GreetingWhen you first walk into the meeting area, you are cordially greeted by any of us. We want to make you feel at home. You will notice that the room is set up for a speaking event, complete with lectern and banner.One does not have to worry about using microphones or public address systems. Our meeting place is small enough for one to use his or her normal voice. Please feel free to sit around the large table in the center of the room. That is what it is there for. The act of sitting around a single table strengthens the meaning that everyone is equal at a Toastmasters meeting. Extra chairs are usually available for those who cannot sit at the table if it becomes full. |
Call to OrderThe club president or presiding officer calls the club to order to start the meeting. This is the start of the formal part of our gatherings.The meeting then proceeds in a format patterned after Robert's Rules of Order. These Rules are steps which are followed to ensure that things get done in an orderly manner in the limited amount of time we have. |
RecitationsWe first recite our club mission:
For support, that we may blossom
For learning, that we may grow For listening, that we may serve For speaking, that we may lead We join together in this group to seek and celebrate The power and the majesty of the spoken word The act of reciting our club mission helps us get going and strengthens our fellowship. We then recite our Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. No pause exists between "nation" and "under," contrary to the manner performed by most people and broadcast by some media outlets. Until further notice we will continue to use the current wording of the Pledge. You may elect not to recite any part or all of the pledge, as we respect one's opinion for doing so. |
Introduction of GuestsWe want to make our guests feel comfortable. And, if you are a guest, we are happy to have you here, and hope that your visit turns out to be most pleasant.We ask any person who invites a guest to introduce him or her. If a guest comes on his or her own, then the club president or presiding officer introduces him or her. The guest is allowed to acknowledge the welcome and to say a few words if desired. If you are the guest please fell free to say what you like and stay as long as you desire. Our meetings last about one hour. |
Introduction of DutiesThe club president or presiding officer then introduces the Toastmaster of the Day, who now takes over the meeting. He or she then introduces others who have scheduled speeches, evaluations, and assigned duties pertinent to the occasion. We ask those who have other duties to explain them to the group, expecially for the benefit of new members and guests.The General Evaluator rates the meeting as a whole, highlighting events that stand out, such as a particular speech or evaluation. The Grammarian notes the usage of language in the speaking events. He or she also selects the word of the day, for encouraged use by all speakers in the meeting. The "Ahs" Counter keeps track of any slips in speech such as "ah", "eh", unnecessary long pauses, or similar instances. The Timer notes how long each table topic response, speech and evaluation lasts and operates the three lights signifying each point in time from the start of the event. Other duties may be explained as needed. These duties are not permanently assigned. By rotating these duties, everyone gets a chance to do a different part of the process. Therefore, everyone becomes more well-rounded. And, they are not major duties that require homework. Once a meeting is over, so is a duty for a person for that meeting. You will have a chance to take part of all these duties. The variety of tasks you will perform even after a few meetings will add to your experience and make your time with us more interesting for you. Please don't be afraid to try out a duty if you haven't done one yet. You may develop a preference toward some duties. If you have a chance to do them, that is all right, but please remember to give others a chance so they can also develop that same well-rounded experience. And, we cannot forget those who will develop a preference against some duties. Well, it is in the best interest of all that you at least try a duty or two out before forming an opinion about them. Besides, you may get to like it! |
Table TopicsTable Topics tests your improvisational speaking skills, including your ability to quickly put your thoughts together. You may be asked to respond to a question given by a Topics Master, who is introduced by the Toastmaster of the Day and has prepared questions in advance.Your responses are timed. Time is measured by the Timer, who operates a series of lights at certain times. After you start your response with a word or a gesture, the Timer monitors the length of your response. He or she will switch the green light on at one minute, an amber light at one and a half minutes, and a red light on at two minutes. You may get scared about Table Topics because you may not wish to be tapped for speaking without preparation. All of us have felt that way sometimes. One of the ideas behind Toastmasters is to get you to think on the fly, that is, without any preparation. If you think about it, we speak like that to our friends, and since we are all friends at the club, what is there to be afraid of? After all Table Topics are given, we vote for the best presentation using the ballots provided. The ballots are then given to the Ballot Counter for tabulation. The Timer then states how long each Table Topics answer lasted. He or she may state the time of each presentation or simply state if each participant "qualified," meaning to fall within time limits imposed by District 58 Table Topics Contest rules. The Timer may also give actual times of the answers. If you took part, please notice if and how your answer fell within the time limits. If it just made minimum time, consider how you could add a supporting fact or example to lengthen your answer. If you had the red light come on, then use simpler versions of your ideas to shorten your answer. If you were told you did not qualify or noticed that your answer fell below minimum or over maximum time, then you may need to rework how you would provide your answer next time. Working with the time limits gives you good practice should you decide to participate in the contest. The Topics Master now returns control of the meeting to the Toastmaster of the Day. |
