https://www.riversidecommunicators.org/

Toastmasters Riverside Communicators, 44 York Street, Twickenham (2026)

30/05/2026

🌟 Riverside Communicators – Election Meeting Highlights | 20th May 2026 🌟
What an action packed and inspiring evening, filled with confidence building, leadership, learning and connecting with others. Riverside Communicators at it's best! Our President, Bayan Carter, warmly welcomed members and guests in her unique and engaging style before handing over to Nail Khabib, who managed the evening brilliantly as Toastmaster with energy, humour, and flair.
🎙 Prepared Speeches
• Vikash Kumar > AI is a Tool, Not a Terminator
A thought-provoking speech exploring the evolution and impact of AI. Vikash highlighted how AI is a groundbreaking innovation that can support society, but can never replace essential human qualities such as creativity, empathy, and imagination. His message encouraged us to embrace AI responsibly while actively shaping its future.
• Rhithika Srinivasan > The Beauty of Feeling
A reflective and uplifting speech reminding us that the true beauty of life lies in experiencing and appreciating the present moment.
• Amrit Sahota > Did You Hear That?
An engaging demonstration of the power of non-verbal communication and vocal variety, showing how tone, pauses, and delivery can transform the way we connect with an audience.
👏 Speech Evaluations
Insightful and constructive evaluations were delivered by Michael Yogarajah, Ben Griffiths, and Richard Brincau, each providing valuable feedback and commendations to help speakers continue their growth.
🙌 Special Mentions
• Surinder Ahluwalia (Vice President Membership) for warmly introducing our guests
• Luke Thomas > Meeter & Greeter
• Heather Baker > Timer > kept everyone’s time in check
• Janie Zhou > Sergeant At Arms, for setting up the room and welcoming everyone
🗳 Club Elections
A huge thank you to our Immediate Past President, Madhurantika Moulick, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes encouraging members to step into leadership roles. She expertly conducted the elections by outlining Toastmasters regulations and introducing nominees for each committee position before the new committee was elected. A fantastic job, superbly delivered!
🏆 Winners of the Evening
🥇 Best Speaker: Amrit Sahota
🥇 Best Evaluators: Ben Griffiths & Richard Brincau
📍 Interested in improving your communication and leadership skills?
Come along as a guest and experience it for yourself!
🕢 7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA

15/05/2026

🌟 Riverside Communicators Meeting Highlights 6th May 2026 🌟

Another fantastic evening, inspiring speeches, thought-provoking ideas, and plenty of laughter along the way!

Our gracious President, Bayan Carter, warmly welcomed members and guests, and then Glen Savage, took over as Toastmaster of the Evening, expertly guided us through an engaging and energetic meeting.

🎙 Prepared Speeches

Josephine Quint: Comparison is the Thief of Confidence (Icebreaker)
A heartfelt and relatable reflection on how comparing ourselves to others can affect our confidence. Josephine shared her journey of overcoming fear in public speaking by learning to embrace and develop her own authentic voice.

Rhithika Srinivasan: The People in Your Lives
Rhithika shared her exploration of "energy audit" techniques to help us understand how people make you feel and decide on how you can progress with different types of relationships.

Nail Khabib: Have You Heard AI?
A timely and thought-provoking speech on the growing impact of AI, highlighting both its risks and the actions we can take to use technology more responsibly.

Russell Searle: You Can Lead a Horse to Water
A humorous and creative journey through different leadership styles with anchovies unexpectedly making an appearance! A fun reminder that leadership comes in many forms.

Richard Sharkey: This Ain’t Tinder, This is ToastmastersDon’t Swipe Forward, Pay it Forward
A witty and inspiring speech about the journey from searching for mentor to becoming one and paying it forward. Packed with humour, Aussie-Kiwi rivalry, a mention of Tinder mentoring App startup idea, and Nokia 3310 mentoring.

