INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Spend some time in front of a mirror going through your toast in advance. If you will be speaking in front of a larger audience, try your toast out before a few of guests in advance. Watch for their reactions as you speak to know what you need to keep and what you should cut. Practicing will also help you to learn to moderate the volume of your voice. Nothing is worse than a mumbled or inaudible toast. If you practice your toast enough, you will eventually be able to set aside your notes and speak directly from memory. You should anticipate speaking about 100 words per minute in a standard toast. If you mess up a part during the actual event, keep going as if nothing happened and (most likely) no one will know the difference. If necessary, you can use note cards while giving the toast. Remember to look up and make eye contact with the audience, though! Don't be the speaker who opens their toast by apologizing for what they don't know or what they won't say. This sets a poor tone for the whole thing. Instead, be confident and seize the moment. Tell the audience what you do know and why that matters. Instead of saying, "I don't know Jerry very well, but here goes nothing," you might try, "Those times when Jerry and I can hang out are action-packed and adventure-filled." It can be really tempting to use your toast as an opportunity to show everyone how close you are with the toastee. However, this can backfire and make your audience feel less connected to what you are saying. Instead, try to bring everyone together by relating stories that touch on subjects that all people can relate to like friendship, love, or family. However, it is acceptable to share an inside story, as long as it portrays the person you are toasting in a positive way. Just be sure to explain enough so that everyone understands the joke. If you are nervous, take a few deep calming breaths before standing up to speak. Repeat to yourself, "I can do this," and then do it. Resist the urge to use alcohol to relax beforehand and this can have horrible consequences when public speaking.

SUMMARY: Practice. Memorize it. Omit any apologies. Delete the inside jokes. Try to relax.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can buy this at a construction supply store like Lowe's or Home Depot, but you can also use scraps from a place like Habitat for Humanity's ReStore for much cheaper. If you have scrap wood lying around from a past project, this can be an ideal use for it. If you are making 16 16 16in (41 41 41cm) boxes, the scraps should be at least 16 inches (41cm) square. You should also have 6 pieces that are as long as all your boxes put together, and 3 of them should be at least 16 inches (41cm) wide. You should have 1 of these for every box you're making, plus 1 more. They should be the width and length that you want each box to be. If you're making 16 16 16in (41 41 41cm) boxes, your side and divider pieces should be 16 inches (41cm) square. Measure and mark where you will cut before using your saw. You should always wear work gloves, safety glasses, and a dust mask while cutting, and work on a stable surface. These should be the same length as your side and divider pieces, but only 2 inches (5.1cm) wide. You will end up using these pieces to hold the sides and dividers in place and make the boxes more stable. Cut 1 for each side and 2 for each divider. The width of these pieces will be the same as your side and divider pieces, and you can calculate how long it should be by multiplying the width times the number of boxes you're building. For instance, if you're making 3 boxes that are 16 inches (41cm) wide, your top and back pieces should be 16 inches (41cm) wide and 48 inches (120cm) long. The bottom piece will create a ledge on the front and give you a place to put a perch bar for your hens to hop up onto when they enter the boxes. You'll want a short board that stretches across the bottom front of all the boxes, to keep the bedding and eggs from falling out. This should be as long as your top piece, and at least 3 inches (7.6cm) wide. You can also use a long wire for the lip instead of a board. This will make it easier to clean your boxes as it can be easily removed, but may not be as effective at keeping eggs and bedding from falling out. The wire can be hooked onto a screw or nail on each side of the boxes, and removed when you want to clean dirty bedding materials out of the boxes. These should be as long as your top piece and 23 inches (5.17.6cm) wide. One will go along the front top of your boxes and screw into the top and sides for extra stability, and one will be screwed to the front of the protruding bottom piece to serve as a perching bar for your chickens. This will give them something to grasp when they hop up onto the platform to enter their boxes.

SUMMARY:
Choose a flat wood like plywood that is about 2 inches (5.1cm) thick. Cut out your side and divider pieces using a circular saw or table saw. Make support pieces for your sides and dividers. Create back and top pieces long enough to cover all your boxes. Make a bottom piece as long as the top piece but 10 inches (25cm) wider. Cut 1 long piece for the front lip. Cut two pieces for the top trim and perch bar.