What to expect from a Toastmasters Session
All Toastmasters Clubs across the World have the same structure to their sessions. This means that whether you visit a session in America, Australia or the UK you will feel at home.
A typical agenda would include three or four prepared speeches given by members, all of which are evaluated by other members, giving encouraging and constructive feedback.
Also an impromptu section which gives other members/guests the chance to speak for 1-2 minutes off the cuff.
Of course, every club has a different atmosphere and offers a different experience, but the structure always remains the same.
So, what can you expect from one of our club nights?
A Typical Agenda
Each session involves members working in a number of different roles. As part of the Competent Leadership Programme (The first step towards the Distinguished Toastmaster award) members must perform these roles in order to complete the 10 projects involved in the leadership track.
Click on a role to find out more about it.
| Ah-Counter | The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note any word or sound used as a crutch by anyone who speaks during the meeting. Words may be inappropriate interjections, such as and, well, but, so and you know. Sounds may be ah, um or er. You should also note when a speaker repeats a word or phrase such as “I, I” or “This means, this means.” These words and sounds can be annoying to listeners. The Ah-Counter role is an excellent opportunity to practice your listening skills. Back to top |
Evaluator | People join Toastmasters to improve their speaking and leadership skills, and these skills are improved with the help of evaluations. Members complete projects in the Competent Communication and Competent Leadership manuals and you may be asked to evaluate their work. At some point, everyone is asked to participate by providing an evaluation. You will provide both verbal and written evaluations for speakers using the guide in the manual. You’ll always give a written evaluation for leadership roles, though verbal evaluations for leaders are handled differently from club to club. Sometimes verbal evaluations are given during the meeting and sometimes they are given privately, after the meeting. Check with your vice president education (VPE) or the Toastmaster if you’re not sure of your club’s method.
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| General Evaluator | Don’t worry; there’s no capital punishment during Toastmasters meetings. Unless, of course, the grammarian is in a bad mood. If you think of a club meeting as a project, then you can see the general evaluator as a kind of project manager. As GE, your responsibilities include: Ensuring the speech and leadership project evaluators know their responsibilities Supervising the timer, grammarian and Ah-Counter Evaluating everything that takes place during the club meeting Making sure each activity is performed correctly
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| Grammarian | One benefit of Toastmasters is that it helps people improve their grammar and word use. Being grammarian also provides an exercise in expanding listening skills. You have several responsibilities: to introduce new words to members, to comment on language usage during the course of the meeting, and to provide examples of eloquence. Back to top |
Meeting Speaker | No doubt you’ve guessed that the speaking program is the center of every Toastmasters meeting. After all, what’s Toastmasters without the talking? But members don’t just stand up and start yakking. They use the guidelines in the Competent Communication (CC) manual and the Advanced Communication Series (ACS) manuals to fully prepare their presentations. The CC manual speeches usually last 5-7 minutes. ACS manual project speeches are 5-7 minutes or longer depending upon the assignment. Back to top |
| Table Topics Speaker | Most of the talking we do every day – simple conversation – is impromptu speaking. Yet for some members, Table Topics is the most challenging part of a Toastmasters meeting. Table Topics continues a long-standing Toastmasters tradition – every member speaks at a meeting. But it’s about more than just carrying on an anxiety-ridden tradition. Table Topics is about developing your ability to organize your thoughts quickly and respond to an impromptu question or topic. Table Topics usually begins after the prepared speech presentations. The Toastmaster of the meeting will introduce the Topicsmaster who will walk to the lectern and assume control of the meeting. The Topicsmaster will give a brief description of the purpose of Table Topics and mention if the topics will carry a theme. The Topicsmaster will state the question or topic briefly and then call on a respondent. Each speaker receives a different topic or question and participants are called on at random. When you’re asked to respond to a topic, stand next to your chair and give your response. Your response should last one to two minutes. Now, take a deep breath and get ready to be remarkable! Back to top |
| Timer | One of the skills Toastmasters practice is expressing a thought within a specific time. As timer you are responsible for monitoring time for each meeting segment and each speaker. You’ll also operate the timing signal, indicating to each speaker how long he or she has been talking. Serving as timer is an excellent opportunity to practice giving instructions and time management – something we do every day.
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Toastmaster | The Toastmaster is a meeting’s director and host. You won’t usually be assigned this role until you are thoroughly familiar with the club and its procedures. If your club’s customs vary from those described here, ask your mentor or the club vice president education (VPE) for pointers well before the meeting. Back to top |
Topics Master | With Table Topics, the Topicsmaster 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. Some people 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. Back to top |
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