The Art of Audacious Conversation

Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone, writes this great guide to striking up conversations with people you don't know, and the benefits of having the guts to do it. You know what is at the core of his presentation? The need for public speaking skills.

WordPress Themes

DeKalb Toastmasters has just begun the process of redesigning our website. We're not searching for the holy grail of perfection, but we would like to have a more functional and beautiful design than we currently have. So, we're planning to do what everyone else is doing, and get WordPress with a hosting company and build our new site there.

This morning I read the following article in my work:

http://wpmu.org/why-you-should-never-search-for-free-wordpress-themes-in-google-or-anywhere-else/

It gives very clear guidance NOT to grab free WordPress themes from around the internet, because they can often contain malicious code. But at the end, the article does give links to a few *trusted* sources for WordPress themes.

If you or your club get into doing a new website project, just keep in mind that you can't trust any old WordPress theme - it's a program, and like any program you should know and verify the source before trusting it.

Table Topics

The articulate ad-libber

Most of the talking we do every day – simple conversation – is impromptu speaking. Yet for some members, TABLE TOPICS™ is the most challenging part of a Toastmasters meeting.

Table Topics continues a long-standing Toastmasters tradition – every member speaks at a meeting. But it’s about more than just carrying on an anxiety-ridden tradition. Table Topics is about developing your ability to organize your thoughts quickly and respond to an impromptu question or topic.

Table Topics usually begins after the prepared speech presentations. The Toastmaster of the meeting will introduce the Topicsmaster who will walk to the lectern and assume control of the meeting. The Topicsmaster will give a brief description of the purpose of Table Topics and mention if the topics will carry a theme.

The Topicsmaster will state the question or topic briefly and then call on a respondent. Each speaker receives a different topic or question and participants are called on at random.

When you’re asked to respond to a topic, stand next to your chair and give your response. Your response should last one to two minutes.

Now, take a deep breath and get ready to be remarkable!