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R O L E S O F A M E M B E R
A Toastmaster Wears Many Hats
A Toastmaster
Wears Many Hats
DURING YOUR TOASTMASTERS EXPERIENCE,
you will have an opportunity to serve in many capacities.
By participating in all functions, you will receive
well-rounded experience in communication
and leadership.
Amajor portion of each meeting is centered around three or
more speakers. Their speeches are prepared based on manual
project objectives and should last from five to seven minutes
for projects in the basic Communication and Leadership
Program manual and eight or more minutes, depending on
the assignment, for projects in the Advanced Communication
and Leadership Program manuals.
Preparation is essential to success when you are
the speaker.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Check the meeting schedule to find out when you are to
speak. In order to get the most benefits from the program,
prepare a speech based on a manual project. Present the
speeches in numerical order because each project builds on
the skills learned in previous projects.
Before your meeting ask the general evaluator for your evaluators
name. Speak to your evaluator and talk about the
manual speech youll be giving. Discuss with the evaluator
your speech goals and personal concerns. Emphasize where
you feel your speech ability needs strengthening. Remember
to bring your manual to the meeting.
WHEN YOU ENTER THE ROOM
Arrive early. Check the microphone, lighting, etc. before
everyone arrives. Protect yourself from all of the problems
that can ruin your talk.
Sit near the front of the room for quick and easy access to
the lectern.
Carefully plan your approach to the lectern and speech
opening.
Be sure you give your manual to your evaluator before the
meeting starts.
If you dont write your own speech introduction, make
certain that the Toastmaster of the meeting has prepared a
good one for you.
DURING THE MEETING
Give your full attention to the speakers at the lectern. Avoid
studying your speech notes while someone else is talking.
When introduced, smoothly leave your chair and walk to
the lectern as planned.
As you begin your speech, acknowledge the Toastmaster and
the audience (Toastmasters and guests).
When finishing your speech, never thank your audience.
Simply return control of the meeting to the Toastmaster of
the meeting. Always wait for the Toastmaster to return to
the lectern, then return to your seat.
During the evaluation of your speech, listen intently for
helpful hints that will assist in building better future talks.
Pay attention to suggestions from other members.
AFTER THE MEETING
Get your manual from your evaluator. At this time discuss
any questions you may have concerning your evaluation to
clarify any misinterpretations.
Have the Vice President Education initial the Project
Completion Record in the back of your manual.
RESOURCES
Communication and Leadership Program manual (Catalog
No. 225), included in your New Member Kit
Your Speaking Voice (Catalog No. 199), included in your
New Member Kit
Gestures: Your Body Speaks (Catalog No. 201), included in
your New Member Kit
Theyre All Around Us (Catalog No. 1616)
When you are the
S P E A K E R
E V A L U A T O R
When you are an
After every prepared speech, the speaker receives an evaluation.
After you have presented a few speeches, you will be
asked to serve as an evaluator and will evaluate one of the
prepared speakers for the meeting. In addition to your oral
evaluation, you also will give the speaker a written evaluation
using the guide in the manual. The evaluation you present
can make the difference between a worthwhile or a wasted
speech for your speaker. The purpose of the evaluation is to
help the speaker become less self-conscious and a better
speaker. This requires that you be fully aware of the speakers
skill level, habits, and mannerisms, as well as his or her
progress to date. If the speaker uses a technique or some gesture
that receives a good response from the audience, tell the
speaker so he or she will be encouraged to use it again.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Review carefully the Effective Speech Evaluation manual
which you received in your New Member Kit.
Talk with the speaker to find out the manual project he or
she will be presenting. Review the goals of the speech and
what the speaker hopes to achieve. Find out exactly which
skills or techniques the speaker hopes to strengthen through
the speech.
Evaluation requires careful preparation if the speaker is to
benefit. Study the project objectives as well as the evaluation
guide in the manual. Remember, the purpose of evaluation
is to help people develop their speaking skills in various
situations, including platform presentations, discussions,
and meetings. Achievement equals the sum of ability and
motivation. By actively listening and gently offering useful
advice, you motivate members to work hard and improve.
When you show the way to improvement, youve opened
the door to strengthening their ability.
