A member who faced, with courage, that most difficult time - giving a tribute at the funeral of a loved one. "I must tell you I have again used the training I have received at Solent Speakers meetings, though this was a sadder occasion. I was able to deliver a short speech from the lectern at my father's funeral and it gave me great satisfaction to do so. Some members of my family were surprised that I attempted such a thing, but I was determined to do it and I had enough confidence, thanks to Solent Speakers, even though I have only done 3 speeches."

"...and as part of your new job you are required to give formal presentations to other departments, external meetings,...." aaargghh - I thought I'd done well to get through the job interview presentation. Toastmasters, is a proven formula that overcomes your inhibitions. You'll meet friendly people and soon learn the trick of performing on that stage in front of others. You learn with accomplished speakers and from others just like you. Not an evening class, more a club where you can develop your skills and practice, meet interesting people and watch them develop just like you."

"After years of feeling terrified at the prospect of being asked to do a presentation or indeed any kind of public speaking role at work, I felt it time to face my fears and work towards solving my problem. I found Solent Speakers on the internet and realised there are many other people out there feeling the same and that Solent Speakers could help! From my first meeting, I was amazed at the warmth and friendliness of members and the surprisingly relaxed environment. I've learnt so much already and feel my confidence growing. I highly recommend Solent Speakers to anyone who wishes to improve their confidence or simply to be part of a club with such enthusiastic and friendly members. I am very glad I found Solent Speakers."

"I visited the Solent club because I wanted a forum where I could develop my public speaking abilities - after 2 visits I was hooked. I was not a complete novice, but needed a non-pressured environment where I could speak regularly and see myself improve in a structured way. Solent Speakers has been perfect for that: each 'formal' speech is thoroughly and constructively evaluated, and there are also plenty of other developmental opportunities to be involved in the evenings. Finally, Solent Speakers provides a really friendly and totally supportive environment."

"Thank you for your invitation to the Solent Speakers evening. You and the other members made both Peter and me very welcome. It was a very interesting evening and I did enjoy delivering my short speech and was delighted with the various comments I received afterwards. I had a clear understanding of what members were expecting from a good speech. Peter and I found the club a great place to learn new skills in communication and public speaking and enjoyed delivering our speeches which were both impromptu but in different ways."

Mark Hoban, as guest speaker, talked about the perils and pitfalls of speaking in the House of Commons. Mark said "I speak for a living, yet I received no training in how to do it. Clubs like Solent Speakers provide excellent support to people who want to speak in public, fluently and confidently. I would recommend it to anyone whether a budding politician or the father of the bride."

I was recently asked if l would like to attend Solent speakers' afternoon of speeches at a competition which took in other clubs across southern England. I'd never been to an event of this sort before and was interested to see what it was all about. l must say l've never been so welcome by so many people. l took my chair and the speeches began. They were so varied and all very interesting and the speakers were all given real support from the audience .I found the whole afternoon very enjoyable. For people that find public speaking difficult this group really knows how to help and develop you into confident individuals who can speak in front of large audiences. I would really recommend this club to anyone who wants to gain confidence in public speaking as it was a real joy to watch the club members give their speeches.

"I was thrilled to have been offered a morning's paid work as speaker / facilitator to a Waterside writers' group. Writing is what I do but speaking in front of others is something I used to dread. Thanks to Solent Speakers, the dread has disappeared and now I'm looking forward to talking to strangers about "Humour in Writing". Gauging a new audience is a challenge; attending Toastmasters makes challenges enjoyable!"

"Adrian and I were kindly invited to Solent Speakers to talk about our Charity - Eye Contact. We were both rather nervous, not knowing what to expect and the thought of being 'assessed' did not thrill us either. But it was all unfounded. We presented the speediest talk we had ever given and were buoyed up by the positive response we received. We had had training to preach but this was different. Everyone was very friendly and put us at our ease and we got used to watching the lights so we did not go over time; not as scary as we imagined. Thank you for inviting us."