Speeches

"It is not enough to know what to say.  One must know how to say it."

--Aristotle

"Ours is the only organization I know that is dedicated to the individual. We work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply our skills to help others."

--Ralph Smedley, Founder, Toastmasters International

"If you want to influence a country's intellectual trend, the first step is to bring order to your own ideas and integrate them into a consistent case, to the best of your knowledge and ability. ... When or if your convictions are in your conscious, orderly control, you will be able to communicate them to others. ... [W]hen you ask, 'What can one do?' - the answer is 'SPEAK' (provided you know what you are saying)."

--Ayn Rand, "What Can One Do?" 

    I.     Basic Manual

1. The Ice Breaker
   Who Is Luke Setzer?
2. Speak with Sincerity
   The Dogbert Dismissal
3. Organize Your Speech
   Separating School and State
   Rewarding Success, Rewarding Failure
4. Show What You Mean
   Office Clean-Up D-Day
5. Vocal Variety
   The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving (MP3)
6. Work with Words
   Personal Constitutions
7. Apply Your Skills
   Lessons from a Dead Millionaire
8. Add Impact to Your Speech
9. Persuade with Power
10. Inspire Your Audience
    Ultimate Success Formula

II.     Communicating on Television

1. Straight Talk
2. The Talk Show
3. When You're the Host
4. The Press Conference
5. Training on Television

III.     The Discussion Leader

1. The Seminar Solution
2. The Round Robin
   Rational Romance with Dr. Michael J. Hurd and Discussion Notes
3. Pilot a Panel
4. Make It Make Believe (Role Playing)
5. The Workshop Leader

IV.     The Entertaining Speaker

1. The Entertaining Speech
   The Grinning Face of Evil
2. Resources for Entertainment
   JOE versus SAM
3. Make Them Laugh
   Thunderous Replies to Thoughtless Remarks
4. A Dramatic Talk
   Houseguests from Hell
5. Speaking after Dinner

  V.     Humorously Speaking

1. Warm Up Your Audience
   The Americans with No Life Act
2. Leave Them with a Smile
3. Make Them Laugh
4. Keep Them Laughing
5. The Humorous Speech
   E-Mail and Spam

VI.     Interpersonal Communication

1. Conversing with Ease
2. The Successful Negotiator
3. Diffusing Verbal Criticism
4. The Coach
5. Asserting Yourself Effectively

VII.     Interpretive Reading

1. Read a Story
   Dagny Got a Gun
2. Interpreting Poetry
   "A Is A" Is Not PC
3. The Monodrama
   Open Letter to Sister Gormley
4. The Play
5. The Oratorical Speech
   This Is John Galt Speaking

VIII.     Persuasive Speaking

1. The Effective Salesperson
2. Conquering the "Cold Call"
3. The Winning Proposal
4. Addressing the Opposition
5. The Persuasive Leader

IX.     The Professional Speaker

1. The Keynote Address
2. Speaking to Entertain
3. The Sales Training Speech
4. The Professional Seminar
5.  The Motivational Speech

    X.     Public Relations

1. The Public Relations Speech
   Toastmasters: A Winning Format
2. Resources for Goodwill
3. The Persuasive Approach
4. Speaking Under Fire
5. The Media Speech

XI.     Speaking to Inform

1. The Speech to Inform
   What Objectivism Offers Unitarian Universalists
2. Resources for Informing
   Mike Mentzer and Objectivism
   A Is A
3. The Demonstration Talk
   Achieve Your Goals Using Microsoft Outlook
4. A Fact-Finding Report
   Twelve Tests for Evaluating a Network Marketing "Opportunity"
5. The Abstract Concept
   Philosophy and Sense of Life

XII.     Special Occasion Speeches

1. Mastering the Toast
2. Speaking in Praise
3. The Roast
4. Presenting an Award
5. Accepting an Award

XIII.     Specialty Speeches

1. Speak Off the Cuff
2. Uplift the Spirit
3. Sell a Product
4. Read Out Loud
5. Introduce the Speaker
   Behind the Smoke and Mirrors

XIV.     Speeches by Management

1. The Briefing
2. The Technical Speech
3. Manage and Motivate
4. The Status Report
5. Confrontation: The Adversary Relationship

XV.     Storytelling

1. The Folk Tale
   Little Red Hen: Classic and Modern
2. Let's Get Personal
3. The Moral of the Story
4. The Touching Story
   Melissa's Confession
5. Bringing History to Life

XVI.     Technical Presentations

1. The Technical Briefing
2. The Proposal
3. The Non-Technical Audience
4. Presenting a Technical Paper
5. The Team Technical Presentation

XVII.     See Also

1. Diana Mertz Hsieh's Objectivist Toastmasters Speeches