POWERtalk Great Britain Blog

The Beatles, Gerry and The Pacemakers, The Merseybeats and now, Rovers! Talent, charisma, and a willingness to enjoy life — they had / have it all!

The omens were with us this year — no rail strikes or planned motorway road works, with a forecast of good weather. The majority of the (smaller than usual group (9)) travelled there by train although Iris and Ruth opted to drive down, only to be scuppered by a meltdown in their navigation system. However, not all was lost as they now have a surprising knowledge of the villages to the North-East of Liverpool and a greater appreciation of “old-fashioned” road atlases!

We all met for Friday evening dinner at our hotel — Premier Inn 1 in Hanover Street. This was an excellent, central location and only a few minutes from Liverpool Street Station. The staff were polite and helpful but as usual, were diving about like mad things following the on-going staff cuts throughout the Premier Inn system. This is an increasingly regular feature of similar type hotel chains but, as we were  only really there in the mornings and later evenings, it was manageable.

On Saturday morning, apart from Yvonne and her husband Bill who had visited recently, the majority of the group opted to go on the Liverpool On Off Bus Tour on a double decker bus from the Albert Dock. This gave us an overview of the popular sights of the city and included stopping for photo opportunities at the Penny Lane street sign and the gates of Strawberry Fields. 

We also passed the graveyard and church which inspired “Eleanor Rigby”,  and streets, pubs, parks (and bus shelters!) mentioned in Beatles’ songs and where Lennon and McCartney wrote some of their famous compositions. I have to say that seeing all these places was really atmospheric, as I grew up listening to them. 

We also passed the graveyard and church which inspired “Eleanor Rigby”,  and streets, pubs, parks (and bus shelters!) mentioned in Beatles’ songs and where Lennon and McCartney wrote some of their famous compositions. I have to say that seeing all these places was really atmospheric, as I grew up listening to them.  
 

Returning to Albert Dock, we enjoyed one of the many restaurants and cafes which have been opened in the rejuvenated dockland area.  

Liverpool FC had been playing that day and fans were celebrating their team’s victory in a most restrained and polite manner — an unusual experience from someone who stays out of Glasgow city centre when the Old Firm (Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic) meet up on the football field. Some of them had travelled from far flung places like Sweden, Spain, and Bulgaria — very dedicated.

   

  

 

Sunday dawned bright with sunny intervals and lots of fluffy clouds. Other sights experienced were: Liverpool Museum; the Three Graces  — which consist of the Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building, all situated on  Liverpool’s Pier Head; China Town; Liverpool Philharmonic Building; and Liverpool’s two magnificent cathedrals.

 

Both of the latter are located at opposite ends of Hope Street and should not be missed. The more modern Catholic Cathedral was begun in the 19th century and designed by Pugin and after many delays related to the Second World War and financial difficulties, it was decided to alter the design and to complete it in concrete and glass. As you’ll see from the photo, it resembles a wigwam but its crowning feature is the stunning stained-glass which features above and around the central altar.  

 

The Anglican Cathedral, the UK’s largest cathedral, is an immense and more traditionally styled edifice  whose construction experienced similar delays to Liverpool Cathedral but, is an amazing structure.  Towering spire, vaulted ceilings, sculpted  pillars, arches, altar, organ loft and the Choir are constructed out of beautiful red sandstone and hardwood which together, create a spectacular sight.

Visiting on the Sabbath after morning services, we listened to choir practice while enjoying coffee and cake inside the in-house café — very civilised!

From March to May this year, the Cathedral was hosting the “Helios” exhibition, — a dazzling masterpiece by world-renowned British artist Luke Jerram. This comprises an amazing seven-metre sculpture of the Sun, at 1:200 million scale, where every 

centimetre of the sphere represents 2000km of the Sun’s surface. This allows one to view intricate details like sunspots, spicules, and solar flares—features that are usually millions of miles away. To quote the accompanying poster, “This isn’t just art—it’s an experience. With a custom surround sound composition blending solar sounds, NASA mission recordings, and uplifting music, you’ll feel connected to the Sun’s power, warmth, and significance.” For once, the publicity lives up to the blurb and the event is further enhanced by a circle of beanbags under the sculpture, where visitors lie back and bask in the otherworldly experience. I could have spent hours there.

