Meetings begin promptly at 07:45 am on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at The Lansdowne Club, 9 Fitzmaurice Place, London W1X 6JD, only five minutes walk from Green Park tube station.
How Toastmasters works
At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. Berkeley Square Speakers is made up of 20 to 30 people. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice:
• Giving impromptu speeches.
Members present one-to-two-minute impromptu speeches on assigned topics.
• Presenting prepared speeches.
Two or more members present speeches based on projects from the Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership Program manuals. Projects cover such topics as speech organization, voice, language, gestures, and persuasion.
• Offering constructive evaluation.
Every prepared speaker is assigned an evaluator who points out speech strengths and offers suggestions for improvement.
The Tools You Use
Upon joining Berkeley Square Speakers, each new member receives a variety of manuals and resources on speaking. Members also have access to other books as well as audio and video cassettes on speaking and leading. They also receive the award-winning The Toastmaster, a monthly magazine that offers the latest insights on speaking and leadership techniques.
Toastmasters and leadership
Leadership cannot be learned in a day. It takes practice. In Toastmasters members build leadership skills by organizing and conducting meetings and motivating others to help them. Club leadership roles and a leadership development program also offer opportunities to learn and practice. Just as Toastmasters members learn to speak simply by speaking, they learn leadership by leading.