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Original photo by  DESIGNECOLOGIST  on  Unsplash I was very fortunate that DTM Paisal Sae-Lor taught me the effective way to use a microphone so I am paying it forward by sharing it here.  Microphone Positioning Noise Not Recommended This sounds very counter-intuitive but when you hold your microphone, do not hold it in front of your mouth. The reason is when you pronounce sounds that have pushing sounds, it will create some uncomfortable "puh" sounds.  Recommended It is recommended that you position your microphone below your mouth. How far below your mouth depends on the volume that you want your audience to hear which I will cover in the next point.  Volume Recommended In the best-case scenario, you will be able to test your microphone in order to increase or decrease the volume of your microphone. What if you need to get on the stage and directly speak? You still can control the volume of the microphone while you are on stage. The key is the distance be...

Original photo by  Kane Reinholdtsen  on  Unsplash Introduction With the publication of Toastmasters International Speech Contest Rulebook 2020/2021 , heralds a new contest cycle. What has changed compared to the 2019/2020 Rulebook ? This article seeks to explore and address that.  What changed? 2.Eligibility 2. In addition, to be eligible to compete in the International Speech Contest, a  member must: a) Have completed six (6) speech projects in the Competent Communication  manual or earned certificates of completion in Levels 1 and 2 of any path in the  Toastmasters Pathways learning experience. 1. However, a charter member of a club chartered less than one (1) year before  the club contest is permitted to compete without having completed this  requirement. The club must have officially chartered before the Area contest. 2. Only members who joined Toastmasters prior to the rollout of Pathways in  their region can apply speeches from th...

Original photo by  Kane Reinholdtsen  on  Unsplash "How do I prepare for the upcoming Table Topics competition?" was the question that popped up in my head before my first competition. After winning my second consecutive district level table topic contest , I believe I have something to share. We are going to cover the possible topics in the competition, how to practice and what to read. If you have one or two weeks before your competition, I recommend you to read  5 Tips For Your Next Table Topic Contest . If you have more time than that, please read on! If you prefer videos, please follow this link to the video version of this article.  Table of Contents Possible Topics in The Competition How to Practice Practice Understanding the Topic Practice Sharpening Your Points Practice Breaking Your Usual Patterns Practice Handling Hard Topics What to Read Possible Topics in The Competition You might ask, "How do you prepare for something unknown?". Well, a Table Topi...

Original Photo by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash If you are searching for this, chances are, you've been invited to speak at a Table Topics session and you wonder what it is. Table Topics is the impromptu speaking part of a Toastmaster 's club's meeting. In this blog post, we are going to talk about what to expect during a Table Topics session, how to answer a given topic and what are the benefits of participating.  What to expect?  According to the official Toastmasters club meeting agenda templates , the Table Topic session is conducted after the prepared speech session where speakers come prepared with their speech. There are clubs that put the Table Topic session before the prepared speech session to better manage their meeting flow. During the Table Topics session, there will be a Table Topicsmaster (Yes, that's how Toastmasters spells that role) who will read out the topics. After that, one of the three following scenarios will happen. The room will be full of r...