SpeechesThe group of presentations is the heart of a Toastmasters meeting. The Toastmaster of the Day introduces each presentation with the speaker, the title, the objectives, and the requested time. Each speaker then uses the necessary resources, including the lectern, any notes, any visual aids, and even the audience for his or her presentation. Each speech usually lasts about five to ten minutes, while discussions take a little longer.When you speak you are presenting yourself in front of the group. Speaking takes practice, and you are not expected to be perfect the first time, nor at any time. The act of speaking is a continual learning process, one of which must be personally experienced in order to be honed. By now you are probably wondering why we use lights in our meetings. The lights are time markers. Time limits help us organize our thoughts so that we can present much more meaningful material in shorter spans of time. They tell us if we are telling enough to make a presentation worthy or if we are telling just plain too much. Time plays a necessary part in certain situations, such as found in broadcast media. For example, if you were a news announcer, you would fill the newscast with a variety of stories to hold the attention of a diverse audience, but you need to limit your content to key ideas so that the mix of stories would fit inside the few minutes that are allowed for a typical newscast. When you give a speech, you will probably worry about whether you will see the lights. You will--they are placed in front of you but they are in the background so as not to disturb the audience. Please don't direct your attention to the lights, waiting for them to come on. Your attention should be given to your audience around the table by giving every person some eye contact during your speech. If you are new to Toastmasters don't worry about the lights too much. Work on your speech traits, such as organization and eye contact, instead. If you worry about the lights too much, the quality of your presentation may deteriorate. The audience is more forgiving if your speech is more interesting and falls outside of the projected time window. You will learn with practice over time working with the lights, as they would become more critical for you in contests, in which time limits play a more crucial factor. You will be given chances to deliver a variety of speeches over time. You will pick the topic of each speech. For your first speech, the "Ice Breaker," however, we suggest that you use yourself as the topic. The best way to start getting used to facing an audience is to use a topic that is most knowledge to you, and that is you. Besides, it is a fitting way to introduce yourself to the club. You will probably feel nervous. That is natural. We have all been there. Butterflies are great company. Just pretend that you are with your closest group of friends at your favorite hangout. But we don't expect you to give your life story. Just a few things about yourself, such as your birthplace, your travels, and your interests, would do for your first speech. That green light is going to come on faster than you think! As you give more speeches you will concentrate on style and presentation. In the basic speech manual given to all members one speech is evaluated by organization, another by voice variety, and so on. When you complete the ten speeches in the basic manual you will have earned a CTM, or Competent Toastmaster, award. The program then gets to be more fun as you get to choose your advanced manuals, specializing in types of speeches or career options. Completion of those manuals and also projects in leadership will allow you to earn the title of Distinguished Toastmaster, or DTM. As you listen to speeches given by other members of our club, try to notice their speech qualities. Did the speaker start with a strong introduction? Is the content strong? Is he or she looking at everyone? Are you hearing the speech clearly? Is the word choice proper? If visual aids are being used, can I see them? Are they clear? All of us make mistakes now and then. If you see them, keep them in mind as what not to do. Learn from others who speak before the group. Pick up a tip or two, and try them out when you speak yourself. In a speech the green light comes on one minute before the target length, usually five minutes for shorter speeches, nine minutes for more advanced or detailed speeches. The amber light comes on at the target length, and the red light turned on at one minute past target length. For contests, these lights determine whether your speech qualifies for further competition. Generally, you must speak at least until green light comes on and you must end your speech no later than 30 seconds past the time the red light was turned on. Is this fun? After all the speeches are given, we vote for the best presentation using the ballots provided. These ballots are then given to the Ballot Counter for tabulation. The Timer then states how long each speech lasted. He or she may state the time of each presentation or simply state if each speaker "qualified," meaning to fall within time limits imposed by the International Speech Contest rules. The Timer may also give actual times of the answers. If you took part, please notice if and how your presentation fell within the time limits. If it just made minimum time, consider how you could add supporting facts or examples or even a new idea to lengthen your speech. If you had the red light come on, then cut out some filler to shorten your speech. If you were told you did not qualify or noticed that your speech fell below minimum or over maximum time, then you may need to rework how you would present your speech next time. Working with the time limits gives you good practice should you participate in the contest. |
EvaluationsEvaluations are necessary to show us how well we perform in our presentations and how well our meeting is going. They complete the lesson in effective communications. The evaluations are feedback in the communication process, just as speeches are the messages in the same process.The Toastmaster of the Day introduces the General Evaluator who then takes over the meeting. The GE first introduces evaluators for each of the speakers. After their evaluations are given, those of the grammarian and the Ah's counter are given. The GE then evaluates the meeting as a whole. You will receive an evaluation for every speech you give. It consists of the positive elements of your speech, any areas of improvement, and a thoughtful comclusion. You need to know what were strengths as well as weaknesses of your presentation in order to know how to improve your skills. It is important that your evaluations be honest, otherwise you would now know where you need to improve your speech. Please don't be afraid to know what went wrong. Yes, it is hard to accept criticism. But, we are all friends and we all went through the same thing. Nobody likes to be told what to do or how to improve. But if you want to get better at presenting yourself better and improve your chances of promotion and likewise, then please learn it here from here and with us--your friends. Please hear what we have to say. What is said at a Toastmasters meeting stays at that