A Toastmaster Wears Many Hats...Roles of a Member

Meeting Roles

• Speaker
• Evaluator
• Timer
• Table Topics Master
• General Evaluator
• Toastmaster
• Grammarian/Wordmaster

Speaker

A major 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 the basic manual and eight or more minutes, depending on the assignment, for the advanced manuals.

Preparation is essential to success when you are the speaker. Every speech should be well prepared and rehearsed to ensure quality. Remember, club members learn from one another's speeches. Every speaker is a role model.

Evaluator

After every speech, an evaluation is made. 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 will also give the speaker a written evaluation from the manual. The evaluation presented by you can make the difference between a worthwhile or a wasted meeting for your speaker. The purpose of the evaluation is to help the speaker become less self-conscious. This requires that you become fully aware of the speaker's skill level, habits and mannerisms as well as his or her progress to date. If there is a technique the speaker uses or some gesture made that receives a good response from the audience, tell the speaker so he or she will be encouraged to use it again.

Timer

You will be called on to explain the timing rules by the Toastmaster. One of the lessons to be practiced in speech training is that of expressing a thought within a specific time interval. The timer is the member responsible for keeping track of time. Each segment is the meeting is timed. Your explanation of your duties and report to the club should be communicated clearly and precisely. This exercise is an excellent opportunity in practicing communicating instructions... something that we do every day.

Table Topics Master

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.

General Evaluator

The general evaluator is just what the name implies. . . an evaluator of anything and everything that takes place throughout the meeting. The responsibility is 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. 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.

Toastmaster

As Toastmaster of the Day you face the task of introducing the other members of the program. If the Toastmaster does not perform the duties well, an entire meeting can end in failure. Therefore, this task is not usually assigned to a member until he or she is quite familiar with the club and its procedures. The primary duty of the Toastmaster is to act as a genial host and conduct the entire program. Program participants should be introduced in such a manner as to prepare the audience to listen with excitement and rapt attention. It is the Toastmaster who creates an atmosphere of interest, expectation and receptivity.

Wordmaster/Grammarian

Being the grammarian is truly an exercise in expanding your listening skills. You have two basic responsibilities: first, to introduce the “Word of the Day” to members, and second, to comment on the use of language during the course of the meeting. The purpose of the grammarian is also 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 should also note when a speaker repeats a word or phrase such as "I, I" or "This means, this means."