Arun Speakers Club

We had an excellent, energy-filled meeting this week, brought to order by our Sergeant at Arms, Gina. Our Toastmaster of the Day, George, kept us enthralled from start to finish by weaving a variety of fascinating origin stories throughout the evening.

🏆 Club Business & Awards

Before diving into our speaking program, we celebrated several outstanding achievements within the club:

Chris won Table Topics Speaker of the Year.

Johnathan received a certificate for Area H32 achieving Select Distinguished status.

Gina obtained the prestigious Smedley Award.

Colin was named Public Relations of the Year across the District

🎙️ Warm-Up & Prepared Speeches

To get the room speaking, Debra led an engaging warm-up round asking members a timely seasonal question: do you love or loath air conditioning?

We were then treated to two fantastic prepared speeches:

Steven delivered his Ice Breaker, "We Never Planned It," taking his very first step on the Presentation Mastery pathway.

Colin presented "The End," taking the audience on a humorous and insightful journey through potential choices for unusual funeral entertainments.

⚽ Table Topics: World Cup Theme

After the break, Chris took the stage as Topicsmaster, challenging our members with a dynamic World Cup theme. Our impromptu speakers rose to the occasion with creativity and quick thinking:

Anil shared which sport he would compete in given the chance.

Johnathan reflected on the concept of "missed opportunities."

Colin described surviving "the worst event experience."

Don gave a masterclass on creating "the most dramatic exit."

Lesley explored "4-ear opportunities."

Debra spoke about representing a nation of her choice.

📝 Evaluations & Reports

The third section of our meeting dedicated time to Toastmasters' core feedback loop, keeping our skills sharp and our meetings running smoothly:

Speech Evaluators: Mandy, Andy, and Lesley provided highly detailed, encouraging, and actionable feedback to our speakers.

Grammarian: Gina displayed active listening throughout the night, ably noting our lovely language, grotty grammar, and suspect humour in her final report.

Timer: Vicky adeptly managed the clock, keeping our packed agenda running right on schedule.

General Evaluator: Phil led the evaluation team, capping off the evening with a thorough recap of the proceedings and a deep dive into our evaluators' methods to help elevate our feedback techniques.

Thank you to everyone who stepped into a role and contributed to such a successful evening. See you all at the next meeting!

Meeting Report 1st July 2026

Our latest Arun Speakers club meeting fell on the start of the new Toastmasters International year on 1st July, and saw us celebrating the old year and welcoming the new. There was also a theme of “Football” as there was the small matter of a match taking place immediately before our meeting.

Our outgoing President, Gina, led the club’s annual “Hall of Fame” where we acknowledged our 13 new members and our 12 members who completed educational awards this year. Thay contributed to the Club achieving the highest accolade of Smedley Distinguished with 10 out of 10 goals met. Congratulations to all those who contributed to that success. The winner of all four club contests last year was Colin, who progressed all the way to the District Evaluation Final. Members’ votes throughout the year resulted in the award of Best Evaluator to Mandy, Best Topics Speaker to Chris, and Best Speaker to Colin.

Not surprisingly Colin was awarded Toastmaster of the Year for both his contest success and his excellent work on public relations for the club.

The final award, the Robin Chawner Outstanding Achievement Award, went to Gina for her leadership and drive as President, and in recognition of her own incredible personal development. Her story is an inspiration to many others.

The meeting proper started with our new President, Don, inviting members to be bold and to be great ambassadors for the club in the coming year. Clearly Don will lead by example.

Sandra introduced the warm-up and invited members to share their favourite ball, and the responses covered champagne at the Goodwood Ball, chocolate balls, rugby balls and Tudor meatballs known as Farts of Portingale. You never know quite what you will learn at an Arun club meeting.

The two prepared speeches were from Simon, encouraging us not to be afraid of repeating a speech but to use the opportunity to learn and grow, and from Paul, with a tale of how to foster team collaboration by impromptu an meal preparation. You needed to be there!

George led us through a very thought-provoking Table Topics session where members demonstrating great skills at thinking on their feet – a key skill we get to practice at every meeting.

The final part of the meeting is where the members are given feedback to encourage them and to drive further improvement. Debra was voted the best Evaluator for her first ever General Evaluation, a great achievement.

