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Overview
More tools for crafting your speeches.

What's Inside?

Since this site is all about writing and giving better speeches and presentations, the shelves in our reference room are stocked with batches of information

which help you add the finishing touch.

For properly addressing head table guests.	What do you call the Bishop?
For giving credit where it is due and increasing your own credibility.	Documenting your comments.
For waking them up.	Startling Stats.
For making a point.	It's a Fact.
For consistency of mood.	Formal vs Informal Words & Phrases
For sounding as educated as you really are.	Good Grief It's Grammar.
For sounding as "with it" as you may or may not be.	So to Speak including the latest buzz words.
For utilizing the special occasions to enhance your impact.	'Tis the Season - symbols and meaning of the various seasonal happenings.

What's Right Here? To Use Right Now?

To give you a hint of what's in the main site, we've:

• told you what to call the Bishop and a couple of other dignitaries,
• given you two formal/informal words,
• given you one Fact, and shown how you can use it for totally unrelated subjects, and
• summarized one element of Grammar Grief.
• You can also read about how to encorporate seasonal materials.

Forms of Address

While our presentations and general communications have become increasingly informal, certain situations still call for proper protocol. Among these situations is direct reference to persons who hold certain offices within the church, military, or government. They range from admirals and ambassadors to bishops and queens.

While it is certainly correct to refer to, for example, "Bishop Raymond", in the third person, when you address him directly, he is "Your Grace".

So now you know how to address the bishop. Here are a couple more examples from our convenient reference section:

The Mayor .... Mr./Ms. Mayor .... Your Worship
The Queen .... Your Royal Highness

Formally Speaking

Check below for an idea of how individual words affect the formality (do we hear "stiffness"?) of a presentation.

Formal	Informal
AS it grows	LIKE it grows
crashes	goes down in flames

These are just a couple of a score (another formal word for you ) or more in the Reference Room on the main SpeechGems.com site.

Facts for Thought

This category is a select collection of facts which cause people to pause and think. They are not tied to keywords since they are chosen for impact rather than subject area. Optimize on its use by browsing through the selection.

Even though the fact you choose may not be related to the subject of your speech, it will be powerful enough to arrest audience attention and allow you to springboard to your own most important premise.

Example:
In the year 2038, a hugh asteroid will pass close to the Earth!

That kind of statement can launch you into a talk on preparedness, science, technology, setting priorities, teamwork, or budgeting.

Good Grief It's Grammar

• subject - predicate .... Which is correct?
  1. "The Board were not able to decide"
  2. "The Board was unable to decide."
  
  
• noun - pronoun .... Which is correct?
  1. "The Board agreed they would..."
  2. The Board agreed it would..."
  
  
• What's wrong with this sentence?
  
  This is one of several challenges which face employees when a business is changing hands.

• The Board was unable to decide.
• The Board agreed it would...
• This is ONE .........which faces (The trick is to remember the proper subject so the verb can agree with it in number.)

'Tis the Season

Adding seasonal comments to your presentations builds rapport with your audience; and, adds a little extra interest to more technical material.

Our Subscribers' site provides you with tidbits and reminders of the current season and archives for upcoming times.