Wonderful news! We are meeting at 18:15 BST on Thursday, June 25! We are meeting on Zoom! Click on this text to join the chat room. If that doesn’t work on your device, the Meeting ID is 631 522 4568 and the password is speakers.
We had a lot of fun this academic year, and we are excited to transition into the next one. To make the transition as smooth as possible, we need to assemble a committee of dedicated, lively, and trustworthy students. If you will be an Imperial student or staff next year and you wish to be in the committee next year, please apply by clicking the button below.
If you wish to apply, please briefly explain why you would like to serve Imperial College Speakers and which role you would like to be considered for. The following roles are still available:
- President
- Vice President (VP) of Membership
- VP of Education
- VP of Public Relations
- Sergeant At Arms
- Secretary
Descriptions about the roles outlined above can be read by clicking the button below.
Our last meeting’s Word Of The Day was:
Definition: a stylish, original, and very confident way of doing things that makes people admire you.
Example: she spoke with great panache.
Prepared Speakers
Why can you think of Change As A Turning Point In Life? Nehad Ali answered this question in her Icebreaker.
“Change is common, but radical change in uncommon.” This is an important adage for Nehad as it effectively captures her journey to becoming a speaker.
She realised she was not happy with her current situation while on holiday one time. So, she followed “the voice of change” and updated her knowledge by embarking on an entrepreneurship course at London. She discovered that public speaking was a challenge to her since English was not her native language. “It’s time to turn weaknesses into opportunities” with the help of Toastmasters!
Should you Serve your community? Xiaolei Zhang tried to empower academicians so they feel less lonely.
Xiaolei felt she was in “extreme” academic isolation. She would often encounter an episode of depression or “loss of hope”. Fortunately, Toastmasters came to the rescue to help her regain confidence and energy.
Xiaolei adamantly believes that students that do not engage in formal research collaboration will tend to communicate less. This is why she builds academic-focussed communities for PhD students to feel less depressed. Finally, she empowered us to “be part of the solution”!
What are Dreams Made Of? Chuka Nwobodo entertained a decade of experience playing games to answer this elusive question.
What have a Game Boy Advance, Wacky Warehouse, and a bike that talks have in common? They were all part of Chuka’s childhood, which he recited fondly in his speech.
Why is Pikachu so iconic? What differentiates people with high creativity from those with low creativity? Chuka believes creativity is a skill that can be trained by drawing, writing, or telling jokes more often. Obviously, playing video games can also help!
Paula Vila told us What I Have Learned in 4 Years at University. Congratulations on your recent graduation, and we wish only the best for you!
Before she even got into university, Paula was so excited that she researched all of the societies at Imperial College London. However, Paula dropped “everything” (which included 16 societies!) right before exam season.
As a result, Paula decided to focus only on what was important. In addition, growing and maintaining her connections are some of the most valuable things she gained from her time at university. “Sometimes, less is more”, but the best time to network is arguably at university. Cultivate only the best connections to avoid being overwhelmed!
Katia Hougaard (Best Speaker) showed us how she works as A Leader in the Lab: Being a Supervisor. Do you consider yourself a coach, a pacesetter, or an innovator?
All of us have leadership roles, whether we signed up for them or not! Katia explained that there may be three defining leadership styles.
With a coaching style, Katia encouraged her students to acquire original and more advanced research. With a pacesetting style, she could “maximise productivity” by training students to use equipment and software. She should also set the bar high by showing up to work daily, doing her research, and abiding to proper lab etiquette. “Innovation and science go hand in hand” and the job of an innovative leader is to acknowledge that there is “no such thing as a stupid question”! To conclude, a “real-world leader must be adaptable.”
Evaluations
Chane evaluated the Nehad’s icebreaker.
Nehad did well to “guide the audience with her pace”.
Nehad could try to make the quotes she cited sound more inspirational by changing her voice.
She motivated why she wanted to become a better public speaker.
Kenny evaluated Xiaolei’s speech.
“She was very fluid and natural.” She reminded Kenny of the founder of Toastmasters!
“Keep your segues a lot more clean” to avoid inhibiting flow with distracting noises, for example.
Her vision for forming a Society was empowering and evocative.
Harshit evaluated Chuka’s speech.
Chuka modulated his voice to express his love for games.
He could have clumped similar topics into the same slide so he could use fewer slides.
He had very good body language and facial expressions.
Martin evaluated Paula’s speech.
Paula should consider involving “personal issues” in this kind of speech to avoid it sounding too bland.
She engaged participation with the audience. Twice.
Miracle (Best Evaluator) evaluated Katia’s presentation.
She “really liked how Katia explained” the three roles she discussed.
Did Katia receive feedback from her students? She could have mentioned the effectiveness of her strategies.
“She came across as very soft.”
Subhajit acted as our General Evaluator.
The second Evaluator used many quotes that he thought would help the speaker improve.
“A conclusion is necessary” to facilitate retention.
The fourth Evaluator “showed” how a speech could be improved by including props and anecdotes.