| Week |
Theme |
Word Of The Day |
Thought For The Day |
| 1 |
New Officer Installation |
Ardent (AR dent) adj. Characterized by
warmth of feelings typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity. We
appreciate the club officer’s ardent service. |
"One thorn of experience is worth a whole
wilderness of warning." –James Russell Lowell |
| 2 |
Say It With Passion |
Fervid (FUR vid) adj. Marked by often
extreme fevor; impassioned. She is a fervid Toastmaster. |
After he had finished a concert and had gone
backstage, violinist Fritz Kreisler heard someone say, "I’d give my life to play
as you do!" He turned and looked at the lady and said, "Madam, I did." |
| 3 |
Use Body Language Effectively |
Aggrandize (uh GRAN dize) v. To make
greater, increase or enlarge. He aggrandized his speech with clever hand movements. |
"Deeds are better things than words are,
Actions mightier than boastings." –Longfellow in Hiawatha |
| 4 |
Hold Interest With Vocal Variety |
Intonation (in toe NAY shun) n. The
manner of speech describing the rise nad fall of the vocal pitch. Heer intonation made
the speech more enjoyable. |
"Success is not a harbor, but a voyage. .
." –Richard Huber |
| 5 |
Moments of Magic |
Serendipity (sair in DIP it tee) n. The
gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. The stranger’s
serendipity led him to visit our club on that day. |
"The gem cannot be polished without
friction, nor the man perfected without trials." –Confucius |
| 6 |
Ask Questions for Effect |
Scrutinize (SCREW tin ize) v. To
examine carefully and critically. She scrutinized the agenda for errors. |
"What you are speaks so loud that I
cannot hear what you say." –Emmerson |
| 7 |
Playing Fair |
Dispassionate (dis PASH un it) adj. Not
influenced by personal feeling or emotional involvement. He was dispassionate as he
judged the contest. |
"Honest is the first chapter in the book
of wisdom." –Thomas Jefferson |
| 8 |
Say It With Humor |
Raillery (RAIL er ee) n. Good-natured
ridicule, banter, jest. Her raillery was the highlight of the meeting. |
"Against the assault of laughter, nothing
can stand." –Mark Twain in The Mysterious Stranger |
| 9 |
Thinking On Your Feet |
Impromptu (im PROM too) adj. Made or
formed on the spur of the moment. He was worried that they would ask for impromptu
comments. |
"Don’t speak unless you’re sure
you can improve the silence." –Adapted from Dionysious the Elder |
| 11 |
Nail Your Openings |
Inception (in SEP shun) n. An act,
process, or instance of beginning. From the inception of her speech, we knew it was
going to be good. |
"Hell, by the time a man scratches his
ass, clears his throat, and tells me how smart he is, we’ve already wasted fifteen
minutes." –Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 12 |
Handle Catastrophes |
Cataclysm (CAT a clism) n. A momentous
and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition. The audience’s
reaction to his speech was like a cataclysm to his ego. |
"Failure is only the opportunity to more
intelligently begin again." –Henry Ford |
| 13 |
Paint Word Pictures |
Limn (LIM) v. To outline in clear sharp
detail, delineate, describe. She limned a clear portrait with her words. |
"Man does not live by words alone,
despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them." –Adlai Stevenson |
| 14 |
Be Individual |
Peerless (PEER less) adj. Matchless,
incomparable. He is peerless amongst the great speakers. |
"If a man does not keep pace with his
companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music
which he hears, however measured or far away." –Henry David Thoreau |
| 15 |
Share Joy |
Exultation (ex all TAY shun) n. The
state of being filled with great joy or triumph. Her exultation was an inspiration to
us all. |
"We have no more right to consume
happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it."
–George Bernard Shaw |
| 16 |
Inspire With Stories |
Anecdote (an ik DOTE) n. A short
narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident. Her speech included
several anecdotes that held our attention. |
"When dealing with people, remember you
are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion." –Dale
Carnegie |
| 17 |
Introductions |
Acquaint (a QUAINT) v. To cause to know
personally, to make familiar. He acquainted us with the visitors. |
"You must plan an introduction carefully.
