Learn to speak in public, in a friendly room.

About the club

York Speakers Club exists to promote the art of public speaking by giving everyone the chance to practise in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

At our meetings, members give prepared and impromptu speeches. In return they receive encouragement and helpful advice on how to improve. Our system works because there is no substitute for experience. You have a go, you get feedback, and you learn a great deal from watching and listening to others.

“All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.”Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is it for you?

It might be, if you:

• want more confidence and better communication skills
• need to speak as part of your job, or want better promotion prospects
• need to speak at a social or business occasion, such as a wedding or a leaving do

Speaking in public can be enjoyable. The club is relaxed and well structured, with plenty of support, and it is a lot of fun. You will make some good friends too. Within a short time you will learn how to deal with the butterflies, get your point across, use the secrets of effective communication, and feel comfortable standing in front of an audience.

Meeting dates

We meet every other Thursday during the season. The next meeting is on Thursday 22 October 2026.

• Thursday 22 October 2026
• Thursday 5 November 2026
• Thursday 19 November 2026
• Thursday 3 December 2026
• Thursday 17 December 2026
• Thursday 14 January 2027 (competition night)

Add to your calendar (.ics) to get every meeting up to the AGM on 6 May 2027. Dates can change, so email us to check before you come.

What happens on a club night

Members take on different roles each evening: chairing, timekeeping, giving speeches, evaluating them and running table topics.

Speeches are evaluated by a fellow member, who shares encouraging feedback and tips. Table topics give everyone a chance to speak off the cuff on a theme, with no notes and no preparation. There is a break for tea and coffee part way through.

Visitors are always very welcome. Come along for an evening and see what we do. Take part if you wish, or simply watch and listen. You will not be put under any pressure, honestly.

The programme

We use a ten-stage programme so that every member can develop to the point where they deliver a Masterpiece speech with confidence. It is completely flexible, so you move at your own pace.

1. Making a start
2. Mean what you say
3. Speech construction
4. Use of gestures
5. Use of your voice
6. Vocabulary and word pictures
7. The use of notes
8. Smile please!
9. Audience rapport
10. The Masterpiece

We belong to the Association of Speakers Clubs (ASC), the national organisation that supports speakers clubs across the UK. Membership gives you the ASC learning pathway and the chance to meet members of other clubs, and to take part in area, district and national speaking competitions.

Membership fees

Anyone can attend as a club visitor for as long as they need to decide if the club is right for them. We don't set a deadline for this, instead operating in good faith.

If a visitor would like to become a member of the club, our annual membership fee is £55 or £27.50 for students. Membership covers 16 club meetings from September to April (breaking in the summer), as well as your own speakers guide and being able to enter into ASC competitions.

Roughly half of our membership fee goes to the ASC organisation. The ASC is run by volunteers and the money is used to help run the annual AGM, competitions and improve the organisation for its clubs. The remainder of the membership fee is used to pay the rent for our club venue.

Come along for an evening

The easiest way to start is to visit. Send us a quick email and we will let you know the date of the next meeting. Membership fees are set out above.

contact@yorkspeakersclub.co.uk