London Cardinals Toastmasters

...from the winter weather and a quantum of entertainment it can only be a Bond inspired night at London Cardinals. As smooth as an Aston Martin, our debonair Toastmaster was Gilpin, James Gilpin. Time was kept better than a Rolex Submariner thanks to Tory Craddock. The quips flew and were duly noted by Jheni Arboine who was swept away by the words.

Monica Chong took us on a whirlwind tour of the art scene with a table topics session motivated by the 1000 paintings you must see before you die. Paul explained how Michelangelo drew the perfect circle, Nigel wanted us to believe in our inner artist and Laurence was timed out in explaining the horror behind The Scream. Laura chose accountancy over art, Simon shared the challenges facing cave artists and Alison paid homage to the old Masters. Glenn shared his memories of dating a picture framer and Stephanie chose speaking as her form of creative expression.

Prepared Speeches
Caroline Watson (#3) shared her triathlon tips for legs of steel, not jelly! Christianne Van Duuren (#4) tested herself to the limits to face her fear of heights. Gilly Cutts just wants to have fun and modelled the latest in toastmaster couture head wear. James Marshall reminded us of the horror inherent in fairy tales with his gripping retelling of Hansel and Gretel.

Top Tips from Evaluators

• Kevin Sullivan urged table topic speakers to position themselves on the stage for dramatic effect
• Deborah Henley recommended asking questions to help slow the speaking pace
• Simon Holliday advised varying tones of voice to convey grandeur and the scale of the story
• Gary Cooke wants speakers to step out of their comfort zones and try something new for each speech
• Jenny Cutler suggested more practice on timing to allow build-up to the storys climax

Who Won What?
Best table topic: Simon OMahoney for acknowledging his inner cave manBest evaluator: Gary Cooke for practising what he preached in his evaluation of Gillys advanced speechBest speech: Gilly for telling us how she never does it unprotected bee keeping that is and demonstrating her love of outrageous headgear.