Liverpool, a port and industrial city like Glasgow has also suffered decline of the traditional industries but has worked hard to redevelop and repurpose areas into ones which are appropriate and inviting for a modern populous. 

Joining POWERtalk gives you many opportunities to develop confidence in speaking and thinking on your feet.  The one I really enjoyed was organised formal debates.   Unfortunately, this has not been part of our programmes lately, partly, I think, because you need quite a number of people to have a really “ding-dong” event.

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 A debate can be between two people or any number of people.  A  formal debate is usually between two teams.   The teams can have any number of speakers.   Our country is governed by debates — the House of Commons is a debating chamber.    

It is also an exercise that demands self-discipline.   First, you have to do quite a lot of research to gather facts, figures and quotes from authorities to reinforce your arguments when putting your case and secondly, you must decide what arguments your opponents will use to refute your points so that you in turn counter your opponents' arguments.

Then you have to determine your strategy.   Who is going to lead your team, who is in a supporting role,  and who says what.
 
The formal debates  where I used to take part usually had two teams of two people in each.  The teams can be called Positive and Negative, Affirmative and Negative, Proposer and Opposer, or simply For and Against.

The order of speaking is:  First Speaker:       Speaker No. 1 of  Positive;  
                   Second Speaker:  Speaker No.1 of Negative;  
                   Third Speaker:     Speaker No. 2 of  Positive;  
                   Fourth Speaker:   Speaker No. 2 of Negative.

At that point, the event could be open to comments or arguments from the audience.

 Then the Summing Up speeches are presented:
                                           Fifth Speaker:     Speaker No. 1 of Negative,
                          and lastly Sixth Speaker:     Speaker No. 1 of  Positive team.

A debate motion is usually presented in the form:  “This House believes that … .”
The wording of the Motion is important.   It should be short, simple and positive, a subject that can be debated, not one that most people would agree with anyway, such as “Reading widely is beneficial”.  And certainly it must be positive, not negative.   You cannot prove a negative.

The first speaker, the leader of the Affirmative, should define the motion.   But the definition must give the opposition a realistic chance of arguing the point.

Consider:  “All citizens should carry a national ID card”.     “All” ?    Every country in the world?   Do you mean your own country?   Citizens?   What about Subjects?   In Britain you can be one or the other.   What about foreign students studying here?

The first Affirmative Speaker should also explain what points he/she will cover and what points the other Affirmative speakers will use.   A debate is team work, not a series of separate speeches.

The Negative team has to accept the Motion as defined, even if they do not agree with it.

Points of Information should be used throughout, but debaters should know the difference between Points of Information and Points of Order.

Points of Information
These can be used to seek or provide information.
They should be clear, short, succinct — definitely not a mini speech.
Speakers may accept or refuse at their discretion.
A competent, judicious use of the ability to accept or reject impresses judges and audience.
But they must not be used during the first and last minute of speeches and not at all during summing-up speeches.

Points of Order
A Point of Order is used when a participant believes that the rules of procedure are not being followed.
The clock is stopped for a Point of Order.

Qualities expected in a debate

Relevance
Speeches should be germane to the motion.   Persistent irrelevance will be penalised by the judges.

Refutation
The skill with which a speaker counters or undermines the arguments of opponents.   This is  particularly demonstrated in the handling of Points of Information.

Analysis
Analysis of the issues contained in the motion and of the points made in opposing arguments.

Delivery
The speaker's ability to gain and hold audience attention, including wit, plausibility, use of gesture and ability to deal with Points of Information, as well as tone modulation and audibility.  Judges should discriminate against blatant gimmickry.
 
Evidence
The relevance of the authorities cited and the fluidity with which they are adduced.

Teamwork
The extent to which speakers work as a team, complementing and supporting their partners.

Participation
Each debater should make judicious use of Points of Information and, if necessary, Points of Order.

