Creative Club Lab^™

The Library

What to read, watch, and use next.

A short shelf instead of a long list. Every entry here is work by someone else that changed how we design a room, and every one comes with a plain note on why it earns your time and where to use it.

Nothing on this page is affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Creative Club Lab, and we earn nothing from these links. Descriptions are ours. Credits and sources we quote elsewhere live on the references page.

Every entry carries its full publication details, a copyable citation, and a direct link to the original so you can verify it yourself. All links last checked 17 August 2026.

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Shelf

Format

Time

Speak

Delivery, presence, nerves, and voice. What happens in the room when it is your turn.

Talk

How to speak so that people want to listen

Julian Treasure, 2013

A talk on the mechanics of the voice: register, pace, pitch, timbre, and the habits that cost you a room.

Why we recommend it

The most immediately usable vocal coaching available for free. Good homework for a member who has the content but loses the room in the delivery.

10 minutes

Publication details

Author: Julian Treasure
Published: 2013
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TED Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Julian Treasure. (2013). How to speak so that people want to listen. TED Conferences. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen

Practise the delivery with live pacing cues.

Talk

TED's secret to great public speaking

Chris Anderson, 2016

TED's curator on the single job of a speaker: building an idea inside someone else's head.

Why we recommend it

Short enough to play at a meeting and strong enough to reframe how your members prepare. A useful antidote to speech-as-performance.

8 minutes

Publication details

Author: Chris Anderson
Published: 2016
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TED Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Chris Anderson. (2016). TED's secret to great public speaking. TED Conferences. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_ted_s_secret_to_great_public_speaking

Practise the delivery with live pacing cues.

Talk

How to sound smart in your TEDx talk

Will Stephen, 2015

A comedic talk that says nothing at all, on purpose, using every speaker technique in the book.

Why we recommend it

The funniest way to teach vocal variety and stagecraft. We have used it as a meeting opener and it reliably wakes a room up.

6 minutes

Publication details

Author: Will Stephen
Published: 2015
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TEDx Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Will Stephen. (2015). How to sound smart in your TEDx talk. TED Conferences. TEDx Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/will_stephen_how_to_sound_smart_in_your_tedx_talk

Practise the delivery with live pacing cues.

Book

Confessions of a Public Speaker

Scott Berkun, 2009

A working speaker's honest account of preparation, failure, hostile rooms, and bad AV.

Why we recommend it

The least glamorous and most practical book on this shelf. Read it before your first conference slot, especially the parts about things going wrong.

A short, funny read

Publication details

Author: Scott Berkun
Published: 2009
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Format: Book
Source: scottberkun.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Scott Berkun. (2009). Confessions of a Public Speaker. O'Reilly Media. Book. https://scottberkun.com/books/confessions/

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Guide

Pathways learning experience

Toastmasters International

The official Toastmasters education program: paths, projects, and evaluation structure.

Why we recommend it

The structured backbone your members already have. Everything in this lab is meant to sit alongside it, not replace it.

Ongoing

Publication details

Author: Toastmasters International
Publisher: Toastmasters International
Format: Official program page
Source: toastmasters.org
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Toastmasters International. Pathways learning experience. Toastmasters International. Official program page. https://www.toastmasters.org/pathways-overview

Practise the delivery with live pacing cues.

Craft

Story, structure, and slides. How an idea gets built so it survives the walk to the parking lot.

Book

Resonate

Nancy Duarte, 2010

A book on shaping a presentation as a story, with the audience as the one who changes.

Why we recommend it

If your members' speeches are accurate but flat, this is the fix. It gives you shared vocabulary for evaluations beyond 'add more energy'.

A study read, best in sections

Publication details

Author: Nancy Duarte
Published: 2010
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Format: Book
Source: duarte.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Nancy Duarte. (2010). Resonate. John Wiley & Sons. Book. https://www.duarte.com/books/resonate/

Turn the idea into a Before, During, After plan.

Talk

The secret structure of great talks

Nancy Duarte, 2011

A talk that maps the shape of persuasive speeches, using famous examples.

Why we recommend it

The fastest way to give a club the idea of contrast: what is, versus what could be. Pairs well with an evaluation workshop.

