Can British Prime Ministers still learn from Aristotle and rhetoric? Aristotle is important to us as speakers because he is generally credited as developing the basics of rhetorical theory in his book, which is often translated into English as The Art of Rhetoric.

Britain now has a new Tory Prime Minister. As a note for anyone outside the U.K., Tory is the nickname for the Conservative Party. I don’t want to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition, I’m specifically interested in the new Prime Minister’s speaking ability. Read the rest of this entry

I wanted to write about my experiences of Toastmasters in the U.S. compared with my experiences with it in the U.K. While the main focus will be geared towards fellow Toastmasters, I will try provide useful information for the non-member too.

The great thing about Toastmasters is that essentially you can pretty much go to any meeting around the world and find like-minded people. Not only that, but there is also a lot of familiarity as the vast majority of roles are the same. So if you do go to a Toastmasters event in another city or country, like I did, then there is a sense of comfort in that public speaking culture. Read the rest of this entry

The Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking for 2009 is Australian Mark Hunter, with his speech “A sink for a green tomato”. In seems that previously, Mark competed in the 2001 World Championships which has since produced 2003 winner Jim Key. Beyond the accolades, having previously competed in the early rounds of the contest myself the contest is a good way to expand and improve your skills on the area of public speaking.

If you’re not too wedded to winning awards, then progessing your learning curve through taking part can be immense. Here’s an article I previously wrote on the subject, when I competed in the contest in 2008 -  How to win a speech contest even if you lose.

If you’re interested in learning how to provide a funny presentation, or even your own best man speech, then this post will provide you with a useful analysis of a humorous speech in action. I got asked to have a look at a video clip of former GB & Ireland Toastmasters Speaking Champ Simon Bucknall’s Best Man’s speech. Check out the clip here… Read the rest of this entry

An aspect that businesses frequently ignore is having an effective compere at public functions. Compere, MC, Emcee whichever spelling you choose it’s important to have someone who gain capture everybody’s attention. Aside from providing the entertainment through humour, they can also help with the time management of an event. Whether it’s a fundraiser or you’re a red coat Toastmaster at a wedding. Read the rest of this entry