Battlefords Toastmasters #1512
Now That You’re A
TOASTMASTER!
An invaluable guide for the novice member.
Created by Rena Weikle DTM
Updated September 2016
Battlefords Toastmasters #1512
Table of Contents
For the New Toastmaster
Sergeant at Arms
Balloteer
Timer**
Ah Counter
Word Master/Grammarian**
Quizmaster
Invocation/Thought for the day
Toast
Jokemaster/Funny story:
2 Minute Toastmaster
Table TopicsMaster**
Table Topics Participant**
Table Topics Evaluator**
Speaker**
Speech Evaluators**
General Evaluator**
Chairman
Parliamentarian
Toastmaster**
Mystery Greeter
**Indicates a role that is credited in the Competent Leader manual… get a book evaluation!
You are welcome to use and adapt this document for your individual clubs. Credit for creation of this document should be given to Rena Weikle DTM, Battlefords Toastmasters, Saskatchewan, Canada.
For the New Toastmaster
Congratulations on joining The Battlefords Toastmasters Club. In the weeks and months ahead you will be asked to take on numerous roles in our meetings. To make this easier for you we have prepared a brief outline of what each job entails. If you have questions please feel free to contact more seasoned members for advice. Please bring this guide and your manuals to every meeting with you to assist in completing your roles.
Remember to shake hands each time you arrive at or leave the lectern.
Sergeant at Arms
This meeting role entails watching the clock, and just prior to 7:00 p.m. assuring that the meeting room door is closed, before proceeding to the lectern in order to officially start the meeting. The SAA calls the meeting to order by hammering the gavel, asking the membership to turn off cell phones, and then proceeds to introduce the Chairman for that evening’s meeting. Wait for the Chairperson to reach the lectern, shake his or her hand, and return to your seat.
Balloteer
We vote for Best Speaker, Best Evaluator and Best Table Topics, as a way to recognise the participant who has done the best job of fulfilling the objectives of their presentation. The job of the balloteer is to count the ballots after everyone has voted for each of the following: Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations(best evaluator is chosen from TT evaluator and speech evaluators…General Evaluator is not eligible). Once all voting is completed the Balloteer fills in the certificates, and when called upon proceeds to the lectern and presents the certificates to each of the nightly winners. The balloteer only votes in the event of a tie. Also, if there is a first time guest in attendance you will present them with a “guest certificate” at this time… guests donot receive a certificate on subsequent visits.
Timer**
The job of timer is essential to assist the meeting to run smoothly and to finish in a timely manner. When you take on the job of timer you will sit at the timing lights. Be sure that you are familiar with how the lights and the stop watch work prior to the start of the meeting. (Ask for assistance if you are having difficulty.) You will time the Table Topics speeches (green at 1 minute, amber at 1 ½ minutes, red at 2 minutes, and initiate applause at 2 minutes and 30 seconds). Also time the TT evaluator, and all Manual Speeches and Evaluations including General Evaluator. Be sure that you have been provided with timing requirements by the Speakers prior to their introduction. You may also time portions of the Business meeting at the request of the Chairperson. You will be asked to report on the times, so it is important to note all times on the timing sheet provided.
Ah Counter
The job of the Ah Counter is to monitor the use of ahhs, umms, and fillers by club members in an effort to help members to break this distracting habit. It is important to ring the reminder bell when you hear these fillers, to help members to break this habit. You will not ring the bell during the formal speeches in the second half of the meeting, but you will still keep a list of who uses them. When called upon for your report you will list who used fillers. Members are charged 10 cents per ah, or umm, to a maximum of 50 cents.
Word Master/Grammarian**
The Wordmaster/Grammarian must write a word of the day, its pronunciation and proper usage on the flip chart prior to the meeting. The word should fit with the theme, if possible, and be a word that is not commonly used. The Chairperson will call on you to introduce your word. Remind members that if they fail to use the word of the day they will pay a 25-cent fine. Listen carefully throughout the meeting and keep track of who uses the word. Also pay attention for grammatical errors. You will be called on near the end of the meeting to report on who used the word of the day and any grammatical errors.
Quizmaster
The job of quizmaster is to test our listening skills, which are as important as our speaking skills. Throughout the meeting listen closely to what is said and make a list of questions. Questions should be specific. For example- if the theme were movies – and the introduction question had been “name your favourite movie”, an appropriate question would be “whose favourite movie is ______” or “what is Joan’s favourite movie?” Have one question for each member in attendance.