👏 Evaluations
Insightful and encouraging feedback was delivered by Ben Griffiths, Amrit Sahota, Heather Baker, Francesca Fabbri, and Maitreya Thakur, offering valuable commendations and recommendations for growth of the speakers.

💬 Table Topics
Led brilliantly by Mechthild Ruggier, whose creative impromptu questions brought out confidence, spontaneity, and some fantastic responses from participants.

🙌 Special Thanks To:
Surinder Ahluwalia for warmly introducing our guests
Nail Khabib Sergeant at Arms
Luke Thomas Meeter & Greeter
Josephine Quint: Timer, keeping the meeting running smoothly

🏆 Winners of the Evening
🥇 Best Speaker Richard Sharkey
🥇 Best Table Topics: Farah Hussain
🥇 Best Evaluator Maitreya Thakur

📍 Interested in confidence-building, communication and leadership skills? Come and join us as a guest!

📅 We meet on 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of the month
🕢 7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
📧 [email protected]

06/05/2026

🌟 Riverside Communicators – Meeting Highlights | 29th April 2026 🌟

A meeting with a difference! Combined with inspiring speeches, practical talk on our websites, and a powerful evaluation workshop, making it a truly enriching experience for all.

Luke Thomas stepped in as President, whilst Bhupi Pannu stepped in as Toastmaster, guiding the evening smoothly from start to finish.

🎙 Prepared Speeches
Linda "What Brought Me Here" (Icebreaker)
A thought-provoking introduction exploring how autism in women is often overlooked, not as a limitation, but as a different way of experiencing the world, bringing strengths like focus, honesty, and deep insight that can be easily missed but are incredibly valuable.
Amrit Sahota "Spring: The Visible Promise"
A meaningful reflection on the arrival of spring and its significance to Sikhs, marking the birth of the Khalsa and its powerful visual identity and the meanings behind the 5Ks they wear.
Janie Zhou "How to Make Something Worth Keeping"?
An engaging and reflective speech encouraging us to think about value, purpose, and what truly makes something meaningful.

👏 Evaluations
Insightful and constructive feedback was delivered by Nail Khabib, Richard Brincau, and Charlotte Oliver, offering valuable recommendations and strong commendations.

🙌 Meeting Highlights
Mani Pathmanathan stepped in as Vice President Membership, warmly welcoming guests and new members
Luke Thomas shared the importance of making the most of the 3 Toastmasters websites
Madhurantika Moulick delivered an engaging 1-hour workshop on “How to Evaluate to Motivate” packed with practical tips for competitions and beyond

👏 Special Thanks
Michael Yogarajah Sergeant at Arms, for opening the meeting
Arte Saadian Timer, keeping everyone on track

🏆 Winners of the Evening
🥇 Best Speaker: Linda
🥇 Best Evaluator: Charlotte Oliver
✨ A fantastic evening of learning, growth, and connection this is what Riverside Communicators is all about.

✨ Want to build confidence and sharpen your communication skills?
Join us as a guest and experience it for yourself!
📅 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of the month
🕢 7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
📧 [email protected]

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28/04/2026

Evaluation Workshop with Madhu Moulick ✨🎤

Come join us on Wednesday, 29th April 2026, at 7:30 PM for an engaging Evaluation Workshop led by Madhu Moulick.

Learn how to give clear, constructive, and impactful feedback—an essential skill for confident communication and leadership.

📍 York House, Twickenham
👥 Guests are welcome to come along for free and enjoy the evening!

21/04/2026

🌟 Riverside Communicators – Meeting Highlights | 15th April 2026 🌟

Wow another fantastic high-energy evening at Riverside Communicators! With six inspiring speeches, insightful evaluations, and a lively Table Topics session, the meeting truly showcased the power of communication and personal growth.

Our President, Bayan Carter, opened the meeting in her distinctive style, setting the tone for the evening. Julian Ward, our dynamic Toastmaster, then took over guiding the meeting seamlessly with confidence, humour, and flair.

