Speeches

We meet at the Essendon Bowls club, 50 Raleigh St, Essendon VIC 3040. Toastmasters is an opportunity to refine the various aspects of public speaking and a very encouraging environment to experience growth.

Come and learn about the International Language, Esperanto, from experienced speakers who have travelled the world, attended international conferences, and made friends with people from many different countries. Esperanto is simple to learn, regular, and a very powerful tool for international communication. Our Monday meetups are tailored to whoever shows up on the night, so feel free to drop in, no matter what your level (curious/interested/beginner/conversational/expert). We can offer one-on-one lessons or a range of group activities, conversation, and games. We meet at Enderby Esperanto Centre, suite 304, 343 Little Collins Street. Your first visit is free, and meetups are free for members, however if neither of these apply we ask for $5 to help cover venue costs. If you want to join our Discord server for Esperantists in Victoria, please visit [https://discord.gg/6cgKjQhkWa](https://discord.gg/6cgKjQhkWa "https://discord.gg/6cgKjQhkWa")

**🎤 Elevate Your Communication & Leadership at Mighty Docklands Toastmasters!** Ready to level up your confidence, leadership skills, and public speaking prowess? Welcome to Mighty Docklands Toastmasters, where your journey to self-improvement begins! 🌟 What to Expect: * **Expert Toastmasters Guidance**: Our sessions follow the proven Toastmasters framework, ensuring you receive the best possible support and mentorship. * **Warm and Welcoming Atmosphere:** Immerse yourself in a friendly and vibrant environment, surrounded by like-minded individuals on their own journey of self-improvement. * **Diverse community:** Connect with 15-20 like-minded people at every meeting. Come and experience it for yourself! We welcome guests and newcomers alike, eager to meet anyone interested in advancing their public speaking and leadership abilities. 📅 **We meet every 1st, 3rd & 5th Monday of each month from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.** ***Please come by 6:15 pm, for a prompt 6:30 pm start. Visitors will not be allowed in after 6:30 pm due to access-controlled doors.*** ✉️ Please email **docklandstoastmasters@gmail.com** for more information. Attending any Toastmasters meeting as a guest is free, however membership to Toastmasters International is a paid activity, details of membership fee etc will be shared over email post attendance. 📍**Find us at the Community Hub:** The Community Hub at the Dock is the building **next** to the Library. There will be a signage at the access contolled front door. Head down towards the library and then head past the park on the left. Entrance is from the street side. [Front of building](https://imgur.com/a/ugh5ay3)

**Gain The Confidence to Be Unstoppable! Free Class.** How to Achieve Self Confidence! Without question, self confidence is the key to success. It determines how many of your goals you achieve in life and has an enormous impact on your happiness. It affects how people perceive you, your career achievements, your ability to take risks or try new endeavours, as well as your overall attitude toward yourself and others. Self Confidence is something most people would like to have more of, but aren't sure how to get. Did you ever feel more certain of yourself in the past? Would you like to raise your self confidence ? To increase self confidence, you have to understand what reduces it. If you know why this happens you can reverse the situation and rebuild your self esteem. Self Confidence is self-determinism. One's belief in one's ability to determine his own course. As long as one has that, he's go the universe in his pocket. - L. Ron Hubbard. This day you are able to Learn a few things about: • The true source of security in life. • How self-confidence, self respect and self trust interrelate, and what you can do to rehabilitate them. • The exact steps to become more competent in whatever you do. Today's free class will put you into a good position to help you achieve a new level of self-confidence, accomplish more and progress towards a higher level of personal survival. Free parking, Free entree *** Todays free class is open to all people of goodwill and is held at the Life Improvement Centre located at Scientology. Our meetup classes contain universal knowledge that is applicable to all of us and can and is used by anyone of any faith as well as by those with no faith. Our meetups contain TOOLS for better living and they will assist you greatly in achieving your goals! These practical tools can be used straight away!

