Speakers Hang on to Stone
The Blarney Stone trophy was won for the sixth successive year on November 18th by a team from Stourbridge Speakers Club in the annual verbal joust with Wolverhampton and Sutton Coldfield speakers’ clubs. Kissing Ireland’s fabled Blarney Stone is reputed to confer the gift of speaking eloquence but members of the Stourbridge team prefer the more proven route offered by their club. Team member Heather Noble said, “The level of public speaking experience within the club is immense. Which means that beginners, whatever skill they are trying to develop, can always benefit from informed, constructive and supportive feedback.”
This year’s Blarney Stone contest was hosted by the Sutton Coldfield club, which set the theme of Land, Sea and Air. Teams comprise a chairman and three speakers. The chairman introduces the speakers and provides the link between speeches. Each of the speakers addresses one of the theme topics. A panel of independent judges then evaluates the teams’ performances to determine the overall winner. After hearing some great speeches in this hard fought contest, the judges declared Stourbridge Speakers Club to be the clear winners.
The three competing clubs form the West Midlands Area of the Association of Speakers Clubs, which sets out to help people to develop their speaking skills, whether for business presentations, job interviews, wedding speeches or even one-to-one conversation. Several of the competition speakers had joined their clubs within the last twelve months and were a testament to the rapid pace of speaking development when there is active help from experienced speakers. One of the newer members of the Stourbridge club and a speaker in their winning team, Sophie Bullock said, “A fairly new member to the club, I joined not quite knowing what to expect. Immediately I felt welcomed by the members as well as being enthused and inspired at the idea of becoming a confident speaker. The competition was a memorable experience and a real result when our team won! I would recommend Stourbridge Speakers Club to anyone considering improving their public speaking.”
Speaking competitions are great fun but the main purpose of the clubs is to help people to develop their communication skills in a variety of ways. For many people the greatest challenge is to overcome their nerves and stand up in front of an audience. And all can improve their speaking performance having leaned about speech construction, effective use of the voice and other ‘tricks of the trade’. Speakers’ club meetings are fun, friendly and made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Working together in a supportive environment can help conquer fears of speaking in public. Stourbridge president Sue Davies said, “The warm and generous atmosphere of our club makes it a great place to develop speaking confidence. Competitions are nerve-wracking and fun but also a great way to increase ability.”
Stourbridge Speakers Club meets once a fortnight in the Talbot Hotel, Stourbridge. For more information about the club and its meetings visit the club’s website: www.stourbridgeasc.org.uk.
Stourbridge Speakers Club meets fortnightly on a Monday evening at the Talbot Hotel, Stourbridge: www.stourbridgeasc.org.uk
The three clubs competing for the Blarney Stone trophy are members of the national Association of Speakers Clubs: www.the-asc.org.uk
Blarney Stone/Blarney Castle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blarney_Stone
For more information contact David Wike, Communications Officer, Stourbridge Speakers Club: email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 01527 835161