Invocation/Thought for the day
The invocation or thought for the day should be something inspirational. Stand at your place and read or recite your thought.
Toast
Whenever possible the toast should follow the theme. Be sure that everyone has a drink in front of them. A toast can be made on almost any subject. State your “preamble” then ask the group to “please rise, charge your glasses and join me in a toast to______” (then keep this brief). The “______” should be no more than 2 or 3 words… Any more than that and it becomes unwieldy for the group to say it in unison.
Jokemaster/Funny story:
The joke should be told, not read. Practice ahead of time so that you can tell the story well. Jokes should be appropriate for any audience. Stand at your place and tell your joke, unless you need to use gestures, in which case you would ask the Toastmaster if you may approach the lectern.
2 Minute Toastmaster
The 2 min. TM is a short educational session. It can be an excerpt from an article in the Toastmasters magazine, something you may have seen on the website, an overview of the TM structure (important for new members), etc. However, it must be no more than 2 min. in length.
Table TopicsMaster**
When it is your job to be Table Topics Master it is important that you do your homework. You should prepare 3 or 4 questions. The subjects can follow the evening’s theme, or be based on current events or other subjects of widespread interest. When called on to lead Table Topics, you will approach the lectern, shake the Toastmaster’s hand and then proceed to describe the reason/rules of Table Topics as outlined below. (If there are guests in attendance inform them that they are not required to participate, but you will present a couple of questions before asking them if they would like to take part.)
“This is an opportunity for us to learn to think on our feet…to deliver a one to two minute speech, with an opening, body and closing, with a minimum of preparation. Table Topics prepares us for situations when we would like to make ourselves understood in a concise manner, without previous preparation. The Timer will turn on the green light at one minute, the amber at 1½ and the red at 2 minutes, the Timer will initiate applause if the speaker has not wrapped up by 2 minutes 30 seconds.”
If possible, the Table Topics Master should pick people that are not heavily scheduled to participate in Table Topics. In summary, present questions, pick participants, call for Timer’s report, remind people to vote for best Table Topics Speaker, then return the lectern to the Toastmaster. (Note: gauge the time and ask only 3 questions if we have run late with our introductions.)
Table Topics Participant**
When you are chosen as a table topics participant listen carefully to the question and ask for it to be repeated if you are unsure. A strong opening will often entail repeating the question. Follow that with information to support your opinion or views on the question and then close by summarizing what you have said. Watch the lights and begin your closing as soon as you see the amber light.
As a Table Topics participant, if you receive a subject you are unable to speak on you may bridge to a subject you feel more comfortable with, but this must be done in a smooth manner…bridge being the key word here. If you do bridge to a different subject you should attempt to bring the subject back to the original question with your summary.
As fellow Toastmasters, if we see that the participant seems to be getting stuck, we can help out by supplying ideas so that the person may speak longer. The participant should not acknowledge other members but incorporate the ideas smoothly into their response.
Table Topics Evaluator**
The job of TT Evaluator is to give the TT speakers constructive feedback on their “mini speeches”. It is generally a good idea to decide ahead of time what you are going to watch for…eye contact, content, did they have an opening, body and conclusion, did they use appropriate gestures, etc. Listen closely during the presentations, and at the conclusion the Toastmaster will call you forward for your evaluation. Depending on time you can do either an individual or a global evaluation.
Speaker**
You are about to give a speech! How exciting. When you are preparing to give any speech be sure to read through the ‘manual project’ to ensure that the speech you are planning will fit the criteria of the project. If you aren’t sure, discuss this with your mentor or any veteran member of your club. Be sure to type/write out the ‘objectives’ of your speech (they are found in the side bar on the first page of the project, along with the time of your speech and the title. Hand this to the Toastmaster so he/she can introduce you properly. Practice your speech to ensure that you are within the allotted time frame for this particular project. We suggest that you present at least the first 3 or 4 projects in the Competent Communicator manual in their proper order. Projects 5-10 may be presented in any order you wish. If you are doing a longer speech inform the VP of Education in advance so that adjustments to the schedule may be made.
Speech Evaluators**
When you are evaluating a manual speech, it is important to talk with the speaker prior to his or her presentation. Read through the criteria for the speech in the speaker’s manual, as well as the points for evaluation on the evaluating form in the manual. The General Evaluator will call on you to present your oral report when you are ready. Your oral report should be an overview of the speech and need not answer each of the individual questions outlined on the Evaluation form. Fill the form in for the speaker’s information. When evaluating always remember the sandwich method – praise, ideas for improvement, followed by more praise. No whitewash evaluations. We don’t learn if points for improvement are not brought to our attention in a kind and gentle manner. Return lectern to the General Evaluator.
