Alliteration Tips For Travelling Toastmasters and MCs: A Marvellous Monday and more alliterations

Arriving at a new venue to be an MC (master of ceremonies) or Toastmaster of the Day or Evening is a challenge, especially when faced with a lot of strange names.

What can you do?

1 Name Badges For All
Ask for all the visitors and members and organizers to wear badges. Make sue the names are large enough to see. I have been known to invest a pound or dollar or two in a roll of address labels and a broad tip felt tip pen.

2 Your Own name Badge
Wear your own name badge. Send a picture of yourself with your name badge so that everyone gets the idea that if they don't wear theirs they will be upstaged by you.

3 VIP name Badges
Ask appointment holders to wear their own name badges.
Ask the organizer to print name badges, with the organization's logo - much smarter than hand written.

4 Writing Badges In Advance
Failing all else, to save time at the meeting, write the names in advance on your roll of address labels. Writing out the names and checking the spelling will help you remember them.

5 Pronunciation
Say the names aloud. If you are not sure of the pronunciation, email and ask.

Prepare A Jolly Opening
An alliterative opening can be planned in advance for the day of the week.

Super Saturday
Special Sunday
Marvellous Monday
Terrific Tuesday
Wonderful Wednesday
Thoughtful Thursday
Fantastic Friday

Alliterative Introductions
Start with a Warm Welcome to everybody.

Plan some alliterative introductions. If you can make them fit the personalities, so much the better. Some of them will fit. If they are totally opposite, this can create humour.

Ask for three words to describe each person, their country, profession, hobby.
You can ask if the speaker likes or dislikes something.
"Cathy - do you like cooking?"
You then, according to her answer, continue, "Cathy, who loves cooking / Cathy who hates cooking ..."

Amusing, Angelic Angela. Alex. Alluring Alicia.
Brilliant Brian begins the evening. Bea (pronounced be or bee) whose motto is, 'Be prepared!'.
Conscientious Catherine. Cath the cook.
Charming Chan.
Debonair David is dashing on stage. Dynamic.
Efficient Elizabeth. Earnest who never ers.
Funny Fiona. Frank in Finance. (First / Finally ..) Fast but never furious.
Gorgeous Gertrude. Genial Gina.
Happy Harriet. Handsome Harry. Help me welcome ..
Idealistic Irene. Innovative Ingrid.
Jolly Jennifer. Jovial John.
Kate the Clever one.
Lovely Linda. Lawrence the Life Coach. Last but not least. Lionel the listener.
Marvellous Michael. Mary/ Maria, the mother of five.
Nora is next.
Omniscient Oliver.
Pretty Penny. Peter the plumber. Please applaud Penny.
Philip the father of Three.
Queenie, the quick one.
Reliable Richard. Rich Richard.
Successful Susan, our Secretary. (Starting with Stephen.)
Tall Thomas. Tiny Thomas. Tim our Treasurer, and timekeeper is on time.
Theo, who we must thank. Thoughtful Theo.
Ursula ... says to err is human, but to Ursula is divine.
Valuable Valerie. Victor the VIP. Visionary
Wonderful William, Welcome to Wendy. Worthy Wong.
Xanthe the zoo keeper.
Yvonne, who believes we can achieve.
Zoe - Glowing Zoe, who likes visiting zoos / hates zoos, will tell us the A to Zed (UK) /A to  Zee (USA) of ....

You can create humour by contradicting what you said about them.
For example:
Queenie the Quick is making her way slowly towards the stage.

Make your own desk nameplate.
You can make a triangular Toblerone shape from a folded piece of blank A4 paper. Folded it twice or more to get the desired shape and thickness. It should stand on its own.

Alternatively, you can stick it together with Sellotape (UK brand of sticky tape) or Blutac. Or look for a paperclip, stapler, or elastic band. Look around to see what is spare or can be borrowed for the duration of the meeting and then returned.

Write your name or position in black felt tip pen.

