It's about time we saw you!

written by aseem kapoor

VPPR Croydon Communicators

It was wonderful to see the room buzzing with excitement before the start of the meeting, and joining our club members we were delighted to welcome several visiting Toastmasters and a number of first time and returning guests.

The theme of the meeting 'It's about time we saw you!' had been set by Dan (our Toastmaster for the evening) which he had communicated in advance on the club's WhatsApp group to encourage more members back to in-person meetings.

Those that answered the call were not disappointed as an enjoyable meeting unfolded, with three fantastic speeches including ice-breakers from two of our newer members!

Beatrice Freeman from Wharf Speakers had been a fantastic General Evaluator at a recent meeting and it was great to have her back again to lead the warm-up session in which she asked everyone what they liked (or disliked) about Spring.

Our first speaker was Dave delivering his icebreaker speech, sharing a very personal story about his journey of recovery, and concluding by listing all the benefits and positive changes he has seen.

Our second speaker Pit also with an icebreaker speech proceeded to pose a number of statements about himself, and then challenged the audience to determine which one was false.

Rounding off the prepared speeches section of the meeting was Susan, with yet another educational and fun presentation, telling us  about the healing power of laughter, and guiding us through a laughing exercise!

Next it was the turn of our speech evaluators to take to the stage and provide feedback on the speeches.

Manasseh from Liberty Speakers explained how body language could be used to enhance a speech. Ian recommended making full use of the stage. Marcia commended Susan's use of hand gestures and entertainment. 
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Just ​before the network break, Aminat our club president spoke about her Toastmasters journey, how she stepped into her first committee role as VP Education, what she learnt about leadership in the role and how she had grown.
With club elections around the corner it is time for members to start thinking about volunteering for a leadership position on the next committee!
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After everyone had refreshed themselves with a tea/coffee and biscuits, the meeting resumed with  the Table Topics impromptu speaking session.
Dan had selected some interesting and challenging questions from his Quora feed  for participants to speak about.

Rupa was one of the table topics speakers, this was her first time at an in-person meeting so it was great to finally meet her outside of Zoom and see her on a proper stage!

Beatrice, Pit, Ian, and guests China and Pankaj also had a go at answering Dan's topics, before Lydia McDowall (President of Speakers of Croydon) provided feedback as Table Topics Evaluator.

Following a timekeepers report from Aseem and a Grammarian's report from Aminat the meeting concluded with presentations.

Congratulations to Dave and Pit who received icebreaker ribbons for delivering their first speeches at the club! Meeting awards went to Ian for Best Table Topic, Manasseh for Best Evaluator, and Susan for Best Speaker:

Our next meeting is on Thursday 12 May and will be online, with our next in-person meeting scheduled for 26 May.