At Meridian Speakers, we never know quite what to expect, with speakers constantly surprising us with their wide range of interests, activities, views and stories.
One thing you can expect, though, is a well-organised evening, which follows a carefully designed structure designed to help everyone learn at their own speed in an enjoyable atmosphere.
We develop our leadership skills through various roles (supported with advice through our Leadership manual) that help us run the meetings in a timely and lively way.
Prepared speeches
Part of the evening is always dedicated to prepared speeches, mostly lasting from 5 - 7 minutes. These follow a series of guidelines and advice from our introductory Communication Skills Manual (or various Advanced Manuals).
As speakers we choose our own subjects for these prepared speeches and as members of the audience we are often surprised by what we hear.
Table Topics
The second part of the evening usually focuses on improving our impromptu speaking skills. Volunteers are given a subject and encouraged to speak 'off the cuff' for a minute or two. These opportunities provide a rich source of entertainment for the audience.
Central to our meetings and to our personal development as communicators and leaders are the Evaluations. Every speaker and everyone taking on a leadership role in the meeting is given feedback with positive commendations and constructive recommendations. This mutual support and feedback is invaluable.