Four contestants competed and drew lots for order of speaking: Margaret, Kirsty, Rob and Lucy. At the back of the room were three independent judges: Peter Shearer, Allison Taylor and Deb Baker. In front of the room, off to the side, were two timekeepers: Ana and Susan. In total, the speakers faced an audience of 20, our members, four guests and the judges. So, perhaps, all in all, a bit daunting?
Several weeks ago, each of the speakers had been given 3 topics from which to choose their subject. Margaret chose Great Expectations and used the Dickens reference to start her speech with a very effective recital of the opening of A Tale of Two Cities (‘It was the best of times; it was the worst of times’ etc.). She related the experience of a close friend facing up to breast cancer (‘How do you prepare for death?) and wove the story of Great Expectations into the friend’s experience which, like Great Expectations, has had a happy ending. Designed to entertain, it was a great speech, with much depth and well delivered. I particularly enjoyed Margaret’s wiggle in reciting a ‘time for foolishness’.
Kirsty was up next. She chose medium as her subject and delivered a speech to inform, having researched the very many meanings this word has. Kirsty was also entertaining but unfortunately, there are penalty points for speeches under 5 minutes and over 8 minutes. Her speech fell a bit short of the time and she consequently lost points.
Rob was the third speaker and he chose luxury as his topic with a speech designed to inspire. His opening, an anecdote of an evening of wine tasting at one of Birmingham’s most expensive restaurants, gave us a feel for what luxury might mean; but he went on to convince us that luxury is not the price of something but the value – the value of good friends, family, love. With no notes, great hand gestures, fabulous poises, Rob looked to be a great contender.
And then it was Lucy’s turn. Her choice of topic was reality and her title was ‘Reality Bites’. Her dog metaphors worked well and her delivery of Bill Clinton’s line, ‘It’s the economy, stupid’, certainly brought home to all of us the reality of the current financial situation we all face. It was a brilliant speech, professionally delivered.
Beryl was our presenter for the evening and did a great job seeing us through all the protocols. We were also helped on the night by Mercedes, who hosted the judges and briefed them on their role; and by Lorna and Vernon (deliberate mistake), who were tellers, counting up and verifying the scores.
Deb Baker, who is a member of the Lichfield Powertalk group, delivered some feedback about the contest and general observations from the judges about what the speakers did really well and a few points about where they could improve. In addition, speakers got written feedback from one of two evaluators in the audience – Mike and Lyn. You probably can tell, a lot of work goes into this evening. Beryl and I started organising it in early January and we were very appreciative of all the support we had from individuals who competed and those who helped out on the night.
Lucy and Rob were declared the joint winners and given certificates and prizes and Margaret was announced as the alternate, also with a certificate and prize. If Lucy or Rob cannot make it to the next level on 25 February, then Margaret will be invited to do so. We are very much hoping that our club members will turn out in great numbers to support our speakers at the event – at the Holiday Inn in Stafford, just off junction 13 on the M6. (If anyone would like to go and needs a ride, please let me know!)
Before the evening ended, as President, I stood up to make a few announcements:
You will be receiving a club e-magazine, Powerline. Please do take time to read it and even better, please consider contributing to it. The deadline is 13 April.
We need more understanding of the dividing line between publicity for the club and people’s desire for privacy – in regards to photographs and use of surnames. It was suggested that we incorporate this information on a joining form for new joiners and I will try to confirm with present members what their view is.
1 March is the deadline for first leg of the international writing competition. I have emailed an explanation of the competition. Let me know if you’d like to see the rules and guidelines.
There will also be something else coming round from Allan, our Communications Liaison Officer (CLO) - a one sheet summary of financial matters (e.g. if you would like to leave a legacy in your will to Powertalk). Our CLO gets communication from Powertalk at all levels and he is keen to NOT bombard you with everything.
Please let Margaret know if you are planning to attend on 25 Feb. It costs £15, which also covers a generous lunch. (If you don’t know Margaret’s details, write to me and I’ll forward your email to her.)
We enjoyed biscuits, coffees, tea and hot chocolate provided by the club – not our normal offering and we ended the evening by formally welcoming our most recent new member, Julie, by presenting her with her Powertalk pin and the pack from New Zealand.
I look forward to seeing everyone on 22 February when our theme is Independence/Breaking Away. Mercedes will be presenting and 6 speakers are lined up. The workshop time will be used to find out what topics for speeches and workshops you would like for the new programme (May to end July and beyond).
Carole Manship
BISC President
carole@bridgemarketing.co.uk
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