West Herts Speakers Club

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West Herts Speakers Club

We are a friendly group of people who get together on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month to improve our public speaking skills. All the guests are welcome!

Come join us!

26/04/2026

🍻 Speaker Showcase: Live in Milton Keynes! 🎤

We’re excited to invite you to a special Speaker Showcase, a collaborative event between West Herts Speakers and North Bucks Speakers.

This is an opportunity to experience a live line-up of 12 speakers in an informal, social setting at Bucks Star Beer, StoneBridge, Milton Keynes (MK13 0DX) — with pizza, drinks, and a relaxed brewery atmosphere.

Each speaker will take the stage to deliver a short talk, offering a diverse range of styles, ideas, and perspectives. From storytelling to personal insights to practical topics, no two talks will be the same — and that’s exactly what makes the evening so engaging.

It’s public speaking in its most authentic form: real people, speaking live, in front of a real audience.

Whether you’re a Toastmasters member, interested in communication and speaking, or simply looking for a unique evening out, you’re very welcome to join us.

📅 Thursday 14 May
🕢 7:30pm start
📍 Bucks Star Beer, StoneBridge, Milton Keynes, MK13 0DX
🎟️ Free entry (limited spaces)
📩 RSVP required — please DM on Instagram to secure your place

We’d love to fill the room with a supportive audience from both clubs for what promises to be a lively and memorable evening.

04/03/2026

We're excited and honoured to confirm that West Herts Speakers Club will be hosting this year's Area 32 Contest!

And what does that actually mean?

It means that the winners of club contests from across our area will all come to our venue to compete for the Area title!

They'll be competing in International Speech, Table Topic and Evaluation Contests.

We have limited spaces for any guests or Toastmasters International members who would like to attend and spectate the event.

If you'd like to attend - just drop us a DM.

05/02/2026

What does Burns Night have in common with Toastmasters International?

Both celebrate storytelling, courage, and finding your voice. That was the spirit of last week’s Burns Night–themed meeting at West Herts Speakers Club. And the night was expertly guided by our Toastmaster for the evening, Viktoryia, who kept everything flowing with warmth and confidence.

Best Table Topics went to Imke, who was asked to describe her favourite place in nature and deliver a 1–2 minute impromptu speech. If you hadn’t seen the setup, you’d never have known she had no time to prepare. It was a great demonstration of what years of Toastmasters practice can develop — clarity, calm, and connection. (Imke has also recently set up the new Hemel Speakers Club, which is now welcoming members.)

Best Speaker was Russell Hipkin with his talk “Time to Get a Mentor, Time to Become One?” His challenge was Managing a Difficult Audience — a Pathways module where audience members deliberately make the speaker’s time on stage more challenging. It’s brilliant preparation for real life, and Russell handled it with skill, humour, and composure.

Best Evaluator went to Paul, who evaluated Russell’s talk with humour, enthusiasm, and real insight. Like all good evaluations, his feedback was only useful for the speaker — it meant everyone in the room learned from the delivery too.

We also welcomed new members Elena, Adam, and Zsuzsanna. Elena even found herself picked for Table Topics on her first night — what an introduction! And Zsuzsanna’s return was especially lovely to see, as a former member and former President rejoining the club.

Our next meeting is Wednesday 11th February at 7:30pm, and guests are very welcome. Whether you’re looking to build confidence, sharpen your communication, or simply enjoy great stories — you’ll be warmly received.

Ryan Parke

27/10/2025

What do Toastmasters and Halloween both have in common...?

Both are about facing your fears. That was the theme of this week’s meeting at West Herts Speakers Club — and our members rose to it brilliantly.

Best Table Topics went to Julia Phillips, who was asked to talk about a book or movie that frightened her. She blended a personal childhood story with her reflections as a mother — honest, heartfelt, and beautifully delivered.

Best Evaluator for the night was Russell Hipkin, who gave a structured and engaging evaluation of Ged Byrne's speech — all without notes! His confident, constructive feedback was a masterclass in communication, and useful for everyone. Not just Ged!

Ged Byrne and Imke (accidentally) both gave talks about the same project — launching a brand-new Toastmasters International club in Hemel — but from two completely different perspectives.

Ged’s was a hilarious story about his move from Birmingham to Hemel, which built to a heartfelt conclusion about why creating a club in his new hometown matters so much to him.

Imke’s was a detailed and well-structured explanation of why the new club is so important to her personally, and what it will offer those who attend.

It was wonderful to hear their shared vision told in two voices — both funny, both inspiring — but neither could quite beat Jinan!

