RESOURCES FOR SPEAKERS

Please note that these links are here just as a courtesy to you as a Toastmaster. I have gleamed these from other Toastmaster Club sites and also used many of them to help me with my speeches. So please let me know if you have any to add or if any links don't work. But please that you use these links at your own risk.

Bartlett's English Usage  - combines contemporary and classic usage guides to form full-text searchable resource
Creativity unblocker - stuck for ideas and inspiration? - Geetesh Bajaj 
Elements of Style - intended for use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature.  It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style. 1st Edition, 1918.
paragraphpunch.comonline writing tutorial takes users through the actual steps of writing a paragraph online
Public Speaking Tips, Going to the People: 10 Tips For a Public Speaking Engagement - how to prepare for a speech from Al Czarnecki Communications 

Humor
The English-to-American Dictionary - a humorous resource for Americans learning Scottish English
The Good, Clean Funnies List
Jokes Every Day
The Jokemaster's Corner  (Cheshire (CT) Toastmasters)
Net Funny's  Jokes

Quotes
Bartlett's Quotes
Christian Quotation of the Day
Motivational Mecca's Quote Database - search 
Quotation Center - find quotes by author, subject, or key word
Quote Geek - previously "What's That Line?"
Quoteland.com
The Quotations Page
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
Ralph Waldo Emerson Texts - browse the texts; search the site for a specific word, phrase, or quotation; pose questions, discuss the texts; and more 
Wisdom Quotes

Presentations
7 Aspects Of A Dynamic Presentation -  Lenny Laskowski
Explosive Presentations:  The 14 Points -  Jim Hallman 
Presentations Magazine ("for all things connected with presentations")
Presenters University - offers tips for doing better multi-media presentations
The Top 10 Phrases and words to avoid when presentingTerri Levine

Words
Acronym Finder 
AWAD (A Word A Day)
Behind The Name - meaning and history of first names 
Funwords.Com-  a word origins site by Martha Barnette, author of several books on the subject.
Lycos Rhyme Zone -  previously The Rhyming Dictionary.  From this page you can also access Lycos searches on Shakespeare, American History, Quotations, Mother Goose, Holy Books and User submissions.
William F. Buckley's Word of The Day
Wilton's Word & Phrase Origins - etymology of common words and slang phrases
WorldWideWeb Acronym and Abbreviation Server - Constantly updated acronym dictionary. Users can add new acronyms.  Submit a word and see what acronyms it is used in.

Words: Dictionaries
English Dictionary
Grandiloquent Dictionarycollection of 2,000 words which are often omitted from dictionaries and are in danger of being eliminated from the English language;  e.g. , “quatrayle” - ( )  One's great great great grandfather.
Newbury House Online Dictionary - search over 40,000 entries to get clear concise definitions and when available related pictures
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary - Word of the Day (Free) 
The Oxford English Dictionary - Word of the Day (Free) 
Strange Dictionaries Free - on-line versions of the Dictionary of One-Letter Words, the Dictionary of All-Vowel Words, the Dictionary of All-Consonant Words, and other strange dictionary resources

Words: Dictionaries - Specialty
Dictionary of Units - summary of the units of measurement in use around the world today; definitions, standards and conversion factors
DOD Dictionary of Military Terms -  of over 6,500 military terms 
Vexillological Glossary
Vexillology
Water Words Dictionary - Nevada Division of Water Planning, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (A Compilation of Technical Water, Water Quality, Environmental, and Water-Related Terms)  (PDF) 
Webopedia - online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet technology

SPEECHES
Abraham Lincoln Online - speeches and writings, timelines, and news
Canada Speaks - collection of speeches by Canadian Prime Ministers 
Daniel Webster - speeches
G. Robert Vincent Voice Library - largest academic voice library in the nation
George Patton, Jr. - The Famous General Patton Speech
George Washington
Great Speeches - NewsMax.com
Great Speeches from History
History Channel - “hear the words that changed the world”  (RealPlayer needed) 
H.M. Queen Noor of Jordan - Official Site,   Speeches - peace/conflict resolution, social development, environment, education and more 
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library -  Site, Speeches
Martin Luther King, Jr. Audio Page - audio clips of speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  (RealPlayer needed)
Mother TeresaSite, Speeches
Pope John Paul II - homilies, speeches:   USA (1999)   Trip To Ukraine (23-27 June 2001)   Search for others at EWTN
Ronald Reagan:  Reaganlegacy.org -   Site, Speeches
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library  -   Site, Speeches  (papers and speeches which were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during President Reagan's term) 
Theodore Roosevelt - Site, Speeches

Other Speakers
National Speakers Association - Illinois Chapter

Disclaimer: Unless explicitly stated, Toastmasters has no connection with the vendors.  Inclusion on this list does not imply any kind of endorsement.  Let the buyer beware