WHEN YOU ENTER THE MEETING ROOM
Look for the speaker and get his or her manual.
Meet briefly with the general evaluator to confirm the evaluation
session format. Then confer with the speaker one last
time to see if he or she has any specific things for you to
watch for during the talk.
DURING THE MEETING
Record your impressions of the speech in the manual along
with your answers to the evaluation questions. Be as objective
as possible. Remember that good evaluations may give
new life to discouraged members and poor evaluations may
dishearten members who tried their best. Remember, always
leave the speaker with specific methods for improving.
When introduced, stand and give your oral evaluation.
Begin and end your evaluation with a note of encouragement
or praise. Though you may have written lengthy
responses to manual evaluation questions, dont read the
questions or your responses. Your oral evaluation time is
limited. Dont try to cover too much in your talkpossibly
one point on organization, one on delivery, and one on
attainment of purpose with a statement about the greatest
asset and a suggestion for future improvement.
Praise a successful speech and specifically tell why it was
successful. Dont allow the speaker to remain unaware of a
valuable asset such as a smile, a sense of humor, or a good
voice. Dont allow the speaker to remain ignorant of a serious
fault or mannerism; if it is personal, write it but dont
mention it aloud. Give the speaker the deserved praise and
tactful suggestions in the manner you would like to receive
them when you are the speaker.
AFTER THE MEETING
Return the manual to the speaker. Add a verbal word of
encouragement to the speaker, something that wasnt mentioned
in the oral evaluation.
RESOURCE
Effective Speech Evaluation (Catalog No. 202), included in your
New Member Kit
T I M E R
When you are the
The Toastmaster of the meeting will call on you to explain
the timing rules. One of the lessons to be practiced in
speech training is that of expressing a thought within a
specific time. The timer is the member responsible for
keeping track of time. Each segment of the meeting is
timed. You should explain your duties and report to the
Club clearly and precisely. This exercise is an excellent
opportunity in practicing communicating
instructions something that we do every day.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Confirm scheduled program participants
with the Toastmaster and general
evaluator.
Confirm time required for each prepared
speech with the speakers.
Write out your explanation in the
clearest possible language and
rehearse it. For the benefit of guests,
be sure to emphasize timing rules and
how timing signals will be given.
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE MEETING
Get timing equipment from the Sergeant
at Arms. Be sure you understand how to
operate the stopwatch and signal device
and make certain that timing equipment
works.
Sit where the signal device can be seen easily
by all.
DURING THE MEETING
When introduced, explain the timing rules and demonstrate
the signal device.
Throughout the meeting, signal each program participant
as indicated below. In addition, signal the chairman,
Toastmaster, and table topics master with red when they
have reached their allotted or agreed upon time.
Record each participants name and
time used.
When called to report by the topic master, Toastmaster,
and/or general evaluator, stand by your chair, announce the
speakers name and the time taken. State those eligible for
awards if your Club issues awards. Generally topic speakers
should be +- 15 seconds of allowed time; prepared speakers
must be +- 30 seconds of allowed time; the ah counter and
grammarian must be +- 15 seconds of allowed time; all
others +-30 seconds. However, these times may vary from
Club to Club.
AFTER THE MEETING
Return the stopwatch and timing signal
device to the Sergeant at Arms.
Give the completed timers report to the
Secretary for recording speech times in
the minutes if this is done in
your Club.
RESOURCES
Time Prompt (Catalog No. 6620)
Cardboard Timer (Catalog No. 901)
T A B L E T O P I C S M A S T E R
When you are the
The Toastmasters program has a traditionevery member
speaks at a meeting. The table topics session is that portion
of the meeting which insures this tradition. The purpose
of this period is to have members think on
their feet and speak for a minute or so. The
topics master prepares and issues the topics;
originality is desirable as much as possible.
Each speaker may be given an individual subject
or a choice of subjects may be presented
from which the members can draw at random.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Check with the Toastmaster to find out if a
theme meeting is scheduled. If so, prepare
topics to carry out that theme. If no theme is
scheduled, choose a wide selection of topics. Review The
Toastmaster magazine and other publications for ideas. Do
not repeat the previous weeks table topics ideas or items.
