Tips & Resources

Toastmasters Sites

• Toastmasters International World Headquarters – find a club anywhere in the world

Word Choices and References

• Azim Jamal – Motivational and Inspirational Speaker and Author
• AllWords – multiple finds and resources–a word-lover’s paradise!
• Avalon Project – incredible collection of historical documents, some ancient and original, Wow!
• Biographical Dictionary – profiles through history, highly searchable
• Citing Sources: Chicago Manual of Style – preferred by most non-scholarly publications
• Citing Sources: Major Style Guides – results compare major style guides
• Cliche Finder – what can I say?
• Common Errors in English – what’s wrong, what’s right, what’s just plain confusing
• Creative Writing Resources – informative links, including the MagPortal
• Downloadable Aids – checklists and more to turn good ideas into serious research
• Encyclopedia Brittanica – search and browse any word or topic
• Guide to Grammar and Style – for those wanting to improve their writing
• Guide to Grammar and Writing – easy to use and comprehensive
• Guidelines for Non-Sexist Language – applications for gender-neutral language
• Mirriam Webster Dictionary – the standard for word definitions
• Modern English Grammar – easy to use and thorough, thorough, thorough
• Non-Sexist Language – simple replacements for gender-specific words
• Online Language Translator – translates words, phrases, and websites
• Phrase Finder – meanings and origins of phrases and sayings
• Plagiarism – Avoid it! – ways to detect and avoid plagiarism
• Roberts Rules of Order – all about parliamentary procedure
• Roget’s Thesaurus II – updated with synonyms, cross references, and lots more
• WorldWide Words – fascinating word usage site, worth navigating
• Word Assault – look up words using multiple references at once (link to Home for how)
• Word Wizard – word origins, usages, and more for word lovers

Speaking and Presentation Skills

• Advanced Public Speaking Institute – a wealth of information! (link to Free Articles)
• All You Need for a Speech – free online speech preparation (it creates, you creatively deliver)
• American Public Speaking Training – where business, acting skills, and psychology intersect
• Art of Communicating Effectively – using slides or PowerPoint in successful presentations
• Great Speaking magazine – free e-magazine for speakers
• How to Give an Effective Speech – helpfully explains all the parts of a speech
• National Speakers Association USA – a membership organization
• PowerPointers – covers all aspects of PowerPoint presentations
• Presentations – technology and techniques in presentations
• Presenters University – clip art, audio clips, articles, and PowerPoint templates
• Self Growth Public Speaking – scroll to Articles Online for articles from numerous sources
• Simply Speaking – an e-zine that provides valuable tips for speaking
• Speaking Success System – tips for those who want to go further
• Speaking Tips – a professional speaker’s tips page with valuable insights
• Speech and Public Speaking – many useful articles, a comprehensive resource
• Studying Great Speeches – shows WHY some speeches are great, online study guide
• Using Non-Sexist Language – heightens awareness of sexist communications
• Virtual Presentation Assistant – succinct tips for speech writing and presentations

Famous and Moving Speeches

• American Rhetoric – numerous speeches and clips showing effective communication techniques
• Famous speeches (with audio) – notable speeches in history
• Gifts of Speech – women’s speeches from around the world
• Great American Speeches – great political speeches from 1881-1999
• History Channel Speeches – searchable for “any topic, any time”
• Online Speech Bank – massive compilation of communications in text, audio, and video

Jokes, Quotes, and Sayings

• The Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking – speaks for itself
• Aaron Fuegi’s Fortunes Page – humorous quotes, sayings, and vignettes
• Aspiring to Greatness – 3,000 wholesome poems, quotes, stories, jokes, and humor
• Bartlett’s Quotations – the standard reference, many options
• Be More Creative! – unbelievable resource, quite extensive
• David Letterman’s Top Ten – searchable by topic or date
• Dictionary of Quotations – a beautifully designed quote resource and search
• Dumb – the source for dumb signs, dumb laws, dumb bumper stickers, dumb dates, and more!
• Dumb Laws – many dumb laws around the world and links to other dumb sites
• Extracts of Existence – sage sayings about life and events, unusual site
• Funny Political Quotations – extensive quips and one-liners of current people and events
• Generation Terrorists – quotes, lyrics, insults, Seinfieldisms, illogical laws etc
• Humorscope – humorous horoscopes
• Inspirational Quotes – a wealth of quotes available from menu
• It’ll Never Work! – missed predictions, some are wild
• Joke Archive – search 10,000 jokes by category or keyword, can control how explicit
• Just Joke King – zany collection of jokes in various categories
• Land of Quotes – great options with these quotes (see topics)
• Laugh Lines – sign up for daily jokes
• Literary Quotes – quotes from notable literary works, highly searchable
• Lots of Jokes – broken down by category
• Motivating and Inspiring Quotes – many categories with detailed breakdowns
• Motivational Quotes – positive quotes (temporarily being redesigned)
• Motivational Speaker – goldmine oriented towards motivation and leadership
• On Humor – links to humor sites
• Pearls of Wisdom – sage sayings about many aspects of life
• Proverbs from around the World – find proverbs by keyword, country, or culture
• Quotation Archive – humongous list of quotes in over 200 topics
• Quotations Archive – quotes and toasts, includes marriage toasts and one-liners
• Quotations Home Page – WOW! advice, malopropisms, proverbs, sarcasm, and more
• Quotations Page – extensive quotes by author (many famous) and subject
• Quoteland – many select quotes, with nice options
• Quotes of the Day – sign up for quotes-of-the-day centered on themes
• QuoteWorld – highly interactive, even includes source documents
• Quotez – more than 13,500 quotes and many categories
• Respectfully Quoted – collected wisdom in American political debate
• Said What? – favorite sayings, quotes, and proverbs, includes celebreties
• She Said … – selected quotes by women
• StoryBin – categories of short stories for ideas
• Stupid Quotations – this deserves an entry all it’s own! (prepare to laugh!)
• Success Net Quotation Library – inspirational quotes and articles
• Thoughts – positive sayings about home, work, and family
• Tongue Twisters – bet you haven’t heard some of these!
• Top Five List of the Day – daily “top ten”-like lists
• Wise One-Liners – list of one-liners from the Daily Wisdom site

If you find a website that may be of interest, please let us know.