District Deputy Grand Master, brethren; It is Grand Lodge that directs us, Grand Lodge that chastens us, Grand Lodge that supports us. He has received Provincial Honours in both the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and was Provincial Grand Treasurer of Berkshire for 5 years until 2015.

When he finally arrived home home, he was confronted by a very angry wife and a tirade befitting his actions. Grand Lodge provides information, gives guidance when sought, admonishes and encourages the lodge when needed. The ornaments of your Lodge will be the guests who frequent it and a visitor’s footfalls are like medicine; they heal the sick. Every freemason knows that he will have to make a speech or propose a toast sometime in his Masonic life whether it be a Master or replying for the visitors. I was asked to do what some Brethren were kind enough to describe as the best Masonic speech they had heard in a long while, when I entered the temple building.The good thing is you can learn at your own pace after your initiation and participate in the toast as little or as much as you like. If speech-making is about planning in advance by the creation of the ‘’skeleton’’, then clothing it with sensible thought and then storing it away for the future is the solution. Mason one, and Masons all, Masons here from wall to wall, Masons thick, and Masons fast, All thanking God for a great repast.

The unattributed illustrator’s distinctive style can be found elsewhere in the book in another illustration on page 115 bearing the initials, R. As we all know, Brethren, leadership does not need yes-men despite the time when a newly appointed Provincial ADC was overheard on the phone to the Provincial Grand Master.I have spent most of my life speaking in public; lecturing to university students; training managers; giving “motivational” addresses (which I hate! This should even include directions about when to stand, when to gavel, and who is to control the Masonic fire.

As I have said already, it is a good idea to keep pen and paper by you in Lodge so that you can make a few notes on things to comment on in your speech. Brethren are advised to consult with the Director of Ceremonies regarding the proper salutations and titles for the occasion, as these may be an individual lodge decision. This toast can be difficult as it is made by the same person to the same person on every Lodge night in the year.This may be an established custom within the Lodge, but it needs to be set out in such a format that will enable the Master and his principal officers to control the proceedings smoothly with dignity and style. By becoming proficient you will enjoy it and start to understand how important it is to inform and persuade people in your private and professional life too. The work of the ‘Attic Orators’ inspired the later rhetorical movement of Atticism, an approach to speech composition in a simple rather than ornate style.

Brethren, I note that this Lodge places the tracing boards in the centre of the Lodge and not at the Junior Warden’s pedestal. However matters may go in France or with the French Government, or other French Governments, we in this Island and in the British Empire will never lose our sense of comradeship with the French people.We are all visitors on this sublunary abode and as the humble representative of those who are now visiting your small part of it, I thank you for your welcome and for the pleasure of your company. Of course you will comment on the WM (or his stand-in) and you will either congratulate him on the skill of his ritual or on his sincerity. It is decidedly embarrassing when a member of the Lodge starts praising the work in the temple or the festive board. A simple booklet about leadership or managerial control will provide all the ideas necessary for this subject.