PROTOCOL

Always respect your opponents.   Good manners should prevail throughout.   Lack of courtesy to them will be penalised by judges.   Don't belittle them or their ideas.   
Don't try to be too clever or gimmickry.   Both judges and the audience will be offended by a “Clever Dick”.
 

Nancy Sanderson

nms//23.3.25

 Rovers Club in person training weekend was in Carlisle on a glorious sunny weekend at the end of August. Carlisle is a small historic city in the north west of England with a glowering ancient castle, a cathedral, a university (where we were based) and a history of bloody warfare with Scotland (just up the road). On this weekend the English and Scots mingled happily!

Carlisle Castle

We came together on Friday evening with an Italian meal at a small restaurant in the centre of Carlisle. It was far from quiet — Carlisle knows how to enjoy itself!

On Saturday morning, after a wide-ranging AGM, we held the Club Speech Contest, with speeches from members and with the audience as judges. Speeches included the subjects ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, ‘Limit’ and ‘Great Expectations’. The speakers were thought provoking and entertaining, but sadly only one could win.

A gate in Carlisle

The afternoon gave us a useful presentation about using PowerPoint on Zoom — and we all learned. There was then a short presentation on ‘Hats and Headwear’.

The evening was our traditional dinner at the Crown and Mitre Hotel, with our invited local speaker enthralling us with his tales of the current and ongoing excavations of a very large Roman building just north of the town. This link will take you to related material — I recommend you scroll down to the video ‘Uncovering Roman Carlisle’. 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=carlisle+cricket+club+excavation#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f1809d76,vid:tgbGGycv0_8,st:0 

The next day members lead two workshops. One on evaluation, followed by another with the title ‘Go out and seek joy!’ Then the evaluation of the weekend (we had all loved it) and we set off for home, sad to leave but with the prospect of next year’s Spring Weekend not so far away.

Carlisle Coat of Arms

 Long ago, when I was young there was a shortage of everything — and I suspect in particular money, plus after the War there was a shortage of everything so every one had to “make do and mend”.

 The wrapping on parcels was carefully removed, any string wrapped up and the paper folded, all ready to be used again. Everything around the house was treated with care. Furniture and fittings were made to last and any spare food (although not a lot in my  house as there were five children) was recycled for another meal, and in fact, in our street was a bin which people put spare food, which I always believed was to feed pigs. (although this was never verified) but it seemed a good use of food waste.     All this was fine, but for me the most annoying thing was that as the fourth of four daughters most, if not all my clothes were second had — yes I was the original “Second hand Rose”.   To make thing worse, the sister immediately older than me was much taller and better looking than me and I always felt that I was invisible. One Christmas, much to my amazement there were two party dresses, one pink and one blue flowers in amongst my gifts.  Now I knew that they had never belonged to anyone in the family and I felt  very excited about it.

Imagine my shock when I discovered that they had belonged to one of my mother’s friends daughters. No longer did  I want to wear them and, in fact, they were used to dress up my dolls. A case of one very unhappy little girl and unsuccessful recycling.

However, one year, my mother did make me a new party dress of blue taffeta with a net overskirt and flowers at the waist — I was thrilled and went off to all the parties very much delighted with myself.   I am not sure if this was to make up for the earlier party dresses.  Naturally my brother, being a boy, never had any second hand clothes, but then I don’t think that this was important to him, being a boy.  In any event, being the “son and heir” he always got the best.     Nowadays, I think we have, to some extent, a lot of recycling.   This is partly due to the fact that we seem to be in a recession and also because we are so much more aware of the shortages of resource on our planet.  I know that clothes do not always wear out and that many people  (including myself) still recycle clothes by sending them to the Charity Shops, but I, for one, have never bought anything there.   I will just put it down to my earlier life.

Liz Duncan 

For many people, one of the scariest things in life is to stand up in front of a group of people and give a speech.  It doesn’t matter whether the group is friends — e.g. at a wedding – or whether it is a group of strangers,the feelings are the same.  We can prepare well and practise but it does not take away that fear.  Of course, the more one speaks in public the more confident one becomes but for many the occasion is a ‘one off’.  So how can we deal with these fears and positively enjoy the occasion?

