Resource library

The free sources this manual draws on, grouped by chapter, with the date each link was checked.

These are the free sources this manual draws on, grouped by chapter or theme. Each link shows its publisher and a few words on what it holds. Every link is free to read; none carries a tracking or referral parameter, and we receive nothing for any of them.

Preparing: length, rate, the ask, finding what to say, shaping

For the manual's chapters on saying yes, finding what to say, shaping a short talk and the length calculator.

• The "about 150 words a minute" figure at its source (National Center for Voice and Speech)
• A target speaking rate and how to measure your own (Baruch College, CUNY)
• Measured conversational speaking rates, a research paper (ISCA Archive (Interspeech 2006))
• Reading-aloud rate, a meta-analysis abstract (Journal of Memory and Language)
• A professional narration length estimate (ACX (Audible, Amazon))
• A speaking-rate target in an open textbook (Lumen Learning)
• Questions to ask the host about the location (Lumen Learning)
• Three types of audience analysis (Saylor Academy)
• How to learn about an audience (Saylor Academy)
• Venue, lectern and microphone basics (Saylor Academy)
• Moving from a general to a specific purpose (Saylor Academy)
• A main-point test and cutting to a time limit (Hamilton College Oral Communication Center)
• Purpose, structure and writing for listeners (UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center)
• The parts of a speech introduction (Saylor Academy)
• Signposting devices that keep a speech moving (Saylor Academy)
• A three-step conclusion (Saylor Academy)
• Writing for the ear (Saylor Academy)
• Spoken versus written language, compared (Hamilton College Oral Communication Center)
• Impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript and memorized delivery (Saylor Academy)
• A second account of the four delivery methods (Exploring Public Speaking (LibreTexts))
• A note-card method (Saylor Academy)
• Note cards with time checkpoints (Hamilton College Oral Communication Center)
• Phrases to avoid at the start, middle and end (Hamilton College Oral Communication Center)

Short presentations: slides, numbers, handouts and questions

For the chapter on a short presentation.

• Research anchor for multimedia design principles (American Psychologist)
• A grouping of the multimedia principles (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
• The multimedia principles in plain words (University of Washington School of Medicine)
• Slide tips (Hamilton College Oral Communication Center)
• The assertion-evidence alternative to bullet slides (Penn State Leonhard Center)
• When to give out handouts (Lumen Learning (LibreTexts))
• Why slides are not handouts (American Evaluation Association)
• What the Clear Communication Index is (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Criteria for presenting numbers and risk (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Evidence-based rules for presenting numbers (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• Handling questions and answers (Marietta College)
• Preparing presentation aids, with a backup plan (Saylor Academy)

The occasions: toasts

For the chapter on giving a toast.

• The basic toasting procedure and who goes first (Emily Post Institute)
• Who toasts, in what order and for how long at wedding events (Emily Post Institute)
• Where the groom's toast falls (Emily Post Institute)
• The tone of rehearsal-dinner toasts (Emily Post Institute)
• The British speaking order and best man's speech (Debrett's)
• When speeches fall at a British reception (Debrett's)
• Models for toasts, introductions, awards and eulogies (Oklahoma State University Libraries)
• The water-toast question (Miss Manners, The Spokesman-Review)
• The strict view on toasting with water (The Splendid Table)
• A study of alcohol before a speech (British Psychological Society)

The occasions: introductions, emcees and names

For the chapter on introducing a speaker.

• An audience-focused speaker introduction (Toastmaster magazine)
• A length rule for introductions (Toastmaster magazine)
• Getting the facts from the speaker (Toastmaster magazine)
• A twelve-step emcee checklist (Toastmaster magazine)
• Introducing yourself to a group (Toastmaster magazine)
• Three purposes of an introduction (Whatcom Community College)
• A one-minute introduction and handover lines (Agnes Scott College)
• Lengths for introductions and tributes (University of Puget Sound)
• A textbook range for introductions (University of Minnesota via CUNY Pressbooks)
• Event scripts, pronunciation and time cues (Oregon State University)
• Writing a name phonetically (Missouri S&T)
• Collecting pronunciations from the people named (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Pronunciation guide to public figures' names (Library of Congress)

The occasions: tributes and eulogies

For the chapter on tributes and eulogies. The Catholic rows are dated diocesan examples of why to ask the officiant.

• Accepting, coordinating and length (Emily Post Institute)
• Humor and where tributes may be given (Emily Post Institute)
• Length by number of speakers and structure (National Funeral Directors Association site)
• A timed eulogy structure and print size (National Association of Funeral Directors (UK))
• Hospice guidance on snapshots and a backup reader (NorthShore University HealthSystem)
• A diocesan policy on words of remembrance (Diocese of Erie)
• An archdiocese's guidelines on words of remembrance (Archdiocese of Boston)
• Diocesan guidance with a stated length (Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend)
• Eulogy versus words of remembrance (Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend)
• One bishop's reflection on eulogies (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops)
• Why parishes differ (The Priest magazine)
• A celebrant's tips on emotion in a eulogy (Humanists UK)

Rehearsal and delivery: voice, notes and the microphone

For the chapters on rehearsing, voice, the microphone and the room.

