A Typical Meeting
At Eastwood Communicators, we like to think of our meetings as pleasant social events with a valuable educational spin-off.
Every speakers club has it’s own personality and ours leans towards informality with good (clean) humour.
There are some events, such as inter-club speech competitions and debates, where a greater degree of formality is appropriate and we like to enter fully into the spirit of such occasions.
We like to think that there is no such thing as a typical meeting and a club meeting can include:
- Two or three prepared speeches of typically 5-8 minutes although the
more advanced speakers will often undertake longer assignments..
- A session of short ‘impromptu’ speeches known as ‘Table Topics’ – The
‘Topics Master’ picks out willing volunteers who give speeches of
typically 90-seconds on a subject introduced ‘on the spot’.
- Each prepared-speaker and impromptu-speaker will be ‘evaluated’ by one of
the more-experienced members to provide valuable feedback and
recommendations for improvement.
- Debate
- Poetry Reading
- Book/performance reviews
- A session discussing current events which all members, and visitors
if they wish, can participate called Talking Point. This item is
very good to introduce new members to speaking.
- A business meeting where members learn how to run a meeting correctly.
As the club is essentially about speaking, all members take turns to perform the meeting ’functionary’ roles which include Chairman, Topics Master and Timekeeper.
Eastwood Communicators like to think that, as a club, they are prepared to introduce new ideas at all times. New or inexperienced members can practice presentations which they may have to give outside POWERtalk and receive useful feedback.