🎙 Prepared Speeches

Aaryan Swarup Why I’m Investing in Communication (Icebreaker)
A confident start to his Toastmasters journey, sharing his motivation to build communication skills and grow in confidence and appreciating the great feedback from members.

Fiona McFarland A Life Made Softer
A heartfelt and humorous journey through life and whilst changing countries. Enriched by a love of animals reminding us of the lessons they teach about presence, empathy, and connection.

Zara Sari – Leadership or Showmanship?
A thought-provoking look at the fine line between authentic leadership and narcissistic behaviour, challenging us to reflect on what true leadership really means.

Nail Khabib – Banana: Pure Luxury
A powerful reminder to appreciate life’s simple pleasures, shaped by personal stories and the surprise contrast of experiencing abundance in other countries.

Michael Yogarajah – What My Wife and I Agree (and Disagree) On
A hilarious but relatable take on married life, valuing other’s decisions and compromising, the art of building a happy relationship.

Francesca Fabbri – Mapping the Maze
Through the voice of one of many of today’s teenagers and the complex life challenges they are facing, Francesca told us how she wants to use Systems Thinking to improve how public services can support young people better.

👏 Evaluations
Insightful and constructive feedback was delivered by all the evaluators: - Madhurantika Moulick, Amrit Sahota, Kim Locherer, Duncan Hammett, Luke Thomas, and Ilia Sukhovalov, with valuable recommendations for continued growth.

💬 Table Topics
Led by Anand Bhamra, who challenged participants with engaging impromptu topics around “Having fun under pressure” bringing energy, spontaneity and laughter.

🙌 Special Thanks

Richard Sharkey – Grammarian (word of the day: Flummery)

Surinder Ahluwalia – VPE, for welcoming our guests

Charlotte Oliver – Timer, keeping us on track

Josephine Quint – Sergeant at Arms, ensuring a smooth start

🏆 Winners:-
🥇 Best Speaker: Fiona McFarland
🥇 Best Table Topics: Ben Griffiths
🥇 Best Evaluator: Ilia Sukhovalov

✨ Another evening of confidence-building, learning, and connection is what Riverside Communicators is all about.

✨ Come and join us as a guest and experience it for yourself!

📅 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of the month
🕢 7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
📧 [email protected]

11/04/2026

🌟 Riverside Communicators Meeting Highlights 1st April 2026 🌟

What a truly engaging and energising evening! With six inspiring speeches, insightful evaluations, and a lively Table Topics session, the meeting showcased the very best of P***c Speaking in action.

Richard Brincau (SAA) opened the meeting. Luke Thomas (VPE) stepped in as President and managed the meeting as a Toastmaster. Michael Yogarajah kept us perfectly on time, adding his own touch of humour along the way.

🎙 Prepared Speeches
Vikash Kumar Lost in Translation (Icebreaker)
A powerful story of moving from the UK to Spain, navigating language barriers, cultural shifts, and a global pandemic. What began as uncertainty became a journey of resilience, growth, and acceptance, reminding us that belonging comes from connection, not geography.

Amritpal Sahota, The Fool’s Errand (Icebreaker) A reflective journey from feeling like a victim to rediscovering purpose, inspired by honest questions from his children and a renewed connection to his cultural roots.

Heather Baker Not an Old Hand (Icebreaker) A reflection on her public speaking progress and highlighting the confidence and personal growth gained through Riverside Communicators.

Charlotte Oliver Who’s Talking? A thought-provoking exploration of the inner voice and how learning to listen to it can help us to guide us forward.

James Rose When the Season Changed: Through the metaphor of a tree shaped by seasons and challenges, James explored the transition from childhood to adulthood and how adversity builds resilience, leaving us with the powerful question: Would your younger self be proud of who you are today?

Richard Sharkey, This Ain’t No April Fool’s Joke, I Don’t Want To Be The Bread Winner Anymore. A humorous yet insightful speech. It wasn't just about ham cheese Oreo sandwich, but about cravings and comfort zones to the habits we form, encouraging us to reflect on what we are truly feeding on.

