“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”
Alexander the Great
I have often shared what Toastmasters taught me about Public Speaking. There is however another side to Toastmasters. What you also learn in Toastmasters are leadership skills. Read more
I have listened to many speeches in my lifetime and nothing annoys me more than wasting time listening to a pointless speech. A speech that has no clear purpose leaves me scratching my head wondering what the speaker trying to tell me. Why did they bother to write the speech, learn it and then deliver it? Read more
I have listened to well over 400 speeches since I joined toastmasters and what I have learned is that speech preparation matters. It is what separates the average speech from a great speech. It is obvious who has prepared their speech and who is just winging it. A well prepared speech challenges the listener to take on a new viewpoint or embrace an old one. Read more
Humor can be a very subjective thing and this makes delivering a funny speech difficult. The reason you might want to try using humor is because it is a great way to deliver your message. Read more
“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words. “
Plautus
We will all be called to give a speech at some occasion in our life. This can be a best persons speech at a wedding, a eulogy at a funeral of a loved one, a toast at a party or any other occasion where we need to make a speech. They have one thing in common, the thought of giving a special occasion speech can be the “stuff of nightmares” for most people. Read more
“The secret to humor is surprise.”
Aristotle
One of the great benefits about being a member of Toastmasters is that you get to hear and learn from some great speeches. A couple of weeks ago I was at a Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest and was amazed at the quality and entertainment value of the speeches. Read more
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”
Confucius
I had the pleasure recently of completing a series of speeches from the “Speaking To Inform” manual as part of my Toastmasters advanced speaking program. Read more