during your birthday you could ask if you could give a speech - with the promise to the president and committee that your speech ends with sharing a cake with the members.
8 Seasonal celebrations. Plus of course Easter, Xmas, club events. In Singapore some Toastmasters International speakers' clubs celebrate the club birthday, the club President's birthday or every committee member's birthday or every member's birthday - followed by a speech from the member.)
9 For one birthday my family ordered a photo showing me and my latest book. The photo is sent to the company at least three weeks in advance.
10 Order edible cake toppings from a company which prints the photo. One large picture or several small ones to go on cupcakes. If ordering the small size, watch out that the message does not cover the face of the birthday boy or girl.