**Skeptics Cafe.** Vic Skeptics Pub Night - Third Monday of every month. Skeptics Café will be held in the Mahogany Room at [The Stolberg Hotel](https://stolberg.com.au/), 197 Plenty Road, Preston. Each month, Victorian Skeptics hosts a social night in the pub. We get together for dinner, drinks and good conversation with like-minded individuals. We have a different speaker each month. Speaker: Dr. John Perkins. Topic: ***"Global Warming: A model of the carbon cycle".*** **Start Time:** 6:00pm for dinner and a chat. 7:30pm for beginning of the talk. **[Vic Skeptics](https://vicskeptics.wordpress.com/events/)** \- \- **[Australian Skeptics](https://www.skeptics.com.au/)**

**Struggling with study or learning? You’re not alone.** This meetup suits people at all levels of study skill. Too many children, teenagers, and adults find studying difficult—not because they lack ability, but because they were never taught **how to learn**. This meetup introduces the basics of **Study Technology**—a practical, proven approach that shows how learning really works and how to overcome common study barriers. It applies to children, teens (and parents), teachers, and adults alike. You’ll discover simple, effective methods to improve understanding, confidence, and performance—whether at school, work, or online. Teachers and parents often see rapid improvements in both behaviour and results. Yes, it *is* possible to improve study performance—in just **five easy steps**. If you can’t attend in person, online options are available. **Join us and learn how to study effectively—once and for all.** See you at the meetup, **Pam** When learning clicks, confidence follows.

***Gain the Personal Freedom to Achieve Your Goals.*** How can you gain personal freedom to achieve your goals? How can you use Dianetics techniques to gain a greater sense of happiness and well-being? Dianetics is the science of the mind and it is exact and useful. What blocks you from attaining a higher level of ability and understanding of yourself? Why do people react the way they do? How does the mind affect your health? How can you get in control of your own life instead of life controlling you? The secret to successfully reaching your goals depends on knowing the exact actions that always lead to accomplishment. Today's meetup will explain some of the essential fundamentals that you can easily implement. Ask for Michael , Pam or Donovan

Smashing! Try something new Thursday Interactive workshop - Become the charismatic leader Serious about improving your leadership - **Why mess, come to the best** Why is Smashing different to other speaking clubs? Just one member's thoughts, "The fun/laughs factor is definitely a point of difference. We keep it moving with high standards so it’s a nice balance. Too strict makes it tense and boring, too loose and we can lose the energy/commercial feel. SmashSpeak's vibe's in the sweet spot." **Free parking** close: O'Connell and Cobden streets **IMPORTANT: Be on time, as doors close when the show starts** “Proudly Australian" – Free-flowing teamwork, greater good focus, sharing the stage, etc Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth St (Opposite Queen Vic Market) Level 1, Purple Room (End of corridor) More to come...

Speaking in public is not easy for most people, nor is running a workshop, writing a speech, thinking on your feet, or even speaking up amongst friends. At POWERtalk you will learn how to gain the confidence to step up to speak up. We've seen it many times over. We help you with simple techniques to look confident as a speaker even when you feel like crumbling. **You'll be giving presentations before you know it and loving it!!!** **\>\>\>** We believe there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to growing as a person and can tailor a plan to help you grow as an individual. **<<<** **Join us at a meeting soon to learn how to build your confidence as a speaker, effectively communicate, get creative, and have lots of fun doing so.** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- POWERtalk Australia is a not-for-profit organisation training in public speaking and leadership skills. Guests are free of charge for the first 3 meetings. Full membership is surprisingly very affordable. Please ask if you would like more information or become a member. We look forward to meeting you for a night of POWERtalk (1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month) *PS. If you have symptoms of cough, runny nose, fever or are unwell, we wish you a speedy recovery and please ask that you stay away until you are well again. Thanks :)* Come along and enjoy the fun. We look forward to meeting you.