👏 Evaluations
Insightful and constructive feedback was given by all; Richard Brincau, Ruth Ribeiro, Madhurantika Moulick, Dom Bertioli, Nail Khabib, Julian Ward, offering valuable commendations and constructive feedback.

🙌 Special Thanks
Mani Pathmanathan (Club Secretary), stepped in as VPE and introduced 12 guests
The Team for support before and during the meeting

Table Topics
Josephine Quint, led a fun and engaging April Fool’s themed impromptu TT questions.

🏆 Winners of the Evening
🥇 Best Speaker: Vikash Kumar
🥇 Best Evaluator: Julian Ward

✨ An evening of learning, confidence building, and connections, this is what Riverside Communicators is all about.
✨ Come as a guest and experience it for yourself!
📅 We meet 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of the month
🕢 7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
📧 [email protected]

25/03/2026

After three consecutive meetings full of contests, Riverside returned to its standard format of speeches, evaluations, and table topics. The meeting was led brilliantly by Toastmaster of the Evening, Madhurantika Mouli, who set the theme “Live From the Best Club in the Universe”—which, for those of you who don’t know, is of course Riverside Communicators 😆. And what better way to celebrate this than with a full room of nearly 40 members and guests!

⏱️ Madhu was marvellously supported by Josephine Quint, who kept us perfectly on track as Timekeeper whilst adding her own personal touch and humour to the role.

🎤 Prepared Speeches
1️⃣ Rhithika Srinivasan started proceedings with an icebreaker. We enjoyed listening to her as she confidently spoke to us about herself and her life experiences 🙌🏽✅

2️⃣ Ilia Sukhovalov’s winning speech was about why you never truly fail when you’re learning—and the three laws that prove it 🙌🏽✅

3️⃣ Mechthild Ruggier spoke about karma whilst bravely dealing with irritating interrupters who did their best to disrupt her speech 🙌🏽✅

4️⃣ Finally, Ben delivered a keynote speech about his childhood, comparing it to today’s generation of children, who often don’t appreciate the beauty of nature around them 🙌🏽✅

Before the break, our VPM—the dashing, delightful, and delectable Surinder Alhuwalia—did the most unthinkable and introduced 11 guests in 4 minutes! Riverside’s growth this year is largely down to this Very Perfect Man, Surinder, who also celebrated his 60th birthday. Happy birthday, Surinder!

📝 Evaluations
After the break, the speeches were expertly evaluated by Luke Thomas, Kim Locherer, Nail Khabib, and Charlotte Oliver. It was wonderful to see Nail begin his journey as an evaluator—you would have been forgiven for thinking he’d done it before. It was Charlotte, however, who wowed the audience with her honest and constructive assessment of Ben’s speech.

💭 Table Topics
The impromptu speaking session was led by Richard Sharkey, who prepared questions about Riverside and Toastmasters, infused with a bit of Irish ☘️🇮🇪 flair in recognition of St Patrick’s Day. We had a mixture of topics, from pots of gold and leprechauns robbing jewellery shops to the top qualities expected from mentors. It was former member, Herb Klein, who won with his topic on showing solidarity with a mischievous, thieving leprechaun 🍀

Awards given:
Ice Breaker Speaker 🥇: Rhithika Srinivasan
Best Speaker 🥇: Ilia Sukhovalov
Best Evaluator 🥇: Charlotte Oliver
Best Table Topics 🥇: Herb Klein

Thank you to everyone who contributed to another memorable meeting. It was also President Bayan’s birthday, and she treated us to cake 🎂 and champagne 🍾. And if that wasn’t enough birthdays to last until the year 2100, it was also announced that it was Dom Bertioli’s birthday! Here’s to more celebrations, laughter, learning, and lovely memories! 🎂🥂✨

