- Storytellers are the most interesting speakers. Any time you get your audience to identify with something, you can lead them from that point to the one you intended to make. All of us have had trouble finding a parking space, lost our car keys or found our glasses propped on our foreheads when overworked. Probably every parent has had a poorly timed interruption from a child after bedtime. The ability to turn the mishaps of the day into humorous slice-of-life stories separates the OK speaker from the best (Reference 1). Pull out a packet of old postcards from around the world and ask each person at the table to tell a story about what is happening in the photo. Tell what you would do if you went to the site pictured, or what you did if you've already been there.
- At the height of the Regency Era, no one spoke until formally introduced. Elaborate social illusions were created to maintain the fiction, even if one party bumped into another in a random encounter at a local boutique or while out riding. Fortunately, we no longer have to wait for the right society matron to give us a voucher. But we do still need to introduce one another when in a formal situation, such as a bridal dinner. Introduce an inanimate object, such as one of your child's stuffed animals, to everyone in the room. Make up three accomplishments for the toy, and tell everyone in the room why those accomplishments are so important.
- Toasts consist of two or more words. The most common are to "life, health, love," a named person, or an event. Toasts can also be given in the form of a libation, which is a statement combined with the pouring out of a drink onto the floor or ground in memory of someone who is no longer alive. Libations are poured during certain parts of the Kwanzaa celebration, as well as during wakes. Wedding toasts are usually stories rather than just a word or two. They often include how the person giving the toast met the person being toasted, why the honoree is important and why everyone in the room was invited to share their joy. Create a toast to your best friend and his new wife. Highlight the time your friend helped pull you from the local skating pond, and how he met his wife when she and the rest of the local volunteer fire department had come to put out the fire the two of you had set in a trash barrel to get warm.
- When you receive an award or honor, it is gracious to thank those who supported you and return the honor to those who are honoring you. Because awards are commonly given at a dinner, it is polite to keep the thanks short. End with, "If I have missed anyone, please forgive me," in order to cut off what might otherwise become an endless list. Send a formal thank you card to anyone you did not have time to name. Set a timer for 60 seconds. Give an acceptance speech for receiving the Recycler of the Month award from your local solid waste management district.
- Ask each person at the table to write down the first five words that come to mind on separate slips of paper. Fold the strips in half, and put them all in a small bowl or basket. Mix the strips, and have each person draw five. Each person then spends 60 seconds telling the biggest tall tale they can using the words he drew.