‘Fear’ or F.E.A.R. is simply ‘Future Expectations Appearing Real’. We create our own fearful feelings through our imagination — the ‘What ifs’

‘What if I forget what I am going to say?’

‘What if I stumble over the words?’

‘What if I bore everyone?’

Why does this negative internal chatter affect us so much and how can we change it?

We have a conscious and subconscious part of our brain. The conscious is that part which takes in information and makes decisions. The subconscious controls the reactions to the messages sent to it by the conscious, it never questions or makes decisions, it just believes what it is told. Consequently all those negative messages our conscious is sending to the subconscious are being acted upon. The result is our stomach churns, our mouth goes dry and we feel really nervous. To change the way we feel we need to change those negative voices into positive ones.

The phrases need to be in the first person ‘I’. When the subconscious hears ‘I’ it becomes alert and ready for a command. The instruction should be in the present tense (it’s happening now) and it needs to be specific and positive.

For example –

‘I am speaking clearly and confidently.’

Not

‘I am not stumbling over my words.’

Practise this and replace every negative statement with a positive one.

In everyday life avoid speaking negatively to your friends or colleagues, it has the same effect on your subconscious. Instead of saying ‘I am really worried/nervous about this.’ You could say, ‘I am working at controlling my nerves.’

Finally, remember to believe in yourself and overcome those last minute nerves. I recall many years ago, standing in the wings of a stage waiting to make my entrance in my first amateur dramatic play. I tried to remember my first line (or any other line for that matter) and nothing! I was beginning to go into panic when I stopped and told myself – ‘I’ve learnt my lines, I have successfully rehearsed them, just trust yourself.’ And sure enough, as I stepped on to the stage the words began to flow.

Remember, when you come to make your speech do your preparation, practise your speech, think positively and trust yourself. Do all of these things and enjoy the experience.

Lesley Smith

What do I write on a blog? Would other people be interested in what I have to say? Who knows? But here goes. I joined POWERtalk GB many years ago — long before I had even heard of the Internet, webpages and blogs. So I definitely did not join in order to become a blogger.

When the Edinburgh Toastmistress club was started up again in 1971 I was working as an Administrator but had just landed a job as a Further Education lecturer. It occurred to me that this might just give me more confidence to stand in front of a class of adults, some of whom could well be older than me, and teach them. I still remember the first topic I was given — “You have won £1 million. What would you spend it on?” I think I spoke for about a minute. But that was the start, both of my Further Education career and my ongoing fascination and involvement with communication in the widest sense.

Communication is so important in life. We are social beings, but not perfect, so to be able to hone our skills in speaking, listening, organising, debating, contributing to discussions in meetings, minute-taking and finally chairing meetings in a welcoming, friendly, supportive atmosphere of a club meeting is one of the major plus points of ITC, now POWERtalk.

At school I was terrified to open my mouth at a debate; at university it was an ordeal to present a paper to my tutorial group. Taking minutes was fine for me after my secretarial training, but to take part and to chair a meeting…

I enjoyed teaching in Further Education. Yes, some of the students were older than me. Some were men and women who wanted to change careers of get back into the workplace after a break. I enjoyed researching the subjects I taught — at the same time as I was enjoying researching for the speeches I was making in ITC. The opportunity for promotion came and I had the confidence to go for it and eventually became head of section. More communication skills were required now — delegating, listening, organising timetables, counselling and meetings.

In ITC I was taking part (and winning) speech contests and debating — how proud my parents were with my achievements. I held office, club right up to region and finally helped organize an international convention here in Scotland. This would not have happened without the support of fellow ITC members, each of us putting our ITC training into action.

I am still a member of POWERtalk, now retired from lecturing, but still learning and improving my communication skills with my friends in The Rovers Club and Stirling POWERtalk.

If you have just been surfing the internet and found yourself reading this, I hope it was of interest — it’s never too late to improve your communication skills for business or for pleasure.