If you’re looking to grow in confidence and develop your leadership and speaking skills, join us next time for more memorable moments at Riverside Communicators! 🎙️ ✨ We meet on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesday of the month, from 7:30pm York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
Email address: [email protected]

14/03/2026

On Wednesday night, Area 29 held the Area International Speech and Evaluation Contest 🗣️🎤 at Riverside Communicators Club Headquarters in Twickenham — and what a night it was 🔥🔥🔥! It was a jam-packed room with members from across four of the five clubs in the area: Riverside Communicators, Trojans Speakers in Ealing, JAL from Richmond, and Sky Osterley Toastmasters.

In the Evaluation Contest we had Imal Rathnayake (Trojans), Joy Kettler (JAL), Dom Bertioli (Riverside), and Silvana Cuomo (Sky).

In the International Speech Contest we had Orgesa Meli (JAL) and Julian Ward (Riverside).

Thank you 🙏🏽 to everyone who took part in the contests, and congratulations to the following competitors who will now progress to represent their club and area at the Division D finals in April 🗣️🎉🎊

Evaluation Contest Results:
🥇 1st Place: Dom Bertioli
🥈 2nd Place: Imal Rathnayake

International Speech Contest Results:
🥇 1st Place: Orgesa Meli
🥈 2nd Place: Julian Ward

It’s easy to take for granted the work that goes on behind the scenes to make a contest happen. It requires volunteers preparing both before the contests — as lots of work goes into preparing paperwork, searching for volunteers, and briefing them — as well as running the contest on the night.

So an enormously huge thank you goes out to the following 🙇🙌🏽🙏🏽:

1️⃣ Firstly, our Contest Chairs, Zara Sari and Harth Lath, who were both in the role for the first time 👏
Well done for stepping up — we desperately need as many members trained to take on these roles, and it’s a great speaking opportunity ✅

2️⃣ Duncan Hammett in the Chief Judge role, and all the judges from across the area and beyond. It’s just not a contest unless Duncan is involved in some capacity! ✅

3️⃣ Our Functionaries:
⏱️ Nail Khabib and Heather Baker in the Competition Timer roles.
🧮 Michael Yogarajah and Luke Thomas in the Competition Counter roles.
🪖 Josephine Quint and Vikash Kumar acting as Sergeants-at-Arms. ✅

4️⃣ Tiziana Maringola for running the Table Topics session before the prize-giving ceremony. ✅

5️⃣ Our mystery speaker, Mariko Newell from Corinthians Toastmasters Club. ✅

🌟 Our next meeting 📆 on 18 March is a normal club meeting. Why not come along and join us for a wonderful night of speeches and impromptu speaking? 🙏🏽

01/03/2026

🌍🎤 Riverside Communicators – International Speech & Evaluation Contest Highlights 📅 Wednesday, 18th February 2026

🌟 Wow that an intense but inspiring evening. The heat was on as each speech was brilliant with its own twist, and all the Evaluations were superb but extraordinary.

The meeting was opened by Rhithika Srinivasan, Sergeant at Arms, and Luke Thomas, Vice President of Education, stepped in as Acting President and welcomed members and guests.

🎤 International Speech Contest
Contest Chair Duncan Hammett introduced speakers in his unique style.

Speakers Luke Thomas, Richard Sharkey, Julian Ward, and Ruth Ribeiro, who delivered powerful and engaging speeches on a wide range of themes:-

From an incredible true story of someone who had change of heart and returned a £100,000 after cashing a cheque, to have an unexpected “light-bulb” moment when the rug gets pulled from under your feet, to the world is too small with chance encounters across the world, and the importance of clearing lifetime of emotional traumas to live a happier and fulfilled life. Each speech offered insight, inspiration, and connection, and there was humour to top it all.

