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9th March 2008

Congratulations to Suzanne O'Brien who has won the South East District Speech contest at the Russell Hotel in Maidstone. She beat seven other district finalists, two of whom were previous district winners.  She will represent the South East of England at the National Final of the ASC speaking competition in Blackpool on 25 April.

18th February 2008

Speech Master-Class, featuring ASC National Speech Champion, Michael Ronayne:
 Click here to hear of the night's success          

 (Click here for night's advert)   

27th April 2007

ASC Press Release - National Speaking Conference Comes to London

Some of the country’s top public speakers will be doing battle at the Association of Speakers Clubs (ASC) National conference 2007.  The event which is being held at the Novotel London West Hotel & Convention Centre from Friday April 27th to Sunday April 29th 2007. This year’s conference will comprise three competitions,  an AGM where the future direction of the ASC will be discussed and a gala dinner dance which is the culmination of the weekend.   The conference is being sponsored by BT’s Group chief technology office to the tidy tune of £10,000.

 - Leon Labovitch to represent Chaucer Speakers in the Topics Contest
 - Giles Robinson, National Finalist 2005, to toast the guests at the Saturday Dinner

The conference will see a feast of speaking.  There are three contests with eight contestants represented from all areas of the UK .  The ‘Speech Contest’ requires speakers to speak for a strict maximum of eight minutes on a chosen subject.  The ‘Evaluation Contest’ requires the contestants to listen to a demonstration speech.  After this the contestants have to provide an analytical evaluation of the speech for four minutes along with constructive advice on how the speaker may improve technique.   The final contest is the popular, quick firing ‘Topics contest’.  The Topics contestants have to give an immediate three minute impromptu speech on a topic given only at the point of speaking. The contestants must think on their feet and give a focused speech with impact.

Ian Lockyer, Media Officer  for the Association of Speakers Clubs (www.the-asc.org.uk) said, ’although the competitions are taken seriously , the conference is very much a social occasion where old friends get together.  In addition to the exciting programme the conference will feature a Salsa theme with free Salsa tuition on its first night.

He added, 'The national conference is the culmination of the fantastic work that the ASC is doing throughout the country.  It literally changes people’s lives.  Having the confidence and ability to communicate effectively in public is a valuable asset in both personal and professional life.  The ASC can help anyone develop their skills and make them more relaxed about giving presentations. Its structured programme and friendly, supportive members provide a safe environment to practice presentation skills, experiment with new techniques and build confidence.'

BT’s head of standards Keith Dickerson said, ‘BT recognises the important work that the ASC is doing throughout the UK in providing a friendly environment for people from all walks of life to practice public speaking, experiment with new techniques and build confidence.  BT is pleased to be sponsoring this conference.  To see the finest speakers going head to head across a number of disciplines will be incredibly stimulating.’

Click here for an event booking form                         Click here for a Novotel booking form

If you are a member of the media and you want to cover this conference please contact Ian Lockyer (ASC Media Officer) on 07775815500 or via email at i.lockyer@sky.com. 

11th March 2007

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the South East District competitions and in particular, congratulations to Leon Labovitch for winning the Topics contest!:

Regional Success for Leon

1st March - Website of the month!!

www.chaucerspeakers.org.uk

"Website of the month" for February 2007

This website has been awarded 'Website of the Month' for February 2007 from National Development Officer and the Webmaster of the ASC.  www.chaucerspeakers.org.uk was given this award because it was felt that it matched these specific criteria:

Be clear for both visitors and members to use

Be easy to navigate

Be up-to-date

Contain useful information

Make an impact - but not too much!

Have contact details

Link back to the main ASC site

Show that care has gone into their design

Brian Micklethwaite, National Webmaster for the ASC said, ‘We certainly feel that your Club site meets these criteria, and we enjoyed going through it.  It shows the standards that a good Club website can achieve.’

Ian Lockyer, Chaucer Club President said, ‘Our thanks go out to our sponsor Business Training Direct and to our webmaster Sam Faircloth for keeping this updated so well.’

Success at the Kent area competitions!

See the day's timetable: Kent Area AGM and Speech Competitions 2007