WELCOME TO CLEVELAND FORUM
Cleveland Forum is a friendly, supportive group that meets twice a month in Cleveland. The aim of our meetings is to improve confidence and communication skills, and meet other members of our community. Members learn and practise many skills, including public speaking, how to prepare and deliver special occasion speeches, how meetings run, the roles and duties of office bearers, and workshop facilitation. Feel free to contact us if you would like to learn new skills, enhance your abilities and meet new people. Visitors are always welcome.
Email: forum@beconfident.org.au
Meetings
Meetings are usually held on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month, from 12.30pm – 2pm.
Meeting location is the Cleveland Library Meeting Room, corner Bloomfield Street and Middle Street Cleveland.
We always have a varied agenda so our members gain experience in many aspects of speaking.
Visitors are most welcome to come as our guest.
Email: forum@beconfident.org.au
Please note that many of our meetings include speeches AND learning segments to assist you to become a confident presenter.
Every meeting is different. We have a main speaker to a set title with other members speaking to the same title. Some meetings we have 2 titles for members to stretch their ideas. Some speeches are serious, some investigative and some are a lot of fun. Be ready for plenty of intellectual rigour!
Every meeting includes small tutorials in speaking and meeting procedure, with members taking turns to lead the meeting as Chairman if they wish to do so.
Schedule of meetings for 2026:
Thursday 7 May 2026 – No daytime meeting at Cleveland Library
Wednesday 13 May – General Meeting at Wynnum Library (upstairs meeting room), 6.45pm – 8.30pm. Email for more details: forum@beconfident.org.au
Thursday 21 May 2026 – No daytime meeting at Cleveland Library
Wednesday 27 May 2026 – Community Meeting at Wynnum Library (upstairs meeting room), 6.45-8pm, invited speakers exploring the history of our local community. Email for more details: forum@beconfident.org.au
Thursday 4 June 2026 – General Meeting “Brain Therapy” presentation, followed by members’ speeches & discussion
Thursday 18 June 2026 – General Meeting, speaking, tutorials, mental stimulation & friendship, visitors are always welcome
Thursday 2 July 2026 – General Meeting, speaking, tutorials, mental stimulation & friendship, visitors are always welcome
Saturday 18 July 2026 – Special Meeting at Wynnum Library (upstairs meeting room), 1-4pm, Public Speaking & Meeting Procedure tips for Forum members and other community organisations. Email for more details: forum@beconfident.org.au
More details to come for August – November meeting dates….
What others are saying …
I first joined Forum to gain some confidence to do best man speech at my friend’s wedding, the thought of getting up at such a big event in front of 120 people terrified me. The skills I learnt and opportunities available to put knowledge into practice was invaluable and I feel much more comfortable getting up in front of an audience in all situations than I did previously. – Richard, Bayside Forum
Forum helped me in my career with speaking to clients and knowing how to highlight the main points of each project for their benefit and understanding. In my community I’ve been able to participate in meetings effectively and pass these skills to others. The people I’ve met in Forum have given me a greater knowledge of my community and how it works. – Pam, Cleveland Forum
I was introduced to Forum by an amazingly helpful member whose guidance and mentoring helped me quickly see the importance of both speaking with confidence and being able to run an effective meeting in my role then as Retirement Living Officer. Attaining and practising those skills meant that all avenues of my life changed and so many opportunities opened up. I am forever grateful to Forum for its inspirational leaders and members. – Elaine, Bayside Forum
Health and Safety
Please do not attend if you are experiencing any cold and flu symptoms.