If it’s too long, you’ll steal the speaker’s thunder; too short and
you’ll fail to even whip up a cloud." –George Self |
| 18 |
Power of Persuasion |
Entreat (in TREAT) v. To plead with in
order to persuade. I entreat you to study your manuals.. |
"We may convince others by our arguments;
but we can only persuade them by their own." – Joseph Joubert |
| 19 |
Train Your Peers |
Tutelage (TOO tuh lije) n. Instruction
or guidance of an individual. He grew to be a great speaker under her tutelage. |
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never
tell where his influence stops." – Henry Adams |
| 20 |
Share Your Vision |
Reverie (REV er ee) n. The condition of
being lost in thought. Her reverie produced great ideas for our club. |
"Where there is no vision, the people
parish." – The Bible (Proverbs 29:18) |
| 21 |
The Joy Of Sharing |
Apportion (a POOR shun) v. To divide or
share according to a plan. He apportioned our club offices fairly. |
"Behold, I do not give lectures or little
charity, When I give I give myself." – Walt Whitman |
| 22 |
Mentoring |
Mentor (MEN tor) n. A trusted counselor
or guide. She was a mentor for many new members. |
"Who dares to teach must never cease to
learn." – John Cotton Dana |
| 23 |
To Health |
Stamina (STAM i nuh) n. Staying power
or endurance. His stamina permitted him to finish the race. |
"Those who think they have not time for
bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." – Edward
Stanly, Earl of Derby |
| 24 |
Speak With Humor |
Jocular (JOCK you lur) adj. Given to
jesting, habitually jolly or jocund. Her jocular attitude made us all feel better every
time she entered the room. |
"Everything is funny as long as it is
happening to somebody else." –Will Rogers |
| 25 |
Visions of Greatness |
Innovation (in oh VAY shun) n. The
introduction of something new; a new idea or device. We finished the job much quicker
due to his innovation. |
"You see things; and you say,
"Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
–George Bernard Shaw (This was a favorite quote of Robert Kennedy and is sometimes
attributed to him.) |
| 26 |
Where’s the Passion? |
Ardor (ar DER) n. Extreme vigor or
energy. His ardor for speaking was an inspiration to the club. |
"Passion, though a bad regulator, is a
powerful spring." – Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| 27 |
Introductions that Sparkle |
Antecede (an tuh SEED) v. To precede or
go before. His words will antecede my speech. |
"A bad introduction is a mill-stone hung
around the speaker’s neck. It is a very rare speaker who can swim while wearing a
mill-stone." – George Self |
| 28 |
Speak With Authority |
Sway (SWAY) n. Controlling influence,
sovereign power. Her experience swayed our vote. |
"You have not converted a man because you
have silenced him." – John Morley |
| 29 |
Memorable Closings |
Consummate (KAHN suh mutt) adj. Perfect
in every detail. She was the consummate Toastmaster.. |
"It ain’t over till it’s
over." – Yogi Berra |
| 30 |
Sharing Beliefs |
Tenet (TEN it) n. A principle, belief,
or doctrine generally held to be true. One of Toastmasters’ tenets is evaluation
aids growth. |
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies
of truth than lies." – Nietzsche |
| 31 |
Advancing to DTM |
Impetus (IM puh tus) n. A driving
force, incentive, or stimulus. The potential for promotion was her impetus to advance. |
"Hitch your wagon to a star" –
Emerson |
| 32 |
First Things First |
Prioity (pri ORR it ee) n. Something
meriting prior attention. His priority was completing his CTM. |
"Good order is the foundation of all good
things." – Blake |
| 33 |
Don’t Ummm |
Stammer (STAM er) v. To make
involuntary stops and repetitions in speaking. Her stammer was caused by insufficient
preparation. |
"He had a good memory, and a tongue tied
in the middle. This is a combination which gives immortality to conversation." –
Twain |
| 34 |
Parliamentary Procedures |
Suffrage (SUF ridge) n. The right of
voting. In the United States we enjoy unfettered suffrage. |
"Always vote for a principle, though you
vote alone, and you may cherish the sweet reflection that your vote is never lost."
