This article was submitted on 23/9/2011 to some local newspapers for publication:

Cookstown Speakers’ Club got into its stride at its 2nd meeting of the new season on Tuesday 20 September.

There were three speeches during the evening, two presented by its members and one by an invited guest.

John presented a very interesting speech on three famous people: Martin Luther King, JF Kennedy and our own famous Joey Dunlop.

Marion put herself in the position of someone accepting an award, and was very convincing in that she made it seem so "real".

Both these speeches were part of the Toastmasters programme and were evaluated.

The Club invited Michael, a former club member as a special guest for the evening. Michael is closely associated with the Maguire Programme and his presentation alluded to the 10 basic steps to eloquence. His presentation was entitled "Stairway to Eloquence" and was indeed eloquently delivered. Michael also recited a poem entitled: The Comfort Zone by Alan Babmington (a lifelong stutterer from Wales).

The short interval provided an opportunity for guests and members to socialise and enjoy some light refreshments. During the second part of the programme there was an opportunity for guests and members to adlibe and mime with the popular “table topics”. The evening then concluded with feedback on two of the earlier presentations.

The next meeting of the Club is on Tuesday 4th October at 7:30 pm at Gortalowry House Cookstown.

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in communication. For more information please contact Michael at 07872048818, or just come along on that evening.

This article was submitted on 9/9/2011 to some local newspapers for publication:

Cookstown Speakers’ Club held its first meeting of the new season on Tuesday 6 September at its usual venue: Gortalowry House 94 Church Street, Cookstown.

There were three speeches: two of them had sporting themes: “Where’s my Ki”? – a very interesting and informative presentation on the Japanese martial arts. Michael explained that not only does it prepare you to defend yourself, but it also promotes self-confidence which in turn improves our ability to perform in stressful situations, such as giving a speech! The second speech was entitled: “Triathlon”. The presenter was able to illustrate with visual aids his personal participation in the three events which combine to make a triathlon: cycling, swimming and running. The third speech of the evening was a 4-minute presentation entitled “Presenting an award”.

A short interval was held which gave members and guests an opportunity to socialise and enjoy some light refreshments. During the second part of the programme there was an opportunity for impromptu speaking with the popular “table topics”. This gave everyone an opportunity to have their say on 4 chosen topics. The evening then concluded with three formal feedback presentations on the three earlier speeches.

Do you think you would have enjoyed the programme? If so, then come along to the next club meeting on Tuesday 20 September at 7:30 pm at Gortalowry House Cookstown.

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in communication. For more information please contact Michael at 07872048818.