Diana Porterfield

First I would like to explain that one Japanese word usually implies various kinds of meanings and therefore they describe different Japanese words.  I assume this is the case with English words.  I would like to mention the various meanings of this word “Shibui” here, as follows:—
 
1.    Mouth-puckering
Bitter (tea)
Sour persimmon
Rough wine

2.    Glum, sour, sullen
Look glum (blue)
Frown at/on
Pull a wry face
Grimace

3.    Quiet and simple
Sober, austere
Be tight, stingy, tight-fisted:
(Don’t wait for Gillian to buy a drink — she too tight-fisted)
Be a miser
(On environmental spending, the president is a miser)

4.    Tasteful
Shibui – a sense of beauty：this category fits “Wabi-Sabi”.
In traditional Japanese aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi is world view acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature.  It is prevalent throughout all forms of Japanese art.

Wabi-Sabi is a composite of two interrelated aesthetic concepts.  Wabi may be translated as “subdued, austere beauty”, while Sabi means “rustic patina”.
Characteristics of Wabi-Sabi aesthetics and principles include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature.

Zen Garden of Ryoanji in Kyoto is an good example of the Wabi-Sabi arts. The clay wall, which is stained by age with subtle brown and orange tones, reflects Sabi principles, with the rock garden reflecting Wabi principles.

Reiko Uchiyama
Nagoya, Japan
27/11/22

The final day of the Rovers  Training Weekend started with a workshop on ‘Expanding your Word Power’ led by Vice President Iris Gibson. After a break for refreshments the second workshop  on writing was led by the President, Rosemary Low, and the Secretary, Laurence Coates.

A brief evaluation session followed before the weekend was brought to a close.

The Rovers Training Weekend in Carlisle commenced with an informal meal at SannaS Sardinian Restaurant on Friday night. Members enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere and there were a lot of favourable comments afterwards about the meal.

Saturday morning commenced with the AGM followed, after a short break by the speech contest. The winner of the contest was Yvonne Baker, pictured below receiving the Tibbie Brown trophy from club president, Rosemary Low.

President Rosemary presenting the trophy to winner Yvonne Baker

After lunch the club parliamentarian, Ruth Maltman, led a workshop on Practical Parliamentary Procedure. The second part of the afternoon was a mini debate chaired by Margaret Robertson.

In the evening we had a meal at the Crown and Mitre hotel followed by table topics led by Nancy Sanderson.

Members and Guests at the Crown and Mitre

Janya Statue

The Rovers Spring Weekend took place this year in the historic city of Chester, in Cheshire, NW England from 22^nd to 24th April 2022. We were fortunate to have fairly good weather with little rain — always a plus for any area in the west of the UK!

On the Friday evening, we all met for a meal at our city centre hotel which allowed us to catch up with all the news and to have a reasonably early bedtime, prior to a prompt breakfast before our first activity of the day — a private guided walking tour of the centre from Stephen Shakeshaft, one of the city’s Guild of Tour Guides who provided a fun and educational background to the city. 

City Walls

Foregate

 In the afternoon, members had free time, shopping, museum visits and sightseeing. Many visited the impressive Chester Cathedral for lunch and an exhibition of some stunning mosaic work. As a bonus, the Chester Symphony Orchestra was rehearsing for the upcoming celebration concert of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and we were treated to stunning renditions of classical pieces like Elgar’s “Nimrod.”

Our Saturday evening’s Members’ Dinner was located at the Georgian “The Architect” bar and restaurant near “The Roodee” — Chester’s racecourse. The experience was most enjoyable with excellent food and an after-dinner presentation, by our tour guide Stephen, on other aspects of this historic city. Meeting face-to-face for the first time since 2019 allowed President Rosemary Low to present Diana Porterfield with the Tibbie Brown Trophy for winning the 2020 Rovers Speech Contest.  

Diners in the Architect

Diana with Stephen Shakeshaft and Rosemary Low

Diana with the Tibbie Brown trophy

On Sunday, half the group departed for home, but those remaining enjoyed a variety of pursuits including river cruising, Chester Zoo, more shopping, visiting local museums, restaurants and cafes. Everyone then headed home on Monday after having a most enjoyable weekend  — great: company; food; and the chance to learn about this historic city.

Iris Gibson