To Whom It May Concern – (TM speech)
“Having mentored for years, Laura has studied Catherine Kram, David Clutterbuck, and Norman Cohen’s works on the very subject. She has been trained by The Princes Trust and delivers workshops […]
Meeting Roles and Responsibilities – A Toastmaster’s Education Speech
As a new Toastmaster you may well be confused with the meeting roles and responsibilities, this is a brief resume as to what you might be expected to deliver when […]
Pathways – Step by Step
Introduction “Having spent 10 years enjoying the old Toastmasters educational system and being fairly fluent with the content, Laura was keen to embark on the new Pathways Programme. She signed […]
It’s Poet’s Day
Today is Poet’s day. Let’s celebrate it. Much of what we deliver in our prepared speeches is poetic prose. It is a form of writing that uses the aesthetic and […]
COT MOP – Area Director’s Diary
(Club Officer Training – Mop up! Part 1) The joint area 1 and area 42 club officer training turned out to be a tremendous success. In pooling our resources, Diane […]
Talk Up Toastmasters – Area Director’s Diary
Talk Up Toastmasters is one of three challenges during the Toastmaster’s year to engage five new members to each of our clubs. Every club achieving five new members in this […]
A Load of Old Codswallop – RIP Sidney Harold Richardson
“A Load of Old Codswallop” – you can just see him, now, tutting with a wry grin and a twinkle in his eye as he says it. Friends and […]
Over to You! – Special Occasion Speeches #1
The Toast – On 6th July, Laura McHarrie officially handed over the running of Toastmaster’s Area 42 to her successor Linda Parkinson-Hardman, simultaniously completing another in the special occasion speeches manual. […]
Wrapping Up … A Toastmaster’s Area Director’s Diary
Wrap up, tie up any loose ends and reflect before gifting! With little over a month to go before the end of the Toastmaster’s year, it is time to do […]
Beat The Clock – A Toastmaster’s Area Director’s Diary
As we draw to the close of the Toastmaster year, nothing stops! The clock keeps ticking! With two months to go we still have a lot to play for; not […]
A Marxism …
“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping […]
A Letter from George – Storytelling #5
Betsy Loveless was beating the back out of a piece of meat with a weighty rolling pin. The occasional trapped rabbit with wild vegetables regularly put food on the family […]
Robert’s Rules of Order
In the last 9 months I have been involved in a number of political (small p) meetings where Robert’s Rules of Order have been applied. Whilst I have been to […]
Passing the Baton – A Toastmaster Area Director’s Diary
What are you doing to ensure the ongoing success of your club? Planning an effective succession strategy for your club’s committee is not easy. We are all busy people, but […]
Variations on the Death of Trotsky – Interpretive Reading #4
Laura McHarrie has chosen and for the purpose of timing edited, a short one-act comedy-drama written by David Ives. The play fictionalises the death of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky through a […]
The Flood – Interpretive Reading #3
Laura McHarrie has chosen The Flood, one of The Vagina Monologues, a compilation of plays written and performed originally by Eve Ensler in 1996. This is one that Laura thinks […]
David Bowie is … Interpretive Reading #5
For the purpose of this project, Laura McHarrie, self-confessed, Bowie-obsessed, fan from the age of 15 has chosen Tilda Swinton’s after dinner speech at the opening of ‘David Bowie is’. The exhibition has proved to be one of the most popular exhibitions in the Victoria & Albert Museum’s history. Moreover, Tilda Swinton’s contemporary speech has been voted as one of the top 100 speeches given by women ever. With this project entitled ‘David Bowie is’ please welcome Laura McHarrie
Going Public in Dorset – High Performance Leadership part I
Laura McHarrie has chosen this Contest to deliver the first of two speeches in relation to her High Performance Leadership Project. As its name suggests, the aim is for the […]
Be Bold! Be Brief! Be Gone! – A Toastmasters Area Director’s Diary
I think I’m addicted to the Corporate Club Meetings. Having been to three at Chaseside, the JP Morgan Toastmasters club – I think I should reveal their hidden secret. There […]
The Perfect Storm – Storytelling #2
Christmas 1997, I helicoptered into the best year of Excel Clothing’s 10 year history. Full of excitement at taking on my new role as Managing Director of this successful ladies […]
The Golden Quarter – A Toastmaster Area Director’s Diary
“Everything we do in the first three months of the year is amplified when it comes to our overall performance in the year. Every new member of an existing or […]
Talking on Air – Public Relations #2
The second project in the ‘Public Relations’ advanced speakers manual is The Talk Show. For additional publicity, Laura McHarrie, Casterbridge Speakers Vice President of Public Relations persuaded real life Radio […]
Presenting an independent review of your project
Free project evaluation assessment! Research and evaluation are the processes used to collect business information for the purpose of making business decisions. The purpose of research is to prove the validity […]
Laura McHarrie @ The Hidden Edge 