18 minutes

Publication details

Author: Nancy Duarte
Published: 2011
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TEDx Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Nancy Duarte. (2011). The secret structure of great talks. TED Conferences. TEDx Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks

Turn the idea into a Before, During, After plan.

Book

Made to Stick

Chip Heath and Dan Heath, 2007

A book on why some ideas are remembered and repeated while others evaporate.

Why we recommend it

Useful well beyond speeches: club announcements, membership pitches, and the one sentence a guest repeats to a friend on the way home.

A weekend read

Publication details

Author: Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Published: 2007
Publisher: Random House
Format: Book
Source: heathbrothers.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Chip Heath and Dan Heath. (2007). Made to Stick. Random House. Book. https://heathbrothers.com/books/made-to-stick/

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Book

TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking

Chris Anderson, 2016

A full guide to building and delivering a talk, from the person who has watched thousands of them.

Why we recommend it

The best single reference to hand a member preparing something bigger than a club speech. Strong chapters on throughline and on visuals.

Reference shelf, read by chapter

Publication details

Author: Chris Anderson
Published: 2016
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: Book
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Chris Anderson. (2016). TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Book. https://www.ted.com/read/ted-talks-the-official-ted-guide-to-public-speaking

Turn the idea into a Before, During, After plan.

Talk

How great leaders inspire action

Simon Sinek, 2009

The talk that popularized starting with why rather than what.

Why we recommend it

Overquoted, still worth watching once as a piece of construction. Note how much repetition and how little decoration it uses.

18 minutes

Publication details

Author: Simon Sinek
Published: 2009
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TEDx Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Simon Sinek. (2009). How great leaders inspire action. TED Conferences. TEDx Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Turn the idea into a Before, During, After plan.

Facilitate

Running the room instead of performing at it. Workshops, breakouts, participation.

Tool

Liberating Structures

Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless

A free, public menu of 33 facilitation microstructures with step-by-step instructions and timings.

Why we recommend it

The single highest-value free resource for club officers. Structures like 1-2-4-All can turn a passive agenda item into full-room participation with no extra materials.

Pick one structure, run it once

Publication details

Author: Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless
Publisher: Liberating Structures
Format: Free web resource
Source: liberatingstructures.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless. Liberating Structures. Liberating Structures. Free web resource. https://www.liberatingstructures.com/

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Book

Gamestorming

Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo, 2010

A catalogue of collaborative games for opening, exploring, and closing a session.

Why we recommend it

Where to go when your breakouts keep defaulting to open discussion. Most of the games adapt to a club room and a 12 minute slot.

Browse, do not read cover to cover

Publication details

Author: Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo
Published: 2010
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Format: Book
Source: gamestorming.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo. (2010). Gamestorming. O'Reilly Media. Book. https://gamestorming.com/

Printable agendas and run-of-show sheets in the Toolbox.

Book

Training From the Back of the Room

Sharon L. Bowman, 2008

A practical book arguing the person doing the talking is the person doing the learning.

Why we recommend it

The direct challenge to the lecture-shaped meeting. If you want members participating rather than watching, this is the operating manual.

A practical read with exercises

Publication details

Author: Sharon L. Bowman
Published: 2008
Publisher: Pfeiffer
Format: Book
Source: bowperson.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Sharon L. Bowman. (2008). Training From the Back of the Room. Pfeiffer. Book. https://bowperson.com/

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Tool

SessionLab methods library

SessionLab

A large searchable library of facilitation methods, filterable by group size and duration.

Why we recommend it

Best used the night before a meeting, when you need one energiser or closing round that fits an exact time slot.

5 minutes to find something usable

Publication details

Author: SessionLab
Publisher: SessionLab
Format: Web resource
Source: sessionlab.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

SessionLab. SessionLab methods library. SessionLab. Web resource. https://www.sessionlab.com/library/

Printable agendas and run-of-show sheets in the Toolbox.

Book

Sprint

Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz, 2016

A tightly timeboxed five-day workshop process developed at Google Ventures.

Why we recommend it

Read it for the timeboxing discipline rather than the five-day format. It is the best argument we know for deciding in advance exactly how long a segment gets.