– John Q. Adams |
| 35 |
Sharing Our Club |
Promulgate (PROM ul gate) v. To make
known or public. She promulgated the club at her workplace. |
"Many a small thing has been made large
by the right kind of advertising." – Twain |
| 36 |
Visual Aids That Aid |
Placard (PLAK erd) n. Notice posted in
a public place. The placard said to use a different door. |
"What we hear, we forget. What we see, we
remember. What we do, we master." – George Self |
| 37 |
Conquering Stage Fright |
Perturbation (per ter BA shun) n. The
disturbance of one’s state of equilibrium. Public speaking always caused him a
great deal of perturbation. |
"To him who is afraid everything
rustles." – Sophocles |
| |
Labor Day |
Toil (TOIL) v. To work hard and long. He
toiled at his assigned task. |
"The miracle of the seed and the soil is
not available by affirmation; it is only available by labor." –Jim Rohn |
| |
Columbus Day |
Delve (delv) v. To make a careful or
detailed search. He delved into the past to discover his family tree. |
"One doesn’t discover new lands
without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." –Andre Gide |
| |
Election Day |
Plebiscite (PLEE bi site) n. A vote by
which the people of an entire country or district express an opinion for or against a
proposal or choice of government or ruler. Congress called for a plebiscite to
determine if the people wanted to change their constitution. |
"Act as if the whole election depended on
your single vote. . ." –John Wesley |
| |
Veteran’s Day |
Pugnacious (pug NAY shus) anj. Having a
belligerent nature, combative. She was pugnacious when it came to human rights issues. |
"Heroine: girl in a book who is saved
from drowning by a hero and marries him next week, but if it was to be over again ten
years later it is likely she would rather have a life-belt and he would rather have her
have it" – Mark Twain |
| |
Thanksgiving |
Prosperity (pros PEAR it ee) n. The
condition of being successful or thriving. His prosperity was an inspiration. |
"He is not fit for riches who is afraid
to use them." – Thomas Fuller |
| |
Christmas |
Noel (no EL) n. A Christmas carol. Today
we will sing noels. |
"Or consider Christmas – could Satan
in his most malignant mood have devised a worse combination of graft plus buncombe than
the system whereby several hundred million people get a billion or so of gifts for which
they have no use, and some thousands of shop-clerks die of exhaustion while selling them,
and every other child in the western world is made ill from overeating – all in the
name of the lowly Jesus?" – Upton Sinclair |
| |
New Years Resolutions |
Transform (trans FORM) v. To change in
character or condition. Every New Year’s Day people vow to transform themselves. |
"Success seems to be largely a matter of
hanging on after others have let go." – William Feather |
| |
Martin Luther King Day |
Libertarian (lib a TARE ee an) n. An
advocate of the doctrine of free will. Dr. King was a great libertarian. |
"If a man hasn’t discovered
something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live." – Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| |
President’s Day |
Chieftain (CHIEF ton) n. A chief,
especially of a tribe or clan. We made her the chieftain due to her wisdom and skill. |
"It is a miserable state of mind to have
few things to desire and many things to fear; and yet that commonly is the case of
kings." – Bacon |
| |
St. Patrick’s Day |
Valiancy (VAL yent see) n. Valor,
courage. His valiancy led to our freedom. |
"Until the day of his death, no man can
be sure of his courage." – Jean Anouilh |
| |
Many Happy (Tax) Returns |
Purloin (per LOIN) v. To appropriate
wrongfully and often by a breach of trust. Her purloined letter caused a great deal of
embarrassment. |
"Thieves respect property. They merely
wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it."
– Chesterton |
| |
Mother’s Day |
Affection (a FEK shun) n. Tender
attachment, fondness. He showed great affection toward his mother. |
"One hour of right-down love is worth an
age of dully living on." – Behn |
| |
Memorial Day |
Remembrance (re MEM brance) n. The
state of bearing in mind. Once a year we pause for remembrance of the dead. |
"Things that are hard to bear are sweet
to remember." – Seneca |
| |
Father’s Day |
Progenitor (pro GEN it er) n. An
ancestor in the direct line; forefather. Her progenitor was a barrier she had to
overcome. |
"I have found that the best way to give
advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it."
– Harry S Truman |
| |
The Old Guard’s Farewell |
Adieu (a DYOU) n. Farewell. As we
left, he shouted ‘adieu.’ |
"There is a certain relief in change,
even though it be from bad to worse; as I have found in travelling in a stagecoach, that
it is often a comfort to shift one’s position and be bruised in a new place."
– Washington Irving |
