Speak Out report for 28 May 2015

An enjoyable Speak Out meeting began with past president Simon reading "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock" by T. S. Eliot, a challenging choice of interpretive reading for which he was commended by his evaluator Andrew. Simon was entertaining as he brought to life this piece about mid-life crises. Andrew explained that it was important to find the balance between the different narrative sections of the poem, and to respect the poetic rhythm in order to maintain an emotional connection with the audience.

Toastmaster George performed a storytelling project "The Saddle", which reflected our Toastmasters International experience and also had an informative element. He was ably evaluated by Simon with encouragement to further use the stage space and commendation for his clarity of voice.

Paul gave an entertaining speech entitled "Taxi", relating to his world travels as a Merchant Navy Man. The story ended with him throwing his last Brazilian bank notes out of a taxi window as he left for home. Paul was commended by evaluator Mike for his humour and fluency, with a fine recommendation on structure and a suggestion of using fake money as a prop.

The meeting ended with a session of open feedback. It's always great to welcome those who can make our lunchtime meetings. The quality and variety of presentations is very high and projects with longer timings are often tackled here in an inspiring manner. Lunch in the bar of the Concert Artistes Association (CAA) is also a nice social occasion after our meeting has concluded.

Next meeting

Our last evening meeting of the Toastmasters year is on Wednesday, 10^th June from 7pm at the Fitzrovia Community Centre. Don't miss it!

After that, there'll be one more Speak Out event at the CAA before President-elect Freddie officially takes leadership of the club from July. As usual, the Speak Out meeting will be from noon on Thursday, 25^th June.