Find out who the prepared speakers, evaluators, general
evaluator, and Toastmaster are so you can call on the other
members first. Only if time permits at the end of the topics
session should you call on program participants (speakers
last).
When choosing your specific questions: Select ones that will
inspire the speakers to expound on them, give their opinions,
etc. Dont make the questions too long or complicated.
Phrase them in such a way that the speaker clearly will
know what you want them to talk about.
Keep your comments short. Your job is to give others a
chance to speak, not to give a series of mini-talks yourself.
Remember, table topics has a twofold purpose: First, to give
everyone in the room an opportunity to speakespecially
those who are not on the programand, second, to get people
to learn to think and speak on their feet.
DURING THE MEETING
When introduced, briefly state the purpose of the topics
session.
Set the stage for your topics program. Keep your remarks
brief but enthusiastic. If the Club has a Word of the Day,
encourage speakers to use the word in their response.
Keep the program rolling; be certain everyone
understands the maximum time they have for
their response and how the timing lights/device
works (if the timer hasnt already done so).
State the question brieflythen call on a
respondent. This serves two purposes: First, it
holds everyones attentioneach one is thinking
of a response should he or she be called on
to speak; and second, it adds to the value of the
impromptu element by giving everyone an
opportunity
to improve his or her better listening and
thinking skills.
Call on speakers at random. Avoid going around
the room in the order in which people are sitting.
Give each participant a different question. Dont
ask two people the same thing unless you ask
each specifically to give the pro or con side.
Watch your total time! Check the printed agenda for the
total time allotted to table topics and adjust the number of
questions to end your segment on time. Even if your portion
started late, try to end on time to avoid the total meeting
running overtime.
If your Club presents a Best Table Topics Speaker award,
at the end of the table topics session ask the timer to report
those eligible for the award. Then ask members to vote for
Best Table Topics Speaker and pass their votes to the
Sergeant at Arms or vote counter. If the Club has a table
topics evaluator, ask for his or her report and then return
control of the meeting to the Toastmaster.
RESOURCES
Master Your Meetings (Catalog No. 1312)
Patterns in Programming (Catalog No. 1314)
Chairman (Catalog No. 200)
Think Fast (Catalog No. 1315), a manual on Table Topics
Table Topics Game Stand Up and Speak (Catalog No. 1316)
Table Topics Game Stand Up and Speak II (Catalog No. 1317)
Table Talk (Catalog No. 1318)
Conversation Piece (Catalog No. B-92)
G E N E R A L E V A L U A T O R
When you are the
The general evaluator is just what the name impliesan evaluator
of anything and everything that takes place throughout
the meeting. The responsibilities are large, but so are the
rewards. The general evaluator is responsible to the Toastmaster
who will introduce you; at the conclusion of the evaluation
segment of the meeting, you will return control to him or her.
You are responsible for the evaluation team, which consists of
the timer, grammarian, ah counter, and table topics evaluator
if your Club has one. The usual procedure is to have one evaluator
for each major speaker, but this is not necessary. You are
free to set up any procedure you wish, but each evaluation
should be brief, yet complete. Methods for conducting the
evaluation sessions are limitless. Review the Effective Speech
Evaluation manual for ideas.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Check with the Toastmaster to find out how the program
will be conducted and if there are any planned deviations
from the usual meeting format. Remember, always be ready
when the meeting starts.
Call all of the evaluators to brief them on their job and to
tell them whom theyre evaluating and what evaluation format
you will be using. Suggest each evaluator call his or her
speaker to talk over any special evaluation requirements
suggested in the manual for the speech.
During the briefing, emphasize that evaluation is a positive,
helping act. As conscientious Toastmasters, their goal must
be to help fellow Toastmasters develop their skills.
Emphasize that evaluations should preserve or at least
enhance the self-esteem of the speaker.
Call the remaining members of the evaluation team to
remind them of their assignments.
Prepare a brief but thorough talk on the purpose,
techniques, and benefits of evaluation (for the benefit of the
guests). Evaluation is a positive experience designed to help
people overcome weak habits and add power to good ones.
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE MEETING
Insure the individual evaluators have the speakers manual
and understand the project objectives and how to evaluate it.
Greet all evaluators who are present. If an evaluator is not
present, consult with the Vice President Education and
arrange for a substitute.