Best Speaker went to Jinan Faraday for her talk “Lost at Sea; Found in Gratitude.” Delivering this speech for the second time, she applied the feedback from her first delivery to make it even stronger — gripping, emotional, and uplifting. A reminder to appreciate what we have, because it can so easily be taken away.

Thank you to our President Enrica Laprocina for handing out the awards!

I (Ryan) had the honour of serving as Toastmaster for the evening — a bit like the compère for the night. I chose the theme 'Face Your Fear', because it resonated with me, and it seemed to resonate with our other members too!

At West Herts Speakers, every meeting is a chance to show up, speak up, and face your fears — together.

08/09/2025

This week’s West Herts Speakers Club meeting was a reminder that words can build bridges, spark laughter, stir memories — and sometimes, change lives.

Our Toastmaster of the evening, Nigel, guided us through the theme with professionalism, humour, and more than a few surprises. His energy was infectious, and he even used a clever prop to bring one of his points to life — proving that sometimes, the simplest visuals speak louder than words.

Enrica took home Best Speaker with a beautifully crafted medley of her past speeches — revisiting pivotal moments, memorable lessons, and the power of storytelling itself. It was a masterclass in weaving personal journeys into something universal and deeply moving.

For Best Evaluator, congratulations went to Ged for his insightful feedback on Matt’s hilarious speech, “How Not to Be Hated on Holiday (A Brit’s Guide)”. Ged has truly mastered the art of delivering sharp, engaging evaluations — entirely without notes — and did so with his usual clarity and charisma.

I was honoured to be voted Best Table Topics Speaker for my impromptu response to the question: “Can words be as damaging as actions?” I drew on a vivid and memorable dream to explore how words can sometimes leave scars long after they’re spoken — and, just as powerfully, how they can also heal.

As always, a huge thank you to everyone in supporting roles who helped make the evening such a success.

Every meeting reminds us why we show up: to challenge ourselves, to be inspired, and to celebrate the magic of communication. And this one? This one really spoke volumes.

Keep speaking up,
Ryan Parke

04/08/2025

Last week’s meeting at West Herts Speakers Club was themed around Midsummer Night’s Dream. Our evening was expertly brought to life by our Toastmaster of the evening, Ged, whose energy and facilitation kept everything flowing smoothly.

Best Speaker went to Jinan, who delivered a powerful and moving speech about being stranded alone in the sea off the coast of New Zealand — unable to swim — and how a complete stranger’s courage saved her life. Her story was a reminder of both human kindness and the fragile preciousness of life.

During Table Topics, where members and guests speak off-the-cuff on surprise subjects, Sujanth took the win. Given the topic herbal medicine, he drew on his childhood visits to Sri Lanka, weaving personal memories and cultural wisdom into a natural and engaging two-minute talk. It didn’t feel impromptu at all!

I (Ryan) was honoured to be voted Best Evaluator for my feedback on Tanzim’s excellent speech. He explored how we can thrive as “hummingbirds” — people who change jobs or careers often — by using strategies to make the most of each new chapter.

His message felt especially relevant in today’s world, where ‘jobs for life’ are giving way to portfolio careers and the rise of the UK’s gig economy.

As always, a big thank you to everyone in supporting roles who helped make the night a success. At West Herts Speakers, we believe every meeting is a chance to show up, speak up, and shake things up — and this one was no exception.

29/07/2025

Hi FaceBook, it's Parke – and I’ve just stepped into the role of Vice President of PR at West Herts Speakers Club in St Albans.

In case you haven’t come across us before, West Herts Speakers is one of 16,000 inclusive Toastmasters International clubs around the world. Each one helps people from all backgrounds develop their public speaking, leadership, and communication skills in a supportive environment.

Our members include professional speakers refining their craft, specialists building stronger communication habits, and business owners growing their confidence and leadership through better presentations.

Personally, joining Toastmasters transformed my life, career and communication skills. And I know it has done the same for many of our other members. That’s why I’m excited to use my time in this role a little differently.

We’re fortunate to have a 6–12 month waiting list, so we’re not under pressure to recruit.
That gives me space to focus on something I hope will be even more meaningful:

✨ Sharing the stories, setbacks and successes of our members.
✨ Highlighting the courage, authenticity and resilience it takes to grow as a speaker.
✨ Offering a behind-the-scenes look at what happens in a Toastmasters meeting.

Public speaking isn’t just a skill — it’s a journey. And I look forward to celebrating the people who show up, speak up, and shake things up at our meetings!

Address

29 Ridgmont Road
Saint Albans
AL13AG

Website

http://west-herts-speakers.org.uk/

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