Two organizations for taking your speaking to the next level.

-A misconception among some professional speakers is that the National Speakers Association is for professionals and Toastmasters is for amateurs. In my opinion, a more correct perspective is: NSA is for the business of speaking and Toastmasters is for everyone.

-NSA is a vibrant speaking association of people who speak for a living or who aspire to be a professional. The value of the conventions is unequalled. It is a supportive organization where speaking professionals share success secrets with their peers.

-If you join NSA, also join a chapter if there is one near you. It’s your chapter membership that connects you with other professionals.

-Toastmasters is where you sharpen your platform skills. You receive feedback that NSA is (Continue Reading…)

A Great Start for Your Speech

Doing the right things to give your speech a great start.

There are things you can do to help make your humor connect right from the beginning of your talk.

-Arrive early and meet people in the audience. This builds a rapport that will increase the receptiveness of the audience to your opening lines.

-Be physically and vocally warmed up. Sometimes I step outside for some fresh air or take a brisk walk in the hallway. Actors warm up before performing. Successful speaking and humor delivery requires the same. You either warm up before you speak, or you warm up in front of the audience.

-Know your opening. This will allow you to be more relaxed at the start of your talk and it will enable you to be more observant (Continue Reading…)

by Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, The Productivity PRO®

The lobby payphone dangled by its cord as I lay crumpled in a heap on the floor of the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, OH. Tears streamed down my face as the words echoed in my ears, “Meagan walked today!” It was 1996, and my then 14-month old daughter had taken her first precious steps, and I'd missed it. That began my quest to balance my passions for my family and my message, without sacrificing either. Now, with three children, I conduct 90%of my business within a two-hour radius of Denver.

After the September 11 attacks and ensuing travel difficulties, speakers had a renewed interest in speaking closer to home. With many organizations holding meetings within driving distance, tapping the local market can be an important component of your overall marketing strategy. Here are some of my favorite tactics and some ideas from fellow speakers:

1. (Continue Reading…)

Sample Maid of Honor speech

FRIEND OF THE BRIDE

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me first to thank you all for being here and sharing this wonderful occasion with us. I can't tell you how honored I am to be standing here to toast my best friend Sue and her husband Bob.

Sue and I like so many of us, met our first year in college and have been inseparable ever since. It's amazing how relieved I was when she and Bob finally got together. They'd been tap dancing around the idea of going out for almost six months before he finally found the, well, courage to make it happen. Asking her out may have been the roughest part of the journey, because ever since it's been nothing but sunny skies and smooth sailing for those two. I have never before watched two people fall so madly in love with each other, and I (Continue Reading…)

By Brad Montgomery

Toasts have long been the centerfold of any wedding reception. Aside from the outfits, decor, and food, what’s said by the couple’s friends and family is often most talked about by guests, and certainly most remembered by the the newlyweds years later. It is any best man’s duty not only to acknowledge various important people at the ceremony, but also share insightful and often entertaining words about the bride and groom.

Think before you speak
Whether you plan to ‘wing it’ or read it, you should always give your toast a minimum amount of thought beforehand. Consider your relationship with the groom (and/or bride, as it may be), and try to identify one or two shared experiences that could liven up your toast. Humor is always a plus when speaking before a large audience, but keep in mind the spirit of the day and the fact that you are speaking (Continue Reading…)

1. Best Man is brother of the Groom
Welcome everyone, and thank you all for coming! I’m standing up here tonight to honor my brother Mark and his beautiful bride Laura. I have come to praise them both, and if I happen to embarrass either one of them, well, so be it!

It is a true testament to Mark and Laura that you have taken time from your busy schedule to come and share this momentous occasion with them.

Mark and Laura do not come lightly into this marriage. They have each put their ambition to good use and led extremely successful lives on their own. However, nothing can compare to the energy and love they’ve invested in becoming the perfect couple. Mark, characterized by a fast-paced, busy life, has learned to love life for its own sake, and we have Laura to thank for that. I never truly thought I’d see him (Continue Reading…)

By Brad Montgomery

Toasts have long been the centerfold of any wedding reception. Aside from the outfits, decor, and food, what’s said by the couple’s friends and family is often most talked about by guests, and certainly most remembered by the the newlyweds years later. It is any best man’s duty not only to acknowledge various important people at the ceremony, but also share insightful and often entertaining words about the bride and groom.

Think before you speak
Whether you plan to ‘wing it’ or read it, you should always give your toast a minimum amount of thought beforehand. Consider your relationship with the groom (and/or bride, as it may be), and try to identify one or two shared experiences that could liven up your toast. Humor is always a plus when speaking before a large audience, but keep in mind the spirit of the day and the fact that you are speaking (Continue Reading…)

Diverting Leadership Style with Humor

by Dr. Joseph Michelli

According to the Chief of Naval Operations the following radio conversation occurred October 10th 1995:

#1 – Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North

#2 – Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

#1 – This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert

#2 – No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.

#1 – THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER ENTERPRISE. WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!

#2: This the Puget Sound lighthouse. It's your call.

Most of us in corporate life have had the misfortune to be led by people like the ship's captain. In essence, leaders who are clear as to their purpose and authority but in a fog when it comes to vision and the ability to take their jobs seriously while taking themselves lightly.

Fortunately, many (Continue Reading…)

Laughing Your Way Through Work

by Dr. Joseph Michelli

It has been said that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe that there are two kinds of people and those who do not. Certainly when it comes to humor in the workplace there two different sorts – those who use it and those who don’t. Our jobs offer so many opportunities to test our humor and play skills. I believe that our families were given to us as children to learn to live with people we would have never chosen as friends. Similarly, the workplace is offered to us as a place where we can refine our ability to cope with strangers who we have randomly come to know. Be they co-workers, managers or customers, people make humor and playfulness worthwhile. Add to the recipe of workplace stress, changes in healthcaredelivery systems, staff reduction, larger and remote (Continue Reading…)

Jest for the Health of It!

by Dr. Joseph Michelli

Humor truly represents a set of skills which increase our capacity to stay fluid and flexible when we think our lives are out of control.

Humor skill development emphasizes shifting cognitive sets from tracking negatives to tracking positives.

The novelist Arthur Koestler wrote that laughter is a reflex but unique in that it has no apparent biological purpose. One might call it a luxury reflex. Its only function seems to be to provide relief from tension. From Mr. Koestler’s perspective, laughter and humor skills have little value. Thanks, however, to the work of psychoneuroimmunologists and our own clinical experiences we know that, if laughter isn’t “the best medicine,” it certainly is a component in emotional and physical health and well-being.

Consistent with health care reform throughout American, emphasis has been placed on preventative, low cost measures to decrease stress and improve immune functioning. Clinics have (Continue Reading…)