Toastmasters - Speech Manuals

Communication and Leadership Program

You will receive this manual when you join Toastmasters. It contains 10 speech assignments which are designed to build your basic speaking skills. The first speech is your Ice Breaker. This speech introduces you to the club and gives you your first opportunity to to present a prepared speech. You are already an expert on the subject material, yourself.

The next 6 speeches are designed to build on the basic speaking skills that are necessary to become a competent speaker. The final three speeches are designed to introduce you to the basic speaking styles: informing, persuading, and motivating.

After completing the 10th speech, you can register your completion of your Competent Toastmaster (CTM) designation with Toastmasters International.

CTM Speeches

Ice Breaker: Introduce yourself to the club in this 4 to 6 minute presentation. This speech literally breaks the ice by giving you a chance to tell your story to the members of the club.
Speak with Sincerity: Choose an issue you really feel strongly about and try to persuade others to feel the same way. Speech is 5 to 7 minutes in length.
Organize Your Speech: Good speech organization is the key to getting your message across clearly. This 5 to 7 minute speech is designed to help you learn the essence of good organization.
Show What You Mean: This 5 to 7 minute speech shows you the importance of body language in giving a presentation. Speakers may also choose to incorporate visual aids.
Vocal Variety: This project is designed to show the importance of good vocal variety. Use the Understanding Vocal Variety manual with this speech to get the most in your 5 to 7 minute presentation.
Work With Words: At last, a project that deals with the substance of the message being presented. Words are important and we have to understand how to use them effectively. This 5 to 7 minute presentation will show you how to do just that.
Apply Your Skills: Its time to put together what you have learned to this point. This 5 to 7 minute speech is a chance for you to work on putting together all of your skills into one presentation. The manual contains a self evaluation after this project. Use it to gauge your progress.
Add Impact to Your Speech: This speech is 5 to 7 minutes and uses visual aids. Designing, creating, and using visual that enhance your speech is an important skill to master. This project gives some pointers and shows you how.
Make It Persuasive: This 5 to 7 minute project is designed to show you the basic skill of persuading an audience to accept your viewpoint. Use all of the skills you have gained to this point to get your point across to an audience which you are trying to sway.
Inspire Your Audience: This is your last speech in the Basic Communication and Leadership Program manual. It is 8 to 10 minutes in length. This speech is sometimes referred to as the "CTM Speech". Its goal is to inspire your audience. Motivation is a powerful tool and this speech introduces you to the skills needed to do it successfully.

Advanced Communication and Leadership Program

After completing your CTM, you can start on the Advanced program. When you register your CTM, you are asked to select 2 free manuals from a list of Advanced Manuals. You may order additional Advanced Manuals for a modest cost. Each of these manuals have 5 speech projects in them. Each manual focuses on a specialized area of speaking (i.e. Speaking to Entertain, Speaking to Inform, Technical Speeches).

The projects in these manuals are designed to teach you the skills you need to be successful in each specialty areas. Speeches in these manuals are typically longer and more complex than those you gave while earning your CTM.

Your next goal is to complete two of the manuals that you chose. That is another 10 speeches. After completion of two manuals, you are eligible to apply for the Advanced Toastmaster Bronze designation (ATM-B). This opens the door to even higher levels of accomplishment in Toastmasters, along with ever higher levels of skill development.

Advanced Toastmaster Silver (ATM-S)
Advanced Toastmaster Gold (ATM-G)
Competent Leader (CL)
Advanced Leader (AL)
Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)

Advanced Manuals available

The Entertaining Speaker: Includes valuable information on how to give an entertaining or dramatic speech, where to find material, and what to do when you are asked to speak after dinner.
Speaking to Inform: Contains information and ideas on the demonstration talk, the fact-finding report, the abstract concept, and resources for informing.
Public Relations: Covers building goodwill through a speech, persuading an audience, speaking to a hostile audience, and speaking to the media.
The Discussion Leader: Provides instruction in the four different methods of leading a group discussion. An ideal manual for managers, trainers, teachers, and administrators.
Specialty Speeches: Covers impromptu speeches, sales presentations, introductions, inspirational speeches, and oral presentations.
Speeches by Management: How to handle a variety of speaking situations managers encounter in their work environment. Topics covered include giving briefings, technical speeches, motivational speeches, technical speeches, and status reports.
The Professional Speaker: A guide to preparing and presenting the five kinds of speeches professional give most often. Covers the keynote address, the entertaining speech, the sales training speech, the seminar and the motivational speech.
Technical Presentations: A complete guide to preparing and presenting briefings, proposals, technical papers, and team presentations.
Persuasive Speaking: A guide to developing ways to get your point across and call for action. Tips on how to develop sales presentations, conduct sales meetings, and train other salespeople.
Communicating on Television: Television presentations differ from other presentations, and they require special considerations. With this manual, you will learn to present editorials, appear as a guest on an interview program, conduct a press conference and use television to train.
Storytelling: Everyone loves a story. Types of stories covered in this manual include the folk tale, the personal story, stories with morals, the touching story, and the historical story.
Interpretive Reading: Provides instruction in developing your interpretive reading skills. Projects include presenting stories, poetry, monodrama, plays and oratorical speeches.
Interpersonal Communication: Every day we interact with many different people in a variety of situations. These projects will help you combine new listening and thinking skills with your already established speaking skills.
Humorously Speaking: Everyone loves to laugh, but folding humor into a speech can be dangerous. Learn how to use humor in your speeches to attract and retain the audience's interest and to make points more effectively.
Special Occasion Speeches: Someday, sometime - whether attending your Club, a family event, or a business meeting - you will be expected to make a special speech. This manual will help you rise to the occasion.

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