🌟 Welcome to North Melbourne's Toastmasters Speech Contest Night! A fun and practical Toastmasters evening focused on impromptu speaking, confidence and friendly competition. At North Melbourne Toastmasters, we're your supportive path to public speaking, communication, and leadership excellence. Our warm and friendly club offers a structured yet enjoyable meeting atmosphere. This meeting will be different from our usual Toastmasters format. Members will take part in a Table Topics-style contest where each speaker responds to the same prompt, with only a short time to think and speak. It is a great opportunity to practise thinking on your feet, speaking under pressure and building confidence in a supportive environment. The evening will include: * A Table Topics speech contest * Impromptu speaking practice * A chance to observe how Toastmasters contests work * Guest-friendly explanations throughout the evening * A relaxed and supportive club environment * Light food and time to connect with members Each participant will speak for approximately **1 to 2.5 minutes**. Contestants will be called into the room one at a time so each person responds to the same topic fairly. Judges will score speeches using Toastmasters-style judging criteria. This event is suitable for both current members and guests. You do not need to compete to attend. Guests are welcome to come along, watch, learn and meet the club.

Come along to our open and friendly group and learn about Toastmasters. We offer practice in public speaking in a safe and friendly environment.

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking with Southbank Toastmasters! Ready to transform nerves into confidence? Join us for a fun, interactive workshop to: ✨ Conquer your fear of speaking 💡 Learn pro tips from experienced mentors 📈 Boost your business and career through powerful communication Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned speaker, this is your chance to grow, connect, and shine! 🌟 Don’t miss out—step up to the mic and join us! 🎤

Join us at Preston Library and boost your public speaking skills! ## Speak with Confidence at Northern Exposure Toastmasters Join us in person at Preston Library for a fun and friendly Toastmasters meeting! Whether you're looking to sharpen your public speaking skills or just want to meet like-minded folks, this is the place to be. Share your stories, get useful feedback, and boost your confidence in a supportive atmosphere. ### **Set Your 2026 Challenge** Maybe this is the year you want to: * Improve your public speaking and presentation skills * Build confidence in meetings or high-pressure situations * Become a more influential leader * Sharpen your thinking on your feet * Strengthen your communication for career advancement * Expand your personal and professional network Whatever your 2026 challenge looks like, Toastmasters meets you where you are, and helps you grow from there. There is so much to learn from presenting speeches to become a Leader in the Club. * 1\. Personal & professional development * 2\. Improved communication & listening skills * 3\. Increased confidence * 4\. Develop & enhance leadership skills * 5\. Affiliation with an internationally renowned organisation Don't miss out on this chance to speak up and stand out!

**🍽 Deep Dive Lunch: What action would you take if you had more courage?** Most people have an idea of what they’d do if they had more courage. This lunch is a chance to explore that in a relaxed, small-group setting, across business, career, and life. Not theoretical. Not “one day”. Right now. 🔄 **Format** • Arrival + order food • First discussion round • Table rotation • Final reflections + wrap 💬 **How it works** We’ll break into small groups of 6–8 people per table. Each table will have a few guided prompts to help the conversation go deeper without forcing it. Then, you'll explore the topic together, sharing perspectives, experiences, and current situations. Halfway through, we rotate tables so you meet a new group and continue the conversation from a different angle. 🧭 **Ground rules, this is important** To keep the conversations valuable if you catch yourself or anyone doing the below. Call it out, don't stay silent. • Ask, "do you want my perspective on the topic?" before giving unscolicited advice • Listen completely before responding: ask "have you said all you want about to about that?" • No one person should speak more than 20% of the time • No pitching or selling: this is not the place for that • What’s shared stays in the group - Chatham House rules! This is about understanding and reflection, not impressing anyone. 👀 **Who this is for** • People building something, or thinking about it • Those open to honest, reflective conversation • Anyone who knows they might be holding back somewhere You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to be willing to think about it. **🔥Future Lunch Topics Coming Up...** 1. Deep Dive Lunch: Is taking action in 2026 wasted given global uncertaintity? 2. Deep Dive Lunch: What are you doing that feels productive but isn’t actually moving the needle? 3. Deep Dive Lunch: If you had to start 2026 again, what would you do differently? 4. Deep Dive Lunch: What’s the next uncomfortable step you know you should take?

The topic for May is "Ink" Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!