Another evening of laughter and learning – why not join as at future meetings https://www.arunspeakers.net/

🏆 ARUN SPEAKERS ACHIEVES SMEDLEY DISTINGUISHED STATUS! 🏆

We have some massive news to share, but you might be wondering: What actually is "Smedley Distinguished" status, and why is it a big deal? 🤔👇

Every year, Toastmasters International measures clubs worldwide on a strict set of quality standards called the Distinguished Club Program. It tracks member achievements, educational progress, leadership development, and club growth.

The Smedley Award—named after Toastmasters founder Dr. Ralph Smedley—is a highly prestigious peak recognition. Achieving "Smedley Distinguished" status means Arun Speakers hasn't just met the baseline; we have excelled at the highest level by rapidly adding new members, fostering a high-energy environment, and helping our existing speakers smash their personal goals. 🚀

What does this mean for YOU?
It means that when you visit us, you are stepping into a top-tier, gold-standard learning environment. Whether you want to:

Conquer public speaking anxiety 🎤

Master the art of giving and receiving high-quality feedback 📈

Ace corporate presentations or wedding speeches 💼

Develop unstoppable leadership and evaluation skills 🌟

..you are learning alongside an award-winning, highly supportive community right here in Chichester!

👉 Come see a Masterclass in action. Our meetings are incredibly welcoming, full of laughter, and completely free for guests to attend. Drop us a message to book your guest spot at our next meeting!

Arun Speakers - Meeting 17th June

Our club president Gina introduced the evening and the members holding specific roles for the evening.

SAA Debra introduced a football theme

Toastmaster - Jonathon - our toastmaster ably coordinated the meetings activities.

Aniall introduced our warmup of unexpected good and bad news.
Featuring zip wires, spaniels, house moves and

Prepared speeches followed, with ubjects as diverse as ‘The power of ish’ , ‘The benefits of free-range chickens’ and ‘The art of planning a well constructed speech topic’

Kate ran topics during the team break.. a break from the usual formal which compressed the overall length of the meeting allowing for a hasty exit by the football loving membership.

The meeting concluded with a number of evaluations of the evening’s activities and a general evaluation from Lesley focusing feedback, analysis and encouragement.

Handing over of award from Gina to new president Don

☀️ A beautiful summer evening celebrating great speeches, personal growth!

As we move into longer days and flourishing gardens, we continue to grow together—one meeting, one speech, and one opportunity at a time.

Our President, Gina, opened the meeting with some thoughtful reflections on summer before Vicky led an engaging warm-up session on "money well spent." Responses ranged from a refreshing (if expensive!) glass of Pimm’s to opera glasses, multiple pairs of shoes, computers, and even some very costly children!

We then enjoyed three excellent speeches:

🎤 Will delivered his Level 1 speech, *"All In"*, a moving and deeply personal story about his father's life philosophy and the profound impact it had on Will's own journey of growth and self-discovery. Bravo, Will!

🍫 Bettina presented her Level 3 speech, *"The Mirror and the Emergency Chocolate"*, combining thoughtful reflections with well-chosen props to bring her message to life.

🎤 Andy concluded the speaking session with his Level 4 speech on the Victory Conference. He shared memories from an inspiring event held by the club 20 years ago, complete with photos of younger versions of some of our fearless leaders! Members also had the opportunity to suggest disruptions and challenges, which Andy addressed with impressive impromptu solutions.

Table Topics took a summer break this meeting and will return next time.

A huge thank you to our evaluators—Simon, Colin, Jonathan, Chris, and Don—for their insightful feedback and encouragement to help our speakers continue developing their skills.

The meeting concluded with Andy presenting Gina with her certificate for completing Level 5 of the Presentation Mastery Pathway. Congratulations, Gina, on this fantastic accomplishment!

🏆 Award Winners:

• Best Speaker: Will

• Best Evaluator: Chris

It was a wonderful summer evening filled with emotion, laughter, learning, and growth. We were also delighted to welcome our guest, Domonique, who fitted in immediately and has already said she'll be back.

We look forward to seeing everyone again at our next meeting!

What a wonderfully full and bustling meeting we had this week; truly a hive of activity as we celebrated World Bee Day! 🐝

Bettina embraced the theme brilliantly as our very own “Queen Bee,” bringing plenty of creative buzz to the evening.

Marci opened the meeting with a lively warm-up session on favourite fictional characters, sparking responses that ranged from beloved children’s stories to classic literary figures.

We then heard David’s confessional and entertaining Ice Breaker speech, “A Naked Surprise,” marking the start of what promises to be a fantastic Toastmasters journey.