General Evaluator**
The job of General Evaluator entails listening closely and evaluating all parts of the meeting that are not evaluated by someone else. When called forward by the Toastmaster, ask for the Timer’s report on the speeches and then ask for the time to be set for 2 ½ minute break for people to write their comments to the speakers. After the break, evaluate the meeting – room set-up, flow of the meeting, how things were handled by Chairperson, Toastmaster, etc. Point out things that could be improved. Call on the Speech Evaluators to evaluate the manual speeches. After speech evaluations, call on your helpers for their reports (Timer and Wordmaster/Grammarian).Be very cognizant of time and shorten your remarks as it is imperative that the meeting end by 9:00 p.m. Return lectern to the Toastmaster.
Chairman
The Chairman takes over the meeting from the Sgt at Arms and begins by welcoming everyone. Next, it is important to note any program changes. This should be discussed with the Toastmaster prior to the beginning of the meeting. Then, the Chairman calls on the Wordmaster to introduce the word of the day. It is the job of the Chairman to choose the “question of the day” which accompanies introductions. (If we have a packed room be sure to ask for brevity in introductions/answers, as it is your job to monitor time and keep the meeting running on schedule.)
After everyone has introduced him or herself, and answered the question of the day, the Chairman calls on the person on the agenda to present the Invocation/Thought for the day, followed by the Toast. Note: It is important that the Chairman initiates applause after introducing each role. After the Toast, the Chairman relinquishes the lectern to the Toastmaster to lead the next part of the meeting.
The Toastmaster will call the Chairman back to the lectern to run the Business Meeting.
- Call business meeting to order. “I call the meeting to order at (time)”
- Confirm assigned Parliamentarian is present.
- Ask secretary to read minutes of last meeting.
- Ask for any errors or omissions? If none,“I declare the minutes be adopted as read.” If yes, “I declare the minutes be adopted as corrected.”
- Ask for any Unfinished Business
- Ask for any Club Officer Reports
- Ask for any New Business
- Ask for any Educational Business (not binding on the Club, time permitting)
- Adjourn 7:50 p.m.
- Call for Parliamentarian’s Report
Generally, when a motion is presented, write down the exact wording of the motion because you’ll have to restate the motion before the voting. Ask for a seconder, state “Seconded by (name)”. State the motion “The motion (or amended motion) we have on the floor is… any debate or discussion on this motion?” After all discussion, call for the vote and state how you would like people to vote “All those in favour raise your right hand” Jot down the count, always ask for the opposing vote “All those opposed?” Then state “motion carried” or “motion defeated” based on the vote. If it is close, you call for the vote again by asking people to stand. (There is also a handy Chairman Cheat Sheet which you may refer to. Copies can be found in the lectern.)
At the end of the Business Meeting, the Chairman calls for the parliamentarian’s report, and then adjourns the meeting for coffee break. After 10 minutes, the Chair reconvenes the meeting, thanks the person who supplied lunch and turns the meeting back to the Toastmaster for the next portion of the meeting.
The Chairman will be called back to the lectern to close the meeting by calling for the mystery greeter, checking on the status of next week’s agenda, calling for guest comments, and asking for announcements for the “Betterment of Toastmasters”. Then the Chairman adjourns the meeting. To help the flow of the meeting it is preferable if the Chairperson sits near the front of the room.
Parliamentarian
The job of Parliamentarian is to monitor the parliamentary procedure used throughout the Business Meeting. When taking on the position of Parliamentarian one should use the Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance book that is in the lectern as reference. Make notes through out the business meeting of strengths and weaknesses of the Chairman. You may be called upon throughout the meeting to advise the Chair on questions of parliamentary procedure. This position is generally filled by a more senior member of the club, but being parliamentarian is a great learning experience.
Toastmaster**
The main job of the Toastmaster is to keep the meeting flowing. It is important for the TM to have fillers (preferably thematic) as well as prepared introductions for each of the major roles on the agenda. Follow the side-bar of the agenda in order to know when you should be returning to the lectern.
The Toastmaster will start by explaining the program, by calling on the persons doing each of the different jobs as per the sidebar of the agenda. This is very important if we have guests or new members. Next, you will introduce the Table Topics Master, and then the TT Evaluator. Next call on the Jokemaster, and then pass the meeting back to the Chairman.