Problem
Somebody in Singapore asked me to suggest how to spice things up at their meetings. This group, above, really got int the spirit of things at Xmas, all dressed in red or white or black, and given Santa hats by the organizers (or asked to each bring their own). You can see me, the blonde, top left. What a jolly group. Not just one person dressed as a Santa, but everybody. You ask everybody to dress the part, but keep a few spares from one year to the next for those who forget.
SPICE AND FOOD THEMES
I can spice up your meeting just by being there. Meanwhile, spice up by making:
A potluck at every meeting, on a theme, and print out a flag, and add a quotation,
Display a year plan, which you show every meeting of all the upcoming meetings themes and the flag and food to be featured. Note national holidays through the year, especially those of your members, Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian, Spanish-Venezuelan, and so on, and have food potlucks asking everybody to bring suitable food.
I do not think knowing what food is coming spoils the surprise. It adds to the anticipation. Let people to plan for a potlucks weeks ahead. On Holidays and business trips they can look for and buy traditional foods. In foreign countries and second homes, they can check their attics for funny hats and t-shirts and traditional costumes.
I do not think knowing what food is coming spoils the surprise. It adds to the anticipation. Let people to plan for a potlucks weeks ahead. On Holidays and business trips they can look for and buy traditional foods. In foreign countries and second homes, they can check their attics for funny hats and t-shirts and traditional costumes.
MUSIC
If music be the food of love, said Shakespeare. One of the most entertaining meetings I went to was organised by the staff of Singapore Airlines. They had a song to suit every person who came up on stage. The birthday girls and boys had a happy birthday. The music suddenly blared out from a laptop, set off by a clicker, so the music started as the person approached the stage. You could have music by Nationality. For example, Spanish music, Indian music, Chinese Music. A couple who had got engaged could have Congratulations.
Ask each speaker what is their favourite football team. Their country. Their city.
MONTHLY EVENTS
If music be the food of love, said Shakespeare. One of the most entertaining meetings I went to was organised by the staff of Singapore Airlines. They had a song to suit every person who came up on stage. The birthday girls and boys had a happy birthday. The music suddenly blared out from a laptop, set off by a clicker, so the music started as the person approached the stage. You could have music by Nationality. For example, Spanish music, Indian music, Chinese Music. A couple who had got engaged could have Congratulations.
Ask each speaker what is their favourite football team. Their country. Their city.
MONTHLY EVENTS
AUGUST
August - PEACHES & POTLUCK PICNIC.
Peach month - failing all else, tinned peaches, but somebody can go to a wet market and use club funds to buy peaches or if generous just buy them to donate to the club. Divide leftovers up, for the committee as a reward or if enough offer to visitors to take home as a party bag gift.
August - PEACHES & POTLUCK PICNIC.
Peach month - failing all else, tinned peaches, but somebody can go to a wet market and use club funds to buy peaches or if generous just buy them to donate to the club. Divide leftovers up, for the committee as a reward or if enough offer to visitors to take home as a party bag gift.
Aug CLOWNS
1-7 International Clown week - adding humour to speeches -
1-7 International Clown week - adding humour to speeches -
AUG WATER
Water quality month
AUG PICNICS
National picnic month - potluck picnic food at meeting; speech on picnic places in Singapore; mosquitos; humorous speech on picnic from an insect’s point of view, litter, compare a typical British picnic with a Chinese picnic and a Malay and an Indian picnic, ask two local shops what they think about picnics - you might get a supermarket suggesting food on special offer, a restaurant angry about people bringing their own food in and pointing out perfectly good place to eat in a local park, and another saying we are happy for people to bring in their own sandwiches so long as they buy one drink an hour.
SEASONAL EVENTS - PARK PICNIC - DISASTER STORY
I have a humorous story about a disaster picnic in the park organised in England by Harrovians Toastmasters. It rained. We ran to the shelter where we gave our speeches, until we were forced to leave when we were constantly interrupted by a drunk who wanted us to believe in Jesus, and his dog wanted to eat our sandwiches.
AUG 3-27 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL, SCOTLAND, COMEDY
Largest arts festival in the world. Comedy awards, and street theatre, and pay what you like 'free' pass the hat performances in pub meeting rooms.
NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL, LONDON, ENGLAND
This is Chinese, Malay, Vietnamese, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Chinese restaurants worldwide and online. Don’t keep it a secret and a surprise - get everybody excited for a month in advance, researching and asking friends and family, for recipes, photos, stories.
OCTOBER
October - AUTUMN COLOURS & HALLOWEEN Pumpkins
October - AUTUMN COLOURS & HALLOWEEN Pumpkins
All month meetings and speeches on Hallowe’en giving people time to use the ideas elsewhere. Party shops and supermarkets sell loads of goods and multipacks. Lucky dip topics on spiders, pumpkins, ghosts. USA teachers’ websites have inexpensive paper cut-outs of ghosts to cut out, or spiders to print, and recipes to share on your smartphone. Decorate the room.
