My experiences of Victoria Quay

Hi there,

Andrew Bond

I am Andrew Bond, the new Vice President of Public Relations at Victoria Quay. I answer to two names, Andrew or ‘Bondy’.

As someone who is not used to having such grand titles bestowed upon me, I find making my first entry as a VP somewhat daunting. However, I actively sought out this responsibility to serve the club, so I might as well begin by sharing my experiences of Toastmasters.

Victoria Quay has been running in the vibrant port of Fremantle, week in week out, since the mid 1990s. Over the past 15 years it has seen countless members come and go – some pillars of the local community, others transients and free spirits – whilst playing a vital role in setting up a number of new Toastmasters clubs in and around Perth.

Today, thanks to the efforts of clubs like Victoria Quay, our not-for-profit organisation is thriving in Western Australia. Many people, like me, are attracted by the promise of improving on their public speaking. It is a skill which has countless applications in day-to-day life: from improving your joke-telling ability to sounding more confident in a job interview – and getting the job!

We meet every Wednesday at 6pm in the function room at Fremantle Bowling Club – home of the famous ‘four minutes fast’ wall clock. Guests are welcome to come along with no obligation to join. The group size is typically around 15 people.

I’ll always remember how welcome I was made to feel when I first walked in as a guest. Although I was daunted by the quality of the experienced speakers, the atmosphere felt relaxed and informal. This and the friendly attitude of the members persuaded me to sign up, and soon I had the confidence to begin my first speaking projects. Now, just three months later, I already feel like a more polished and assertive speaker.

The meetings are very well structured, allowing as many people as possible the chance to speak. The Sergeant at Arms prepares the meeting room, greets the guests and ensures the meeting starts on time, whilst the Toastmaster introduces all the speakers and acts as a genial compere.

Throughout the evening, each member gets evaluated on their speaking and given useful suggestions for improvement. The feedback is always structured around a commendation, a recommendation and another commendation, thereby building the person’s confidence whilst providing them with fresh insight.

Guests are welcome to participate in Table Topics and deliver a short unrehearsed speech in reply to a random question. The green, yellow and red lights facing the speaker indicate when time is up. Many guests get a taste for speaking and have trouble sticking to the time limit!

The secret of public speaking, in my brief experience, is that there’s no right or wrong way of doing it. Just relax and be yourself. With a bit of practice, you’ll be surprised that the skills you thought you were lacking were there all along.

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