Matthew Arnold Stern » Public Speaking

Toastmasters, What The Hell?

Matthew Arnold Stern — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:11:46 +0000

I visited the Toastmasters International Web site the other day, and I found this: Apparently, the powers that be in Rancho Santa Margarita decided to rebrand themselves. But what was the problem with the old logo? Maybe it’s not the coolest logo around. Maybe it doesn’t use the latest fonts. It’s certainly not the most …

The “Rudeness” continues

Matthew Arnold Stern — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:18:29 +0000

“Cell Phone Rudeness” is my most popular speech. It has received more hits than any other speech on my site. It has been published in books and recommended by others. Thanks to all of you who have enjoyed the speech over the years. The speech’s continued popularity shows that cell phone rudeness is still an …

When someone says “Turn back to God,” run!

Matthew Arnold Stern — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:45:57 +0000

At his Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday, Glenn Beck said, “America today begins to turn back to God.” That scares me. It’s because people who say America should “turn back to God” usually don’t like the way I turn to God. I know this because of something that happened at my Toastmasters club 11 years …

The bad call

Matthew Arnold Stern — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:11:55 +0000

Bad calls and unlucky breaks don’t just happen in baseball. They once happened to me in Toastmasters. Whether they happen in baseball or Toastmasters, they offer a lesson, if you’re willing to accept it. In 1999, I competed in an evaluation speech contest. The object of the contest is to listen to a brief speech and …

How to announce at a Little League game

Matthew Arnold Stern — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:15:17 +0000

One of the things I enjoy doing at Little League games is to serve as the announcer. It seems that the players and parents enjoy it too. The only complaints I’ve received are from other teams who are unhappy that I don’t announce at their games. But there are some rules I need to follow …

Town Hall Disruptions — Just Stop!

Matthew Arnold Stern — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:13:31 +0000

One of the things that makes democracy possible is the free and respectful exchange of ideas. This is why I’m appalled by disruptions of town hall meetings. My disgust has nothing to do with my opinion about health care reform, although I don’t see why having a public option for health insurance is “tyranny.” Tyranny …

Give the gift of encouragement

Matthew Arnold Stern — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:44:57 +0000

The following is a speech that I gave at my Toastmasters club today. There are plenty of gifts that we can give this holiday season, but one of the most important is the gift of encouragement. When someone is down, when someone has suffered a great loss, or when someone has just lost faith, the …

Feel the fear and videotape yourself anyway

Matthew Arnold Stern — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:53:49 +0000

I had a difficult task at work the other day: Asking my coworkers if they would be willing to appear in a department video. Most of them said no. The one person who agreed did so reluctantly. One person gave me a “if no one else would do it,” but then offered me a plate …

Are ahs and ums OK?

Matthew Arnold Stern — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:35:59 +0000

Ahs and ums have long been considered the bane of public speakers. In Toastmasters, we have a person at each meeting who is in charge of counting such verbal fillers so we can learn how to reduce them. But according to an article in the Daily Mail, experts at Stirling and Edinburgh Universities say that …

Clothes really do make the person

Matthew Arnold Stern — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:02:32 +0000

Whenever I participate in a speech contest, I learn something new and valuable. This was the case with last night’s Division F Speech Contest. When I started this speech contest season, I decided to try an experiment. I decided to speak without a suit. I have worn suits at every contest since my first one …