A weekend read

Publication details

Author: Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz
Published: 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Book
Source: thesprintbook.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz. (2016). Sprint. Simon & Schuster. Book. https://www.thesprintbook.com/

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Belong

Gathering design and the human side. Why people come back, and why they do not.

Book

The Art of Gathering

Priya Parker, 2018

A book on how to host meetings, dinners, and events with a real purpose behind them.

Why we recommend it

This is the closest thing to a source text for what we do. It argues that a gathering is designed long before anyone speaks, which is exactly the case we make for the agenda you build here.

A weekend read, or one chapter before your next meeting

Publication details

Author: Priya Parker
Published: 2018
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Format: Book
Source: priyaparker.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Priya Parker. (2018). The Art of Gathering. Riverhead Books. Book. https://www.priyaparker.com/book-the-art-of-gathering

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Talk

The power of vulnerability

Brené Brown, 2010

A talk on connection, shame, and what people risk when they show up as themselves.

Why we recommend it

Watch it as a facilitator, not an audience member. It is a study in what a room feels like when the person at the front is willing to go first.

20 minutes

Publication details

Author: Brené Brown
Published: 2010
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TED Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Brené Brown. (2010). The power of vulnerability. TED Conferences. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability

Score the room, then work the weakest area.

Talk

10 ways to have a better conversation

Celeste Headlee, 2015

A practical talk on listening, from a journalist who interviews people for a living.

Why we recommend it

Most of the belonging in a club happens in the ten minutes before the meeting starts. This is the best short primer we know for that part.

12 minutes

Publication details

Author: Celeste Headlee
Published: 2015
Publisher: TED Conferences
Format: TED Talk
Source: ted.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Celeste Headlee. (2015). 10 ways to have a better conversation. TED Conferences. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/celeste_headlee_10_ways_to_have_a_better_conversation

Opens the tool where this idea gets used.

Tools

Things you can open on a Tuesday: activity libraries, live polling, official club resources.

Tool

Slido

Slido

Live audience polls, quizzes, and Q&A that people join from a phone browser.

Why we recommend it

Good for the moment you want a silent room to answer honestly. Always have a paper fallback: club venue wifi loses more polls than nerves do.

10 minutes to set up one poll

Publication details

Author: Slido
Publisher: Slido
Format: Software
Source: slido.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Slido. Slido. Slido. Software. https://www.slido.com/

Download the matching printable and use it this week.

Tool

Mentimeter

Mentimeter

Interactive presentations with live word clouds, scales, and open responses.

Why we recommend it

The word cloud is a genuinely good meeting opener: ask one question, project the answers, and the room sees itself before anyone speaks.

15 minutes to build one slide

Publication details

Author: Mentimeter
Publisher: Mentimeter
Format: Software
Source: mentimeter.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Mentimeter. Mentimeter. Mentimeter. Software. https://www.mentimeter.com/

Download the matching printable and use it this week.

Tool

Hemingway Editor

Hemingway

A free editor that flags long sentences, passive voice, and hard-to-read passages.

Why we recommend it

Paste a speech opening into it. Anything it marks as very hard to read will be harder still to say out loud.

2 minutes

Publication details

Author: Hemingway
Publisher: Hemingway
Format: Software
Source: hemingwayapp.com
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Hemingway. Hemingway Editor. Hemingway. Software. https://hemingwayapp.com/

Download the matching printable and use it this week.

Guide

Club and officer resources

Toastmasters International

The official hub for club administration, officer roles, contests, and membership materials.

Why we recommend it

Check here first for anything official. This lab covers the experience design; Toastmasters International covers the program itself.

Reference

Publication details

Author: Toastmasters International
Publisher: Toastmasters International
Format: Official resource hub
Source: toastmasters.org
Link checked: 17 August 2026

Toastmasters International. Club and officer resources. Toastmasters International. Official resource hub. https://www.toastmasters.org/resources

Download the matching printable and use it this week.

One more thing

Reading is not the experiment.

Pick one idea from this page and run it at your next meeting. That is the whole method: one small change, one honest look at what happened.

Add to the shelf

Something here changed how you lead?

Send the book, talk, workshop, or tool that did it. Every suggestion is read by a human before it joins the shelf.