Verify each speakers time and notify the timer.
Sit near the back of the room to allow yourself full view of
the meeting and its participants.
DURING THE MEETING
Take notes on everything that happens (or doesnt but
should). For example: Is the Clubs property (trophies, banner,
educational material, etc.) properly displayed? If not,
why? Were there unnecessary distractions that could have
been avoided? Create a checklist from which you can follow
the meeting. Did the meeting, and each segment of it, begin
and end on time?
Cover each participant on the program. Look for good and
unacceptable examples of preparation, organization, delivery,
enthusiasm, observation, and general performance of
duties. Remember, you are not to reevaluate the speakers,
though you may wish to add something the evaluator may
have missed.
Before table topics, you will be asked to stand and brief the
audience on your teams means and methods of evaluation.
Describe what way and how your team will handle evaluations.
Identify the grammarian, ah counter, and timer. Have these
members briefly state the purpose of their jobs.
Request the Word of the Day, if your Club has one, from
the grammarian.
When introduced to conduct the evaluation phase of the
meeting, go to the lectern and introduce each evaluator. After
each recitation, thank the evaluator for his or her efforts.
If the Toastmaster neglected to call for the timers report and
vote for Best Speaker (if your Club has this award), do it
before individual evaluations are given.
Wrap up by giving your general evaluation of the meeting,
using the notes you took as suggested above. You may wish
to comment on the quality of evaluations. Were they positive,
upbeat, helpful? Did they point the way to improvement?
RESOURCES
Chairman (Catalog No. 200)
Effective Speech Evaluation (Catalog No. 202)
T O A S T M A S T E R
When you are the
The main duty of the Toastmaster is to act as a genial host and
conduct the entire program, including introducing participants.
If the Toastmaster does not perform the duties well, an entire
meeting can end in failure. For obvious reasons this task is
not usually assigned to a member until he or she is quite
familiar with the Club and its procedures. Program participants
should be introduced in a way that excites the audience
and motivates them to listen. The Toastmaster creates an
atmosphere of interest, expectation, and receptivity.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Check with the Vice President Education to find out if a
special theme has been set for the meeting and if there are
any program changes.
Call the table topics master to discuss his or her duties. Also
provide the table topics master with a list of program participants
to insure these people will not be called on for
responses.
Call all speakers in advance to remind them they are speaking.
Interview them to find out their speech title, manual
project number, purpose to be achieved, time requested,
and something interesting which you can use when introducing
them (job, family, hobbies, education, why this topic
for this audience, etc.).
Call the general evaluator to confirm the assignment. Ask
the general evaluator to call the other members of the evaluation
team (speech evaluators, topics master, timer, grammarian,
ah counter, etc.) and remind them of their
responsibilities.
Prepare introductions for each speaker. A proper introduction
is important to the success of the speakers presentation.
Prepare remarks which can be used to bridge the gaps
between program segments. You may never use them, but
you should be prepared to avoid possibly awkward periods
of silence.
Remember that performing as Toastmaster is one of the most
valuable experiences in your Club work. The assignment
requires careful preparation in order to have a smoothly
run meeting.
AT THE MEETING
Arrive early in order to finish any last-minute details.
Check with the speakers for any last-minute changes.
Sit near the front of the room and have your speakers do
likewise for quick and easy access to the lectern.
DURING THE MEETING
Preside with sincerity, energy, and decisiveness. Take your
audience on a pleasant journey and make them feel that all
is going well.
Always lead the applause before and after the topics session,
each prepared speaker, and the general evaluator.
Remain standing near the lectern after your introduction
until the speaker has acknowledged you and assumed control
of the meeting; then be seated.
Introduce the general evaluator as you would any speaker;
the general evaluator then will introduce the other members
of the evaluation team.
Introduce the table topics master as you would any speaker.
If the table topics master forgets to call for the timers report
and vote for Best Table Topics Speaker, you do it.
Introduce each speaker in turn.
At the conclusion of the speaking program, request the
timers report and vote for Best Speaker.
Briefly reintroduce the general evaluator. If the general evaluator
forgets to call for the timers report and vote for Best
Evaluator, you do it.
While votes are being tallied, invite comments from guests
and announcements (such as verification of next weeks
program).
Award trophies if your Club does so.
Request the Thought for the Day if your Club has one.
Adjourn the meeting, or if appropriate, return control to
the chairman.
RESOURCES
Introducing the Speaker (Catalog No. 111)
Chairman (Catalog No. 200)
Patterns in Programming (Catalog No. 1314)
Master Your Meetings (Catalog No. 1312)
When Youre the Introducer (Catalog No. 1167-E)
G R A M M A R I A N
When you are
Being grammarian is truly an exercise in expanding your
listening skills. You have two basic responsibilities: First, to
introduce new words to members, and second, to comment
on the use of English during the course of the meeting.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Select a Word of the Day if this is done in your Club. It
should be a word that will help members increase their
vocabularya word that can be incorporated easily into
everyday conversation but is different from the way people
usually express themselves. An adjective or adverb is suggested
since they are more adaptable than a noun or verb,
but feel free to select your own special word.
In letters large enough to be seen from the back of the room,
print your word, its part of speech (adjective, adverb, noun,
etc.), and a brief definition. Prepare a sentence showing how
the word is used.
Prepare a brief explanation of the duties of the grammarian
for the benefit of the guests.
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE MEETING
Place your visual aid at the front of the room where it
can be seen by all.
Get a blank piece of paper and pen
ready on which to make notes, or get a
copy of the grammarians log, if your
Club has one, from the Sergeant
at Arms.
DURING THE MEETING
When introduced prior to table topics,
announce the Word of the Day, state
its part of speech, define it, use it in a
sentence, and ask that anyone speaking
during any part of the meeting use it.
Briefly explain the role of the grammarian.
Throughout the meeting, listen to everyones
word usage. Write down any awkward use or misuse
of the language (incomplete sentences, sentences that
change direction in midstream, incorrect grammar, malapropisms,
etc.) with a note of who erred. Write down who
used the Word of the Day (or a derivative of it) and note
those who used it correctly or incorrectly.
When called on by the general evaluator during the evaluation
segment, stand by your chair and give your report. Try
to offer the correct usage in every instance where there was
misuse instead of only explaining what was wrong. Report
on creative language usage and announce who used theWord
of the Day (or a derivative of it) correctly or incorrectly.
AFTER THE MEETING
Give your completed report to the Treasurer for collection of
fines, if your Club does this.
RESOURCES
Word of the Day (Catalog No. 1415)
Word of the Day II (Catalog No. 1416)
The purpose of the ah counter is to note words and sounds
used as a crutch or pause filler by anyone who speaks
during the meeting. Words may be inappropriate interjections
such as and, well, but, so, you know. Sounds may be ah,
um, er. You also should note when a speaker repeats a word
or phrase such as I,I or This means, this means.
PRIOR TO THE MEETING
Prepare a brief explanation of the duties of the ah counter
for the benefit of guests.
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE MEETING
Get a pen and blank piece of paper on which to
make notes, or get a blank copy of the ah counters
log, if your Club has one, from the Sergeant at
Arms.
DURING THE MEETING
When introduced prior to table topics, explain the
role of the ah counter. In some Clubs, small fines are
levied on members who do or do not do certain things.
(For example, members are fined who use crutch words, are
not wearing their Toastmasters pin to the meeting, etc.) If
your Club levies fines, explain the fine schedule.
Throughout the meeting, listen to everyone for crutch
sounds and long pauses used as fillers and not as a necessary
part of sentence structure. Write down how many crutch
sounds or words each person used during all portions of the
meeting.
When called on by the general evaluator during the evaluation
segment, stand by your chair and give your report.
AFTER THE MEETING
Give your completed report to the Treasurer for collection of
fines if your Club does this.
A H C O U N T E R
When you are the
O P T I O N A L M E E T I N G P A R T I C I P A N T S
Your Club may have other meeting participants, such as joke
master, parliamentarian, and word master. Check with your
Club officers for guidelines for any additional positions the
Club may have.
T O A S T M A S T E R S I N T E R N A T I O N A L
P.O. Box 9052
Mission Viejo, CA 92690 U.S.A.
(949) 858-8255 Fax (949) 858-1207
www.toastmasters.org
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