A real highlight of the evening was Gina completing her Level 5 project with the inspiring speech, “I Thought I Was Just Popping In.” Gina reflected on the confidence and growth she has gained since first visiting the club — sharing how taking on roles, speaking opportunities, and receiving supportive real-time evaluations helped her develop step by step. Her speech beautifully captured what Toastmasters is all about: a supportive environment where members can grow, celebrate successes, take risks, and even fail publicly while being encouraged every step of the way.

Don then led an eclectic and entertaining Table Topics session covering everything from royal celebrations and nature to AI and even frogspawn!

Thank you to our evaluators, Mandy, Phil, Will, Jonathan, and Colin, for their thoughtful and encouraging feedback throughout the evening.

The meeting concluded with Gina presenting the evening’s awards:
🏆 Level 2 Competition - Paul
🏆 Ice Breaker - David
🏆 Best Table Topic - Anil
🏆 Best Evaluator - Jonathan

One particularly lovely comment came from guest Amber, who said she “didn’t know what to expect but certainly didn’t expect the evening to be so full of humour and so much fun.” We couldn’t ask for a better summary of the night!

We were also delighted that two other guests, Alex, and Simon, have now joined as new members and were warmly welcomed to our family.

Overall, it was a fabulous meeting that truly showcased the many benefits of Toastmasters: confidence, communication, growth, support, laughter, and community.

What a fantastic evening at Arun Speakers! 🎤✨

We had a brilliant meeting on the 29th of April as we dove into the “Successful Club Series.” It was a night packed with insights on how we can all grow together and keep our club thriving.

🌟 Meeting Highlights

The Successful Club Series: We heard three incredible presentations:

Bettina Ringsdorf on "Keeping the Commitment."

Andy Hammond on "How to Be a Distinguished Club."

Colin Simmons on "Going Beyond Our Club."

Table Topics: Our impromptu speaking session was absolutely great! A huge shoutout to Will, who won the evening with a stellar performance! 🏆

Expert Evaluation: We were lucky to have Colin Simmons, a District Evaluation Finalist, provide the Table Topics evaluation.

A big thank you to our Toastmaster of the evening, Andy Hammond, and our SAA, Debra Hall, for keeping everything running smoothly.

📅 Join Us Next Time!
Interested in boosting your confidence and leadership skills? Come visit us! We meet every 1st and 3rd Wednesday.

Upcoming Dates:

May 6th (AGM)

May 20th

June 3rd

📍 Find us: www.arunspeakers.net
🌐 Learn more: www.toastmasters.org

🎤 Could you speak for 1 minute in front of friendly people?


That’s how confidence starts.


At our recent Arun Speakers Toastmasters meeting, members took part in:


✨ Inspiring speeches
✨ Fun impromptu speaking games
✨ Laughter and encouragement
✨ Supportive feedback to help people grow


We heard stories of resilience, personal change, athletic achievement and imagination — from Ironman competitions to fictional worlds balanced on giant turtles!

Whether you're confident already or terrified of public speaking, Toastmasters helps people become stronger communicators in work and life.

You do not need experience.

You do not need to speak on your first visit.

You’ll receive a warm welcome.

📍 Arun Speakers Toastmasters
👥 Guests always welcome

Message us if you'd like to visit our next meeting. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month - https://arunspeakers.net/

Rapporteur’s Report – Toastmasters Meeting15th April 2026

The evening began with our President announcing that Arun Speakers has been recognised by Toastmasters International as a distinguished club!

Today’s meeting transported us through language, learning, courage, humour and personal growth. With the theme of “Slang Through the Ages,” we were treated to a lively and varied programme full of warmth, wit and wisdom.

We opened with a smooth introduction from our Toastmaster, who guided us confidently through the evening’s agenda. Roles for the evening were clearly explained, helping guests and newer members understand the flow of a Toastmasters meeting.

Warm-Up Session George got us started with an energetic warm-up designed to “get into the flow.” We explored languages our members would like to learn, with mentions of Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Welsh and even the language of love. It was a lively reminder of how communication connects cultures.We were also given a memorable “Japanese lesson,” where words such as shiver, angry and constipated somehow became unforgettable audience favourites!

Prepared Speeches Sandra introduced Colin, who delivered a thought-provoking speech titled “The Architect of the After.” Speaking on the subject of change, Colin reminded us that change can feel scary, uncomfortable and uncertain – yet often brings growth and opportunity. It was a well-structured speech with a clear message and strong examples.