31 Hallowe'en and carved pumpkins, apples and apple bobbing, ghost stories, ancestor stories. For the practical person, a speech on apple varieties: Cox, Granny Smith, Giant Japanese apples.
NOVEMBER
November - DIWALI LIGHTS
Nov 7 Diwali - the festival of light
November 10th 2018, Lord Mayors Show, London. See on TV.
November 10th 2018, Lord Mayors Show, London. See on TV.
Nov 11 Armistice Day UK, WWII.
DECEMBER
December - XMAS CAKE & HANUKAH
Dec 2-10 Jewish Hanukah - make a giant h a n u k i a h - eat Chanukah foods.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-symbolic-foods-for-hanukkah-1808125 - One of the modern USA surprises on this website is cake or bun cut to reveal the blue pattern of six-point star or a spinning top called dreidl.
New Year's Eve, fireworks and Champagne.
New Year's Eve, fireworks and Champagne.
Xmas - mince pies, Xmas cake, Xmas pudding, French y u l e log, German stollen, European carp, Xmas poems. The Toastmaster should be in a seasonal outfit, Xmas carols and Karoke. Write your own hymns and Xmas greetings. Plus, the essential food. A mystery Santa. Ask everybody to wear red, green, or white. Those who don't can choose a hat to wear.
Plan a year ahead.
JANUARY
New Year's DAY and New Year Resolutions and Beginnings.
New Year's Day concert from Vienna televised.
JAN 25. Burns night with a Burns supper, Haggis and neeps (turnips), and readings of Burns poetry. Wear your kilt or tartan.
FEBRUARY
Valentine's Day theme of love. Red hearts.
Valentine's day. All things heart-shaped, banners, table decorations, food, cakes, sandwiches, pancakes.
MARCH
St Patricks; everything Irish, Irish songs, the colour green. Talk and slides on celebrations around the world.
(April 7 Saturday in 2019 Oxford and Cambridge Boat race, watched on TV by 15 million people, plus 250,000 last year in person along the riversides.
Easter Sunday in 2019.
MAY
May Day, May 1st.
As somebody said, Labour Day, a day celebrating workers when nobody does any work.
Here are the JUNE dates from 2018, update them for 2019 and later years:
JUN 2018
Battle of Waterloo re-enactment, Waterloo, Belgium.
Sand sculpture Ostend, Belgium.
17 Father’s Day UK.
Royal Ascot Ladies Day (horses and hats!)
Jun 21 Music festivals throughout France
28-30 Haro wine festival, Haro, Rioja, Spain.
July 21, 2018, Longest Day.
Wimbledon Tennis, London, England - traditional food is strawberries and cream.
HERE ARE THE DATES FROM 2018 - update from for 2019 and later years>
JUL 2018
Father’s Day and Ladies Day at Ascot - all in hats.
Photo of Father’s Day free drink offer from 2017 by Angela Lansbury.
Early July, one week in Pamplona, the capital of Navara, Spain, bulls in streets, 7-14 July in 2019, also Google search for: Pamplona Bulls, Spain.
1 Belgian Independence day, celebrated countrywide.
Ghent Festival, in Ghent, Belgium.
Bayreuth, Germany. Wagner festival. 25 July-29 Aug 2018.
Wimbledon Tennis.
Just for Laughs, comedy, Montreal
If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.
EVENTS
Some clubs have two seasonal parties, a summer outdoor picnic of barbecue, and a Christmas lunch or dinner in December, or in January after members are back from holidays and restaurant prices are down.
EVENTS
Some clubs have two seasonal parties, a summer outdoor picnic of barbecue, and a Christmas lunch or dinner in December, or in January after members are back from holidays and restaurant prices are down.
At least one Toastmasters club in Singapore organises one of two group holidays for members to a nearby country in Asia, visiting archaeological and historical sites. Singapore's Friends of the Museums does the same. So do the ex-pat associations which include American, British, Canadian, Japanese, Dutch.
You could also organise group visits to sporting events, such as football, rugby, cricket, Ascot (horse racing), tennis, golf, table tennis, Olympics, rowing races such as the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in England and the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong (was in June in 2018).
You could also organise group visits to sporting events, such as football, rugby, cricket, Ascot (horse racing), tennis, golf, table tennis, Olympics, rowing races such as the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in England and the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong (was in June in 2018).
ADD PHOTOS TO YOUR WEBSITE
Your Chengsan Toastmasters International 'meet our members' webpage has only one member, and no photos of them or anybody else. Add some photos. If you want to be incognito, wear a hat or mask or microphone in front of your face - not a good photo but anything is better than nothing, eg stand back view holding a map of the country you come from, or your national flag, or Toastmasters ribbon, or a group photo of the committee without saying who is who. Better still, list all the committee.
USEFUL WEBSITES
visitbritain.org
visitengland.com
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/41527965 (You can see 2018 events, compare with 2017 to see what is recurrent in each month)
https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays
All good wishes from
Angela Lansbury ALB ACG
Secretary of Harrovians, London.
