Elective - Active Listening
This project covers the difference between hearing and listening, and steps for exploring the ways listening helps build strong, lasting connections.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to demonstrate your ability to listen to what others say.
Overview: At a club meeting, fulfill the role of Topicsmaster. As Topicsmaster, comment on each speaker’s Table Topics® speech to demonstrate your active listening skills. For example, you might say, “Thank you. That was a compelling opinion on the benefits of gardening. I understand you feel strongly that everyone needs to spend some time doing something they love.”
This project includes:
■ Serving as Topicsmaster at a club meeting
Elective - Connect With Storytelling
This project addresses storytelling techniques and descriptive skills to help make every speech relatable and interesting.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice using a story within a speech or giving a speech that is a story.
Overview: Choose an established story, a story about your life, or a fictional tale of your own creation. Deliver the 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Connect With Your Audience
This project focuses on different audience types and how to address them effectively.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to connect with an unfamiliar audience.
Overview: Develop a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic that is unfamiliar to the majority of your audience. Because you deliver this speech in your Toastmasters club, you are familiar with the audience members’ preferences and personalities. Selecting a topic that is new or unfamiliar to your club members will allow you to practice adapting as you present. As you speak, monitor the audience’s reaction to your topic and adapt as necessary to maintain engagement.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Creating Effective Visual Aids
This project addresses effective methods for choosing the best visual aid for your presentation along with the creation and use of each type.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice selecting and using a variety of visual aids during a speech.
Overview: Choose a speech topic that lends itself well to using visual aids. Create at least one but no more than three visual aids to enhance your presentation. Deliver your 5- to 7-minute presentation at a club meeting.
This project includes:
■ Creating one to three visual aids
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Deliver Social Speeches
This project addresses the skills needed to compose a speech for a social occasion including a toast, eulogy, an acceptance speech and a speech praising an individual or group.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice delivering social speeches in front of your club members.
Overview: Develop two different social speeches—each 3 to 4 minutes—and present them at two separate club meetings. You may choose any two types of social speeches that appeal to you or that you would like to practice.
This project includes:
■ The Social Speech Basics resource
■ Two 3- to 4-minute speeches
Elective - Focus On The Positive
This project addresses strategies for improving your personal interactions by understanding the impact of your attitudes and thoughts on daily interactions.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice being aware of your thoughts and feelings, as well as the impact of your responses on others.
Overview: Keep a daily record of your moods and attitudes for a minimum of two weeks, noting when you feel positive or negative, your successes and efforts, and three things for which you are grateful. Record and evaluate any changes in your behavior or the behavior of those around you. At a club meeting, share some aspect of your experience. You may choose to schedule a 2-to 3-minute report or a 5-to 7-minute speech. After completing your speech, submit your signed Project Completion Form to your vice president education to indicate you completed the journal.
This project includes:
■ Recording your daily moods and attitudes for a minimum of two weeks
■ A 2- to 3-minute report or a 5- to 7-minute speech
■ The Project Completion Form
Elective - Inspire Your Audience
This project addresses how to present a speech in an enthusiastic and inspiring fashion to establish a strong rapport with your audience.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice writing and delivering a speech that inspires others.
Overview: Select a topic with the intent of inspiring your audience and prepare a 5- to 7-minute speech for your club.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Know Your Sense of Humor
This project focuses on understanding what makes you laugh and how to share that with an audience.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to begin developing a collection of humorous stories and to present a speech that includes humor.
Overview: Give a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic of your choosing. Your speech should include at least one anecdote or story intended to entertain or bring humor into your presentation.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Project 1 - Making Connections Through Networking
This project focuses on how to network effectively and understanding the importance of being a professional ally to people in your network.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to develop and practice a personal strategy for building connections through networking.
Overview: Prepare for and attend a networking event. After the event, present a 5- to 7-minute speech to your club. Your speech can include a story or stories about your experience, a description of what you learned, or a discussion on the benefits of networking. Your speech may be personal to you or informational about networking. If you attend a non-Toastmasters event, you must sign the Project Completion Form and give it to your vice president education.
This project includes:
■ The Prepare to Network resource
■ Attending a networking event
■ The Project Completion Form
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Prepare For An Interview
This project addresses the skills you need to identify and speak about personal strengths and present yourself well in an interview of any type.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to present yourself well in an interview.
Overview: Determine which type of interview you would like to practice, such as a job or expert interview. Prepare by reviewing your skills and abilities. Complete the resources in the project and give them to your interviewer before your presentation. You determine which member of your club interviews you, but your interviewer must be someone other than your evaluator. In a 5- to 7-minute role-play presentation at a club meeting, practice answering interview questions to promote your skills, abilities, and experience.
This project includes:
■ The Identifying Your Skills Worksheet
■ The Interviewer Instructions resource
■ A 5- to 7-minute role-play interview at a club meeting
Elective - Understand Vocal Variety
This project addresses the importance of vocal variety when giving a speech and provides activities to develop and nurture its use.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice using vocal variety to enhance a speech.
Overview: Learn or review the importance of vocal variety. Use the exercises in this project to improve your vocal variety skills. Then, present a 5- to 7-minute speech on any topic at a club meeting. The primary focus of the evaluation is your vocal variety.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Using Descriptive Language
This project addresses the difference between literal and figurative language along with how to determine when to use each to create vivid descriptions.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice writing a speech with an emphasis on adding language to increase interest and impact.
Overview: You may speak on any topic. Develop a 5- to 7-minute speech describing the topic in detail and present it at your club meeting.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Using Presentation Software
This project addresses the use of presentation software—from identifying topics that benefit from the use of technology to effective slide design and presentation.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to introduce or review basic presentation software strategies for creating and using slides to support or enhance a speech.
Overview: Select a speech topic that lends well to a visual presentation using technology. Use the content of this project and your own research to help you develop your slides. Give a 5- to 7-minute speech using the slides you developed. Your speech can be humorous, demonstrative, or informational, and it may include stories or anecdotes.
This project includes:
■ Developing presentation slides
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
Elective - Effective Body Language
This project focuses on how to recognize body language used when speaking publicly and how to use gestures to enhance speech content.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to deliver a speech with awareness of your intentional and unintentional body language, as well as to learn, practice, and refine how you use nonverbal communication when delivering a speech.
Overview: Prepare a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic that lends itself to expression through your movement and gestures. Video record your presentation and get feedback from your mentor or another reviewer before speaking to your club. If you do not have access to a recording device, perform your speech in front of a mirror and make adjustments before your scheduled speech.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