Sarah then inspired us with her powerful story of becoming an international Ironman athlete. She spoke honestly about the ups and downs of training, setbacks, moments of self-doubt and the determination needed to keep going. Her achievements included world championship success and her upcoming participation in the London Marathon and a triathlon in June. Her speech was a moving example of courage, resilience. She didn’t give up, she gave back.

Table Topics

Our impromptu speaking session was lively, creative and full of surprises.Topics included:
What significant date in history coincides with an important date in your own life?
What book should have been made into a film instead?
If you could holiday in a fictional world, where would you go?

Responses ranged from the Bluebell Championships, to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and referencing four elephants and a giant turtle. One speaker suggested that “the Hex equivalent needs changing regularly” – a line that certainly caught attention!Another imaginative topic asked what invention should never have been developed. How would you have answered that question?

Evaluations

Our evaluators offered thoughtful, constructive and encouraging feedback.
Colin’s evaluator praised his calm delivery, strong theme and ability to engage the audience.

Sarah’s evaluator noted how her story left the audience wanting more, and commended the structure and emotional honesty of her speech.

The General Evaluator commended the smooth running of the meeting, clear role explanations and positive atmosphere throughout.

Grammar and humour were also carefully monitored, with some bold language choices and memorable one-liners highlighted for special mention.

Awards

At the close of the meeting, congratulations went to:🏆� Best Table Topic: Sandra🏆� Best Evaluator: ColinClosing ThoughtsToday’s meeting reminded us that Toastmasters is about much more than speaking. It is about courage, learning, laughter, creativity and supporting one another to grow.Whether discussing history, humour, personal triumph or giant turtles in space, every speaker contributed something valuable.

Thank you all for another excellent meeting.

Rapporteur’s Report – Toastmasters Meeting15th April 2026

The evening began with our President announcing that Arun Speakers has been recognised by Toastmasters International as a distinguished club!

Today’s meeting transported us through language, learning, courage, humour and personal growth. With the theme of “Slang Through the Ages,” we were treated to a lively and varied programme full of warmth, wit and wisdom.

We opened with a smooth introduction from our Toastmaster, who guided us confidently through the evening’s agenda. Roles for the evening were clearly explained, helping guests and newer members understand the flow of a Toastmasters meeting.

Warm-Up Session George got us started with an energetic warm-up designed to “get into the flow.” We explored languages our members would like to learn, with mentions of Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Welsh and even the language of love. It was a lively reminder of how communication connects cultures.

We were also given a memorable “Japanese lesson,” where words such as shiver, angry and constipated somehow became unforgettable audience favourites!

Prepared Speeches
Sandra introduced Colin, who delivered a thought-provoking speech titled “The Architect of the After.” Speaking on the subject of change, Colin reminded us that change can feel scary, uncomfortable and uncertain – yet often brings growth and opportunity. It was a well-structured speech with a clear message and strong examples.

Sarah then inspired us with her powerful story of becoming an international Ironman athlete. She spoke honestly about the ups and downs of training, setbacks, moments of self-doubt and the determination needed to keep going. Her achievements included world championship success and her upcoming participation in the London Marathon and a triathlon in June. Her speech was a moving example of courage, resilience. She didn’t give up, she gave back.

Table TopicsOur impromptu speaking session was lively, creative and full of surprises.
Topics included: What significant date in history coincides with an important date in your own life?
What book should have been made into a film instead?
If you could holiday in a fictional world, where would you go?Responses ranged from the Bluebell Championships, to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and referencing four elephants and a giant turtle. One speaker suggested that “the Hex equivalent needs changing regularly” – a line that certainly caught attention!

Another imaginative topic asked what invention should never have been developed. How would you have answered that question?

Evaluations
Our evaluators offered thoughtful, constructive and encouraging feedback.

Colin’s evaluator praised his calm delivery, strong theme and ability to engage the audience.
Sarah’s evaluator noted how her story left the audience wanting more, and commended the structure and emotional honesty of her speech.
The General Evaluator commended the smooth running of the meeting, clear role explanations and positive atmosphere throughout.
Grammar and humour were also carefully monitored, with some bold language choices and memorable one-liners highlighted for special mention.
Awards
At the close of the meeting, congratulations went to:🏆� Best Table Topic: Sandra🏆� Best Evaluator: Colin
Closing ThoughtsToday’s meeting reminded us that Toastmasters is about much more than speaking. It is about courage, learning, laughter, creativity and supporting one another to grow.Whether discussing history, humour, personal triumph or giant turtles in space, every speaker contributed something valuable.

Thank you all for another excellent meeting.