BISC - 28 March

Our evening got off to a great start with Lyn’s warm welcome and two thoughtful speeches. With an assignment to give a speech intended to persuade, Chris spoke of the saying, ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’. It’s that second half of the sentence that points up the need for persuasion and Chris spoke passionately of the role education plays in persuasion. Rob took a different tack and spoke with humour of the need for individuals to have a will. Entitled The Duchy of Cornwall thanks you, Rob’s speech informed us that in Cornwall, if you die intestate, the Duchy gets your assets. Getting people to think about what they want – and don’t want- he made a very persuasive case for each of us ensuring that we don’t shy away from writing our wills.

Club news update:

Training day in Stafford: The three English clubs (known as Anglia Council) will come together on 5 May, with half a day being led by art curator Tamsin Foulkes on the art of presenting a painting (or anything else you may wish to present: a book, a film, a play, etc.). The other part of the day will be for debating and we are seeking debaters to come along and compete for a place at the regional event. Please let me know if you wish to participate in the debate. Also, the Council is looking for nominations for President and Secretary and if you fancy being part of the organisation team for these training days (three per year), please let me know.
Regional conference: Once a year the clubs in England and Scotland come together and this year the conference will take place on 15 and 16 June in Lytham St Anns. On the evening of the 15th, there will be a debate for the winners from Councils and on the 16th is a speech contest (in which two of our club members, Lucy and Rob, will be competing. In the afternoon, there will be workshops and Lorna and myself are amongst the deliverers. Have a word with me if you’d like to attend. We can arrange car pools from Birmingham.

Workshop - The evening’s workshop was on how to design and run a workshop. It was presented to encourage members of the club to take on the role of presenting/facilitating a workshop. With only a half an hour to undertake what might be done on a 2 day course, we managed to cover a lot of ground. People recalled the best workshops they’ve attended and we looked at what made them so. Elements of success were that they were fun, relevant, participative, and pitched at the right level. We talked about the importance of aims and objectives and the need for preparation. We also spoke of the difference between a trainer and a facilitator and decided that a facilitator did not necessarily have the expertise of a trainer but could bring a group together and that with the Powertalk manual, any member could use that as a basis to facilitate a workshop on aspects of public speaking.

We welcomed new members and guests attending the club and as ever, left the Plough & Harrow feeling that a really good evening had been enjoyed by all.



Carole Manship

Club President