What do I choose for a speech topic?

https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/magazine-issues/2023/apr/back-to-the-basics-speech-topics

  This article is a great catalyst for thinking about what to speak on. I feel like the possibilities for speech topics are all around us all the time and we sometimes discount them as something no one would be interested in. I would counter that thought with People are very interested! 

 The most obvious is perhaps to pull from your own life:

•  What joys have you experienced?
•  What challenges have you faced and overcome.
•  What challenges are you now dealing with? 
•  What surprising things happened to you? 
•  What was your first car and how did you pay for it? 
•  What are you interests? 
•  Hobbies? 
•  Profession?
•  Places you have traveled?
•  People you have meet?
•  What inspires you and why?
•  What makes you laugh? 
•  What saddens you and how can you or we make it   better? 
• 
  
• What table topics questions do you think were so good you can make an entire speech from it?

I remember George Carlin the comedian had as part of his comedy routine (Especially back in the 80’s and 90”s)  He said If two or more people are doing something there is a magazine about it! He would go on to say “there is a magazine for WALKING!”  He would yell the word “walking” and emphasize how something so common has a magazine about it. It was very funny one quote was “Look here is an article “Putting one foot in front of another”.  Speech topics are like this if you do something probably that could be made into a speech! A speech bout walking? Sure maybe it could be how walking changed your life with better physical fitness or maybe some places in they world you walked!

Bottom line is You are interesting and we all want to hear about you and your life! 

 If you follow the link at the top of this post there is a video about this about 3/4 way down the page which is good,  also there is a list of other articles at the bottom of that one.   

Explorations: Online Meeting Mastery

  If you want to sharpen a few specific skills but don’t feel like committing to a whole new multi-level path right now, Toastmasters has a new option that fits the bill. They just rolled out something called "Explorations."These are shorter, targeted modules meant for quick, practical learning.

The first one is live now, and it's a solid option for anyone looking to build up their skills or help the club hit its upcoming targets. Here is the breakdown:

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• Bite-Sized Deep Dives: "Explorations" are shorter, specialized learning modules within Pathways designed for rapid skill-building without the long-term commitment of a full path.
• Three Targeted Projects: The premier module lets you dive deep into three specific projects covering how to effectively attend virtual meetings, deliver online presentations, and lead online sessions.
• Pricing: The Online Meeting Mastery exploration is available for a one-time purchase of just $15 USDon the platform.
• Easy Platform Access: You can find and buy it directly by navigating to the “Additional Learning”section of the “Choose My Learning” page inside the standard Toastmasters Learning Hub.
• Earns Full Club Credit: Completing an exploration satisfies a Level 2 slot for the club, counting as a direct substitution toward your DCP Goals 2 or 3.
• Distinct Member Recognition: While it benefits the club like a Level 2, your personal Member Overview Dashboard tracks and celebrates it specifically as a completed exploration under your “Completed Learning” history.
• Simple VPE Approval: Once you finish the projects, your club's Vice President Education (VPE) simply logs into Club Central to submit and claim the educational credit for the club.

Take the Next Step

If you want to give it a shot, log into the website, head over to Base Camp, and check it out under the additional learning section. It’s a quick way to knock out three projects and give the club a boost at the same time.

https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/magazine-issues/2026/september/explore-online-meetings

https://www.toastmasters.org/Education/Pathways/Pathways%20Paths%20and%20Projects

More Tips for Toastmasters

Use visuals. Make sure your visual aids reinforce your message and don’t distract from it.

  I have two chains of thought in this regard:

  A speech without any visual aids other than your words, your person and how you use these together to present and emphasize your message. One of my hobbies is listening to old radio programs. All they had to tell the story was to paint the scenario or picture in your minds eye!   I really enjoy these programs for that reason and this carries into speeches that do this as well. 

The other thought is using slides or props in your speech. I think each method has it place. An example is a “how to” speech can benefit greatly with slides containing photos of what you are talking about.   

Embrace your unique style. Don’t copy the style or gestures of other speakers, as your audience will sense a lack of authenticity. 

Be yourself; no one does that better than you can.  I don’t think this can be over emphasized. I have occasionally copied some small things from other speakers like the slow almost over emphasized way Zig Zigler would  speak.  But I would not try to copy his entire style   Be yourself and you will always be showing your audience the correct person!  

Be prepared for the worst. Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Be prepared by having print-outs of your presentation slides and a copy of your presentation on USB drive.

 We have talked about this in other educational moments. Just think about what if’s. What if the electricity went off? What if the internet went down?  Obviously, there are limits to what you can remedy but have plan b on stand by. Might surprise you how many times you will need it. 

Public Speaking Anxiety. Short video! Use it to promote Toastmasters.

   I saw this link to this short animated video that TM international put out. Is a very quick and easy explanation of what we do in Toastmasters.  Use it to share with your friends and invite them to a meeting?    

https://youtu.be/p_OkEihJeAU?si=n7wGNKPXzAnQhkmE

Grammarians Report and Timer report Forms.

We talked about the Toastmasters Agenda form last week and I wanted to do a quick talk about the Grammarians report form and that role in general, as well as the Timers Report Form. 

  These forms like most of our forms are relatively self explanatory.  

  The Grammarian will listen for filler words and the word of the day and record who used what in the form.  Also listen for proper or improper use of  grammar.  What we have gotten into the habit of not doing and I think it has definite value is the use of the clicker. So when someone uses a filler like Um or ah they will hear a click from the clicker.  This is to alert the speaker they are using a filler word. As you may have noticed, especially when you first started in toastmasters you often don't even realize you are using filler words.  This is a mechanism to alert you that you re doing that. 

  With that being said, if you find this too distracting "Mr Um" is the little black sheep that you often see up on the lectern. If you do not wish to be clicked you simply take him down from view and the grammarian will know to not click you.  

The timers report form is also largely self explanatory.  There are three sections Speakers section

which has all of the details needed for this form IE Speech title. Purpose of speech pathway,  time requested and actual time.   The next section IS the Evaluators section and has similar things whom is being evaluated and an place to record actual time 

  Lastly is the Table topics section and it has table topics participant Subject or topic. and actual time.    

 These forms along with the Agenda  will be filled out at the bottom accordingly and turned into the Secretary after the meeting. These will be filed away as our minutes for the meeting per a club requirement. 

  These and the other meeting forms can be found on the members section of Free toast host :

https://www.pioneertoastmasters.com/member_downloads.html

The Meeting Agenda Form; Your Best Friend!

The Agenda! 

 In our meetings we have this form called the agenda that we use as the Toastmasters to conduct the meeting. This invaluable piece of paper is your lifeline to a good and timely meeting. 

  As toastmaster it is a good idea to get to the meeting a little early and fill in the blanks. It also give you little bit go time to talk with different people who have roles in the evening meeting.   

 When handing the meeting over to the other leaders IE: Table Topics Master and General Evaluator. Leave the agenda on the lectern so they also can also follow the agenda. 

  More seasoned Toastmasters have a habit, me included, of going by memory and we often forget parts of the meeting.  A common one is asking for a timers report. This can be avoided simply by using your agenda and following it to the letter.

  At the end of the meeting this document is signed by the toastmaster and given to our secretary to be filed . This serves as our minutes to the meeting. 

  In conclusion use this document,  it is your best friend when serving as toastmaster.

 These documents are provided in person by our Sergeant at Arms you can also download and print this from our free toast host website in the file area.   

https://www.pioneertoastmasters.com/