meeting. However, if you wish to talk about it after the meeting, which we encourage, to get more details on your presentation please do so privately with your evaluator. We do not want any feelings hurt. Sometimes you may be called to evaluate a speech. It is not hard to do. Just get with the speaker and use his or her speech manual to form your evaluation. In the manual you are asked to rate the presentation along certain guidelines, depending on the objective of the speech. Make comments in the speech manual as the speaker delivers his or her presentation. When you give your evaluation, we suggest that you present the speakers strengths, weaknesses, and a closing thought in that order, using your written comments as a guide. If you are not provided with a manual to evaluate someone's speech, we suggest you rate it according to content, organization, and delivery. After speech evaluations are given, the grammarian gives his or her evaluation. You will hear how everyone upheld or broke any rules of grammar. Perhaps a wrong tense was used for a verb. The subject and predicate choices may have been mismatched. Or, a wrong word was used. The grammarian also states how many times the "Word of the Day" was used. Evaluations are timed with the green light coming on at two minutes, the amber light on at 2 minutes 30 seconds, and the red light on at three minutes. As with Table Topics and speeches, timing during contests becomes more crucial. After all the evaluations are given, we vote for the best evaluation using the ballots provided. These ballots are then given to the Ballot Counter for tabulation. The Timer then states how long each evaluation lasted. He or she may state the time of each presentation or simply state if each evaluator "qualified," meaning to fall within time limits imposed by the International Evaluation Contest rules. The Timer may also give actual times of the evaluations. If you took part, please notice if and how your evaluation fell within the time limits. If it just made minimum time, consider how you could add another supporting fact or example to lengthen your evaluation. If you had the red light come on, then cut something out to shorten your speech. Don't forget to leave in an area of improvement for the speaker (more than one speaker if needed or desired for the Grammarian). If you were told you did not qualify or if you noticed on your own that your evaluation fell below minimum or over maximum time, then you may need to rework how you would present your evaluation next time. Working with the time limits gives you good practice should you decide to participate in the contest. The General Evaluator then returns the control of the meeting to the Toastmaster of the Day. |
ReportsOther reports complete the evaluation of meeting events. The Toastmaster of the Day calls for reports from the "Ahs" Counter and the Timer.The "Ahs" Counter reports how many speech impediments were used during the meeting. That includes "Ah"s, "Eh"s, "Um"s, and "You know"s. Of course, if they were necessary as part of any presentations, they are not counted. As with your receiving evaluations, please don't be apprehensive if your presentation was counted among those who had these imperfections. But be warned: if your presentation was not highlighted don't become complacent. Always strive for improvement. After all the reports are given, the Toastmaster of the Day returns control of the meeting to the club president or presiding officer. |
Presentation of AwardsThe club president or presiding officer then presents awards based on performance at the meeting. All ballots are then counted. The results are passed to the president or presiding officer, who then announces the winners.The First-Timer ribbon goes to anyone who does his or her first speech, or "Ice Breaker." The Best Table Topics ribbon goes to the person who was best at speaking without preparation during Table Topics. The Best Evaluator ribbon goes to the person who judged one's speech best. The Best Speech ribbon is awarded to the one who gave the best prepared speech. Other awards, such as Toastmasters pins and certificates may be given at this time. If you did not receive an award at any meeting, please don't be discouraged. There is always next time. You should, however, automatically receive the First-Timers award for your first speech. These awards show the spirit of competition, make your time more worthwhile, give you proof of bettering yourself, and give you something to show off! |
Other BusinessThis is the time during which we cover news and other items of interest, such as upcoming contests and conventions.District 58 events may be highlighted. We encourge everyone to attend a Toastmasters Leadership Institute (club officer training) or a conference. Anyone can attend. You do not have to be an officer or obtain any rank in the program to attend training or a conference. The club Public Relations Officer may pass out news regarding club events. He or she may also ask for materials for newsletter publication. Suggestions for articles are always encouraged by anyone. If you have an idea for the newsletter please contact the club president or public relations officer anytime for submission. Other club business may be covered at this time. There is always a concern for membership, for example, and ideas can be brainstormed and passed around. When no other business needs to be covered, we ask our guests if they would like to comment on us and our meeting. Their comments are to be taken seriouly, since the impression they have formed about us could make or break us in the future. If you are a guest, please feel free to comment! We love to hear what you say about us and our meeting, whether it is good or bad. In other words, please "evaluate" us. We sincerely would like to know how you have felt while visiting us. We thank you for visiting. If you are not a Toastmaster we hope you will consider its benefits and how it will work for you. |
AdjournmentWhen all business is finished we adjourn the meeting and announce the time and place of the next meeting.Speakers and evaluators are encouraged to get together at a time after the meeting to discuss the presentations given. We ask everyone to pass the word out about our club and Toastmasters, for without members, there would be no club, and no one would benefit. If you have read this section in sequence then you have received an idea of what happens at our club meeting. If you belong to another club your meeting format may differ. If you are a guest you now know why Toastmasters is popular. It works! It has been working for over 75 years and for over 8000 clubs around the world. Please contact your nearest or preferred club for more information and to see Toastmasters in action. If you are in, near, or coming to Charleston, South Carolina, USA we hope to see you soon! |