Carry a washable felt tip pen for writing on white boards and on flipcharts and making your own badge to wear, or desktop name plate.

Or make a three-

Here I am displaying my badge.

sided name card from three business cards.

Useful website
https://www.rhymer.com/eve.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, workshop leader.

   

What is your speech title and what is your message?

Problem
I listen to other people's speeches and plan my own and find the following problems:
1 I am asked to evaluate and introduce a speech which doesn't have a title.

Marketing:
How can you write a poster advertising a speech which doesn't have a title?

Focus:
How can the speaker keep to the point if he or she doesn't know their point?

Introduction:
How can you introduce yourself or anybody else if you can't sum up in one sentence. (The Elevator speech.)

If your speech changes direction half way through, you have two speeches, two different speeches.

If you, as a speaker, are confused, the listener will be confused.

The listener likes to prepare emotionally. If I giggle all the way through and you end by telling some tragedy, unexpectedly, I feel either deceived or shaken. If I go to watch a movie billed comedy which ends as a tragedy and it ruins my birthday or my first romantic date, I could be at the box office demanding my money back on the grounds of trades descriptions act, just as I would if I went to see a musical with no music.

Novels often have twist endings. tragedies are often written with ups and downs and humorous moments, to relieve the burden. However, the publisher's blurb gives you a clue what to expect, or to prepare for the unexpected. Fashions change, eras change, countries are different.

When I listen to a speech in which a speaker tells of their tragic childhood, I wonder which of the following applies:

Catharsis After Tragedy
The speaker wishes to come to terms with the fear and tragedy of the past, to talk it through, face it, in order to move on. In a way we in the audience are must be bystanders, like counsellors, sitting quietly saying nothing, whilst they work out their problems for themselves. The talking cure.

As a visitor, I have sometimes wondered, why do I go for a jolly evening out and have to listen to this story of misery. In at least one the speaker has burst into tears at the end. I wonder are they any happier. Or have they just raked up and relived the horrors of their past.

The chair person or toastmaster of the evening has the burden of saying something suitable, before moving on, allowing the next speaker to follow with a neutral topic or even attempt a comedy.

Toastmaster's Comment
What can the link person say? Something to sympathise with the speaker and make them feel better.
1 Thank you for sharing your story.
2 That was very brave. (I am not keen on the word brave. It slightly suggests they have faced a hostile audience - and taken an unnecessary risk.)
3 We are impressed that you have overcome your past. (And started your Toastmasters Journey, or reached out to help others in the same situation.)
4 You had a bad start in life but now you are amongst friends and can move on.
5 Thank you for showing us that even with the worst start you can still build a family and career and start again.

Humorous Re-telling Of Childhood Or Later Drama
I heard a speech and wondered:
Why did the speaker tell this painful story?

Appeal for Sympathy
Was it to gain sympathy?

Desire For Drama
Because the story was dramatic? Because it aroused emotion in the audience, horror or indignation?

To Evoke Pity or Compassion
Because the story aroused our sympathy for the underdog?

Sharing
Because we would relate to similar stories in our own past?

Humour In Others Tragedy
Because what happens to others is funny?
Because you can laugh at your fears when they are exaggerated or happen to somebody else.

Compulsive Obsessional Re-telling
Because the painful story is unforgettable, so the speaker wants to keep telling it, whether or not the audience wants to hear, whether or not the audience is sympathetic, whether or not it shows the speaker in a good light - just can't help it, can't let go.

Attention Seeking
To get attention. to eclipse and outdo other speakers. to eclipse and outdo the audience's own dramas.
One-upmanship in drama.

Manic-Depressive
Today is their drama day. Half an hour later, having got over their speech, they are laughing. However, you are shattered by their story all week, and whenever you see them.

Finally, Is It True?
Did the story actually happen? Did the drama take place exactly as described? When writing a novel, especially one based on your or someone else's life, you are often told to reduce the time span and the number of characters. For example, instead of two different enemies, the stepfather and the boss, you have the stepfather who is later your boss. 

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.