• Practicing before an audience, a research paper (Communication Quarterly)
• Preparation and performance, a research paper (Communication Education)
• Preparation time and grades, a research paper (Communication Quarterly)
• How to practice and get feedback (Saylor Academy)
• Practicing under real conditions (Saylor Academy)
• Rehearsal rules, including timing (Exploring Public Speaking (LibreTexts))
• Hands, eye contact and filler words (Exploring Public Speaking (LibreTexts))
• Research on "uh" and "um" (Cognition)
• Microphone technique for presenters (Shure)
• How microphone placement changes the voice (DPA Microphones)
• Camera, framing and lighting for online talks (Hamilton College Oral Communication Center)
• Taking care of your voice (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• Warning signs of voice problems (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
• A patient leaflet on voice care (Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust)

Nerves and health

The manual describes nerves as these agencies describe them. It gives no medical advice and names no medicine as advice.

• Reappraising anxiety as excitement, a research paper (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General)
• A replication of the Brooks study (Psychology of Language and Communication)
• Reappraising arousal under stress (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General)
• A reappraisal effect outside the lab (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology)
• A meta-analysis of treatments for fear of public speaking (Frontiers in Psychology)
• A review of public speaking anxiety (Communication Education)
• What communication apprehension is (Saylor Academy)
• Thinking patterns behind speaking anxiety (Exploring Public Speaking (LibreTexts))
• A breathing exercise for stress (NHS)
• How common social anxiety disorder is (National Institute of Mental Health)
• When nerves may be a condition, and treatment (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Anxiety disorders overview (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Social anxiety and when to see a doctor (NHS)
• What beta blockers are (NHS)
• About propranolol (NHS)
• A U.S. drug information page (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
• Beta blockers and their uses (Cleveland Clinic)
• Anxiety symptoms and when to seek help (NHS Every Mind Matters)
• Losing your place, tech failure and interruptions (Saylor Academy)

Meetings: running them, roles and recording

For the chapters on running a meeting and on decisions and minutes.

• A four-phase model for meetings (University of Kansas Community Tool Box)
• Recording a meeting (University of Kansas Community Tool Box)
• Leading group discussions (University of Kansas Community Tool Box)
• Agendas, time per item and action items (Ohio State University Extension)
• Purpose, agenda, timeline and roles (Northwest Cooperative Development Center)
• Facilitator, recorder and timekeeper roles (UNC Chapel Hill Center for Faculty Excellence)
• Seven meeting roles (University of Delaware)
• Facilitator habits and group tools (University of Minnesota Extension)
• Facilitating meetings (Seeds for Change)
• Hybrid meeting setup (University of Colorado)
• Meeting lateness, a research paper (Journal of Organizational Behavior)
• The cost of poorly run meetings (Small Group Research)

Decisions, parliamentary procedure and the law

The manual shows state law as labelled examples. Your bylaws and the law that governs your group come first; ask its officers, its parliamentarian or its attorney.

• The current edition of Robert's Rules of Order (Robert's Rules Association)
• Short answers on voting, quorum and minutes (Robert's Rules Association)
• Sample rules for electronic meetings (Robert's Rules Association)
• Relaxed rules for small boards (Jim Slaughter, parliamentarian)
• What parliamentary procedure is for (National Association of Parliamentarians)
• Consensus decision making (Seeds for Change)
• Handling a main motion, with a motions table (Kansas State University)
• An open meetings handbook, one state's example (Texas Attorney General)
• Open meetings law, a second state's example (California Attorney General)
• Sunshine laws, a third state's example (Ohio Attorney General)
• A homeowners association statute, an example (The Florida Senate)

Accessibility and plain language

For writing materials and planning rooms so everyone can follow.

• A checklist for accessible events and presentations (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative)
• Making a PowerPoint file accessible (Microsoft Support)
• The contrast thresholds in WCAG 2.2 (W3C)
• How hearing loops work (Hearing Loss Association of America)
• Types of assistive listening systems (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• An institutional rule to use the microphone (University of Edinburgh)
• The case against asking "can everyone hear me" (UMass Lowell)
• Accessibility of remote meetings (W3C)
• The ADA's effective-communication duty (ADA National Network)
• Plain language guides (Digital.gov)

Open textbooks

Free full-length textbooks that the manual draws on for method.

• Stand Up, Speak Out, a full public-speaking textbook (Saylor Academy)
• Exploring Public Speaking, a textbook with a special-occasion chapter (Dalton State College, GALILEO)