📝 Evaluation Contest
Contest Chair Ben Griffiths led the Evaluation Contest with his distinctive style.
The secret speaker was Surbiton TM President the amazing Efren Cruz.
The evaluators were: Maitreya Thakur, Madhurantika Moulick, Luke Thomas, Ruth Ribeiro, Charlotte Oliver, and Dom Bertioli all demonstrated the art of delivering constructive and impactful feedback with brilliant commendations.

👏 Special Thanks to Our Volunteers
Rakhi Jain > Chief Judge and secret judges
Surinder Ahluwalia > Vice President Membership, for welcoming guests
Nail Khabib & Zara Sari > Ballot Counters
Tiziana & Vikash > Timers
Janie & Rhithika > Sergeants at Arms

🏆 Congratulations to Our Winners
🥇 International Speech Contest: Julian Ward
🥇 Evaluation Contest: Dom Bertioli

Well done to everyone who participated and supported the contest.

✨ Want to build confidence and become a better speaker and leader? Come and join as a guest at Riverside Communicators and see what we do.

🕢 7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
📧 [email protected]

09/02/2026

🌟 Riverside Communicators Meeting Highlights 🌟 📅 Jean Cooper Cup Contest 4th Feb 2026

Brilliant meeting with inspiring, humourous and emotional yet powerful speeches and equally brilliant table topics.

🔔 Meeting Opening
Surinder Ahluwalia stepped in as Sergeant at Arms, opening the meeting and covering housekeeping.
Our President, Bayan Carter, warmly welcomed members and guests.
Ben Griffiths, Contest Chair, then took charge introducing the speakers, the Vice President of Membership, and the Table Topics Master.

🎤Prepared Speech Contest Highlights

Madhurantika Moulick’s speech "Before Borders, There Were Stories"
A moving reflection on her grandmother’s personal experience of life before borders, highlighting the enduring power of storytelling and public speaking during turbulent times.

Luke Thomas’s Humorous Speech "The Mystery of 3 in a hotel",
A guest requested Room No 3, at 3a.m. there were 3 strange noises. The hotel owner found out what happened but sworn to secrecy never to reveal.

Bayan Carter’s speech "Taking Care of a New Addition: Karla the Queen Dog" From grapes to soup to sofa, ended with 3 visits to the vets, and the bills of ###’s. Karla was a princess but has firmly claimed her crown as The Queen 👑🐶.

Ilia Sukhovalov "A Silent Night in Siberia… Almost", In the depths of Siberia, a nostalgic childhood New Year story where music insisted on being heard.

Nail Khabib humorous speech: "Bewildered by the Birth of a Baby", A heartfelt reflection on the challenges of welcoming a newborn and realising later that those struggles become life’s happiest memories.

Hemant Patkar humorous speech: "Accidentally Added to a WhatsApp Group", Mistakenly got added to a group chat with world leaders and somehow became the admin for global peace?
🌍📱 And a dinner emoji that nearly caused WWW3!

📝 Educational Speech
Duncan Hammett I’ll be the Juge of That: Outlined his plans for organising the Area International Speech and Evaluation contest. The roles for volunteers, secret judges and mystery a speaker.

💬 Table Topics
Zara Sari, Table Topics Master, challenged speakers with thought provoking questions around competition and speaking up.

👏 Special Thanks

Julian Ward Timer, keeping everyone on track

Surinder Ahluwalia Vice President of Membership, who introduced our guests and welcomed new member Elizabeth

🏆 Winners of the Evening

Jean Cooper Cup Winner: 🥇 Hemant Patkar
Best Table Topics: 🥇 Russell Searle & Aryaan

📍 Want to build confidence, sharpen your speaking skills, and grow as a leader?
Join us at Riverside Communicators, Twickenham. W

📅We meet on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month
🕢7:30 PM start
📍 York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
📧[email protected]

✨ Guests are always welcome, come and see what we do!

Toastmasters Riverside Communicators

30/05/2026

15/05/2026

06/05/2026

28/04/2026

21/04/2026

11/04/2026

25/03/2026

14/03/2026

01/03/2026

09/02/2026

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