**Welcome to Drunken Philosophy** a casual, curious social discussion **Optional topic for this meetup: What's up with all the AI hate?** A recent survey found that 74% of Americans have a negative view of AI, and I want to know why. Come out and debate whether AI is good or bad. My hot take: a labor-saving tool that could potentially help cure cancer gets called dangerous because it might raise unemployment or cause a speculative investment bubble, that tells you a lot more about capitalism and the economic system we live under than it does about the tool itself. As a computer programmer, I think AI is a wonderful tool that has increased my productivity by at least an order of magnitude. I'd go so far as to say Claude Code is the best tool I have ever used. Debate me and name a better one. Is AI potentially dangerous? Yes, but so are a lot of tools. Chainsaws. Steam engines (early ones would occasionally explode and kill everyone in the room). Do you think cavemen sat around debating whether fire could be used as a weapon or for self-harm, and decided not to discover it? I have two friends who hate AI for opposite reasons: one thinks it's a fad and not useful, and the other thinks it's going to take over everything and cause human extinction. Come out tonight, have a friendly debate, and make some friends. No lectures. Friendly crowd. Drop in for one drink and stay if it's fun.

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message \*\*Chris (the organizer)\*\*with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.linkedin.com/company/transformlabs/) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/transformlabshq)

**💎 Personality-Matched Speed Dating for Local Burnaby Singles — No Venue Needed** You'll go through short private video dates with age-matched personality-sorted Burnaby locals, while a live host keeps things smooth throughout. As part of the process, a quick compatibility quiz is part of registration — that information feeds the matching to pair you with compatible Burnaby locals, so each round starts with genuine compatibility in mind. Once the evening wraps up, mutual connections are confirmed and shared — exclusively for mutual selections — and you are in control of what happens next. **Registration — choose your age group:** - **Ages 18-32** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=537.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Burnaby&groupurlname=bloom-with-genuine-peers-through-events&ar=18-32&face_v=3.0) - **Ages 30-46** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=537.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Burnaby&groupurlname=bloom-with-genuine-peers-through-events&ar=30-46&face_v=3.0) - **Ages 40-58** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=537.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Burnaby&groupurlname=bloom-with-genuine-peers-through-events&ar=40-58&face_v=3.0) - **Ages 55+** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=537.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Burnaby&groupurlname=bloom-with-genuine-peers-through-events&ar=55+&face_v=3.0) **⚠️ Final step:** Clicking rsvp here is not the same as registering, so click your age range link above, complete the sign-up, and take the personality questions — spots are kept small by design so register promptly, and both are needed — the RSVP alone counts for nothing. --- **This is for you if:** - Members who live in Burnaby who have given up on the app treadmill that goes in circles and are serious about meeting someone. - Those in the Burnaby area bored of profiles instead of real people and prefer meeting people in person first. - Professionals living in Burnaby ready to move past matches that ghost after two messages and value real conversation over curated profiles. - Residents calling Burnaby home who have had enough of endless scrolling and zero real dates and prefer meeting people in person first. - Daters in the Burnaby area leaving behind conversations that fizzle before a first date and want to try something that actually works. **The process** 1. **Get started** – by using the link for your bracket above, then fill in the personality questions as part of registration, because registration and quiz together hold your seat. 2. **Click into Zoom** – via your Zoom registration link at the right time, no tech headaches involved since you just click and join, and round management is all on the host from there. 3. **Chat** – short timed video rounds with Burnaby singles curated for you by age and personality, as the host keeps everything smooth and well-timed, since every person you meet was matched to you on purpose. 4. **Find your matches** – we reveal mutual matches once the session ends, since only mutual matches exchange details and everything else stays private, and from there you follow up at whatever pace suits you. **Details** - **Format:** Fully hosted in a hosted Zoom session built around structured one-on-one video dates, age and personality sorted before the event begins. - **Where:** Entirely virtual — from whatever is most comfortable for you, no special equipment — just a device with a camera and internet, and you can join from your couch or anywhere else that works. - **Host:** A seasoned host runs the session from the opening to the final round, and all you have to do is show up and be yourself — from opening to close everything is taken care of. - **Vibe:** Friendly one-on-one chats with Burnaby people who are ready for something real, and the rounds go faster than you would think. - **Duration:** Generally around 60 to 90 minutes from host intro to final round, and it is over before you know it. --- ✨ Your next match could be one Zoom call away — click your age bracket and sign up and we will handle the rest in your own time. See you in the first round. 💙 ✨

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBD