Meeting Roles

Toastmaster

The Toastmaster is a meeting's director and host.

The Toastmaster of the meeting has the key role in the success of the meeting. The primary duty of the Toastmaster is to ensure a well-run, on-time, up-beat meeting and act as a genial host to smooth the transition between program participants.

You’ll work on the art of introductions and lectern etiquette.

Humorist

Think of the Humorist as the warm-up act before the main attraction of every meeting, the speakers. The humorist tells a humorous story or a couple of jokes. The purpose is to help focus the attention of the attendees by inviting them to listen.

Masterful speakers know how to get their audiences attention.

Table TopicsMaster

Taking on this role improves organization skills, time management and facilitation skills.

The Topicsmaster (Table Topics Master) gives members who aren’t assigned a speaking role the opportunity to speak during the meeting. The Topicsmaster challenges each member with a subject, and the speaker responds with a one- to two-minute impromptu talk.

Don't underestimate the Topicsmaster role’s importance. Not only does it provide you with an opportunity to practice planning, preparation, organization, time management and facilitation skills; your preparation and topic selection help train members to quickly organize and express their thoughts in an impromptu setting.

General Evaluator

The General Evaluator evaluates everything that takes place during the club meeting.

This role affords you the opportunity to expand your coaching skills beyond speeches. You are learning to evaluate key functionaries, coaches, and the meeting as a whole. Special emphasis is placed on coaching the Table Topics Master and the Toastmaster. Ideally, this role is held after you’ve coached at least 2 speeches.

Speaker

Every speaker is a role model and club members learn from one another's speeches.

Taking on this role improves critical thinking, confidence and public speaking skills

As a meeting speaker, you:

• Prepare, rehearse and present a speech during the club meeting.
• Arrive early to make sure the microphone, lectern and lighting are working and in place.
• Discuss your goals, strengths and weaknesses with your evaluator prior to giving your speech.

Speech Evaluator

Speech Evaluators provide verbal and written feedback to meeting speakers.

After every prepared speech, speakers receive both written and oral evaluations. As Speech Evaluator, you are the speaker's "mentor of the moment." Your goal is to help the speaker become less self-conscious and to make the speech a positive learning experience. In addition, your oral evaluation is an opportunity for you to practice your own speaking and organization skills.

Timer

Taking on this role improves time management skills.

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. This exercise is an excellent opportunity in practicing communicating instructions–something that we do every day.

Ah-Counter

The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note any overused words or filler sounds.

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, etc.” Sounds may be “ah, um, er.” You should also note when a speaker repeats a word or phrase.

This role requires your very best listening skills and gives you a chance to closely examine the speaking patterns used by others.

Grammarian

The Grammarian helps club members improve their grammar and vocabulary.

Being Grammarian is truly an exercise in expanding your listening skills.

More than 300 million people in the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seems, try to… English is a curiously expressive language and the Grammarian's job is to observe how it is used... the good, the bad and the ugly.

Additionally at each meeting, the Grammarian acts as the Wordsmith introduces the "word of the day". The purpose of the Word of the Day is for all members to learn a new word (or a frequently mis-used word), apply it during the meeting, and hopefully retain it for future use.