Rostrum Club 17

Rostrum Club 17

About Club 17

We meet every Wednesday from early February to late November, the only exception being the Brisbane Show Day. Ours is a particularly go-ahead club, with plenty of fresh ideas. We aim to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously.

We pride ourselves on the excellent opportunities we provide for members to utilise modern visual aids. The meeting room is equipped with a data projector, so many of our members take the opportunity to hone their skills with software packages such as PowerPoint and Prezi. Members also have the opportunity to have their speeches recorded by video camera if they so wish. Not everyone wants to do this, but for those who do, it provides a great opportunity to review ones speeches afterwards and identify those aspects which may have room for improvement.

Here are testimonials from a few of our members:

Working in an engineering capacity, my core strength lies in resolving complex technical issues. Historically, the real challenge wasn’t the problem‑solving itself, but translating those complex issues into clear, simple messages for leadership—often in public forums. My Rostrum training has been pivotal in helping me structure communication that cuts through the noise, stays concise, and lands with impact. Rostrum has strengthened my confidence in public speaking and presenting, skills that are essential in a time when effective communication matters more than ever.” – Seb.

As an academic and lecturer at the University of Queensland, expert communication skills are integral to my teaching, service, and research activities. In July 2025, I attended Harvard Business School, where I contributed confidently to classroom discussions with approximately 80 senior academics from around the world. These sessions involved active engagement with case studies and animated debates about cross-cultural approaches to business and management.  My industry engagement similarly relies on effective communication and presentation skills. In 2025, I acted as Master of Ceremonies for two major events attended by more than 100 students and industry representatives. These roles required the ability to think on my feet, respond to questions, and read the room particularly demonstrating empathy with the audience. I attribute the development of these skills in large part to my involvement with Rostrum in 2025. I was promoted recently to Associate Professor, due in part to my contributions across teaching, engagement, and professional service.” – Micheal

“Rostrum helped me in my first corporate role. I’ve had to speak and present to high ranking executives. The public speaking experience I had through Rostrum made me far more confident and able to hold my own in these kinds of meetings. I also co-hosted a nation-wide graduate event, acted as scrum lead for a number of agile meetings and held a position in the Telstra Graduate Association. Again, Rostrum helped me to speak with confidence and clarity during these occasions. The experience as a chairperson was especially helpful when it came to ensuring the meetings ran smoothly.” – Josh 

“My experience with Rostrum Club 17 has helped me become more confident and clear when communicating with people. In my role as a Stakeholder Engagement Manager, this makes it easier to build trust and start conversations naturally. I’ve also felt confident in organising and facilitating information sessions and webinars we’ve organised for stakeholders, where I can present more clearly, keep participants engaged and create a more comfortable space for discussion. It’s a great help to connect with stakeholders and support ongoing engagement” – Yang

“Rostrum has helped me be more comfortable speaking in front of a room full of people for work. For example when I am with my business networking group we generally have 30+ people in the room on a Tuesday morning. Once a quarter I give a presentation on my business and every week I act as Secretary / Treasurer for the group and have a few points through out the meeting that I have to address the room. 

Also the training helped me with producing marketing videos for my business.”- Wedzi.

 “I have benefited in the following areas:

I have lost a lot of my nervousness I used to have.  I believe I am more congruent with my speech and thought, although rooms to improve.  Improvement in focal clarity and speed. I used to speak too fast and not so clearly. I’m now able to communicate better with people from all walks of life and background. I have Improved my general knowledge of the world. ” – David.

Our club members cover a great range of ages, interests and speaking abilities. Among our members are several for whom English is a second language, and we provide them with a great opportunity to improve their English speaking skills. Some come along for the friendly social atmosphere and the opportunity to discuss ideas. Others meanwhile attend because they want to gain speaking experience for their jobs. If you’re interested in joining our group we suggest you first come to a couple of meetings as a visitor.  Then, if you like what you see, you simply fill in an application form. There’s a $70 joining fee, which covers the cost of your name badge and a couple of very handy publications. Full members pay a half-yearly fee of $75, with generous concessions for students and members over 65. There is plenty of parking available.

Brisbane West Rostrum Club members enthusiastically follow the Launchpad series of graded speaking exercises. If you join our club you too will have the opportunity to participate in this very comprehensive program.