Frequently asked questions
What happens at club meetings?
Regular club meetings start with a brief 'business' session this gives members chance to practice their business skills. This is followed by a variantion of programmes which include prepared speeches, Prose and Poetry evenings, Debates and 'impromptu speaking (the Topics Session) Meetings can be tailored to specific needs of members ie business presentations, Wedding speeches or club President or Captains speeches.
How frequent are club meetings?
Meetings are held 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from August to May.
What is the ASC?
Burnley and District Speakers Club is a member of The Association of Speakers Clubs (ASC), which was formed in 1972 and now has some 120 Clubs throughout the UK with around 1800 members.
The ASC exists to promote effective speaking, communication, and the conduct of meetings. It is a non-profit organisation uniting groups of individuals into Clubs.
The ASC sets standards which Club members aim to attain in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, produces resources to enable members to practice the techniques of effective communication and runs speaking competitions.
What is the Speakers' Guide?
The Speakers Guide give a comprehensive guide listed 1 to 10 outlining the format for certain types of speeches and what a speech evaluator will be looking for when assessing the speaker, this allows for helpful and constructive advice to be given.
How much does it cost to be a member?
Membership £35
Social Members (non speaking) £30 per annum
Visitors are allowed to attend two meetings, free of charge, before deciding whether or not to become a member.\
Full members are presented with a speakers guide upon payment of membership fees.
What can I speak about?
Anything you like other then sex, religion or party politics. Subject that members have given speeches on include art, running, parenting, comedy, caravans, history, the law,rugby, ageing and of course giraffes. Speakers tend to rely on their own experiences and interests to provide material for speeches and in general seek to entertain or inform or both.
Why can't I speak about sex, religion or party politics?
The club and the wider association believe that these subjects are divisive and as such speaking about them makes it difficult to evaluate people in a fair manner.
How long does a speech last?
A competition speech is between 6-8 minutes, most speeches given at the club are this length.
Who decides who gets to speak?
The short answer is the Education Director. However members learning and development, as a speaker is in their hands. If they wish to speak more often or be given a particular assignment, then the Education Director will always be accommodating where possible.
How often will I get to speak?
It depends how often you wish to speak. All members will be invited to take part in topics sessions from there first meeting onwards where they will be asked to speak for 30 seconds/2 mins/3 mins on a topic given to them just before they are required to speak. If that sounds scary don't worry, new members can be given more time to prepare a topic and if you wish you don't have to take part. As far as a formal speech goes most members can expect to give three speeches a year including one in the club speech contest. However there are always spots available in the programme for enthusiastic members.
What are topics?
In a topics session members of the club are given a word or phrase and then invited to speak for 30 seconds/2 mins/3mins on it. The point here is that it is impromptu (i.e. there is no preparation time) hence the skill is in getting up and starting to speak and building a mini speech. Whilst many new members find this a challenge there a set of skills and tricks that can be developed in order to give very good topics.
Are you a debating society?
No, we occasionally hold debates to improve members skills in that area but we mostly focus on improving public speaking skills.
What's the difference between evaluation and criticism?
If you choose to speak at the club (either in a formal speech or in a topic session) your speaking will be evaluated by another member. The aim of this evaluation is to help you improve your speaking and more importantly your confidence when speaking in public. It will be pitched at your level and will focus on the positives, whilst offering you some advice on where you can improve. We are very aware that many people are very nervous about speaking in front of an audiance and endeavour to put you at your ease, whilst helping you to improve your speaking.
