March 3, 2024 • 23 mins
In this Episode, we explore the Toastmasters meeting agenda in detail, to provide you with an outline of the unique speaking opportunities at each meeting. I’ll touch on what each role is, what’s required and how you may be able to apply this to other areas of your life.
Picture yourself as the Toastmaster, a conductor ensuring each speaker's voice harmonises with the meeting's rhythm, or as the Grammarian, sculpting the finesse of our language.
With each role unpacked, from the quick-witted Table Topics Master to the astute evaluators, you'll learn more about the supportive Toastmasters environment, which is not just about speaking, but about honing real-world skills. Whether it's in an office presentation or a casual chat, the adaptability, leadership, and time management proficiencies cultivated here are your stepping stones to eloquence and confidence.
As our exploration continues, I reflect on the invaluable skill set fostered within each Toastmasters meeting. We'll touch on the delicate art of constructive criticism practiced by evaluators and the Timer's vigilant eye on the clock – a testament to the discipline of time management.
Learn about the value of comprehensive feedback from the General Evaluator and the dynamic engagement of roles like the Round Robin or Warmup Master. By rotating through these positions, members blossom into adept communicators and leaders, equipped with the gift of impromptu speaking. So, join me, and tune your communicative instruments to the pitch-perfect frequency of growth and personal development.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks for listening! We'd love to hear your thoughts or feedback about the show. Feel free to message Mel at talkativetoastmaster@gmail.com or connect with us on your favourite social media platforms:
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You can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Player FM and more!
To learn more about Toastmasters International, visit: www.toastmasters.org
To find a Toastmasters club near you, visit: www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're listening to the Talkative Toastmaster
podcast.
I'm your host, melanie Serplis.
In this podcast, we explore howToastmasters can help you to
polish your public speakingskills, communicate with
confidence and amplify yourauthenticity.
You'll hear from my fellowToastmasters and I how this
global organisation has impactedour lives for the better and
(00:31):
how it could impact yours.
Now let's get talkatives.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,to Episode 14.
This week, I'd like to explorethe Toastmasters meeting agenda
in detail.
To give you an idea of thedifferent speaking opportunities
at each meeting, I'll touch onwhat each role is and what's
(00:56):
required, how you may be able toapply this skill to other areas
of your life, and I'll thensummarise the 10 specific skills
I believe these roles help tocultivate.
In Episode 4, I gave a briefoverview of what happens at a
Toastmasters meeting, and evenin previous episodes we've
(01:16):
touched on some of the roles,but this week I wanted to dive
into the detail, and please alsonote that each club does things
slightly differently, but thiswill give you a pretty good idea
of what you can expect.
At the heart of Toastmastersmeetings are various roles, each
contributing to the richtapestry of learning and growth.
(01:39):
In this episode, we'll diveinto the distinctive
responsibilities, of key roleswithin a Toastmasters meeting,
including the Toastmaster, theGrammarian Table, topics, master
Speakers, evaluators, timer andthe General Evaluator.
So firstly, let's look at theToastmaster, which is a role
(02:02):
about mastering the art oforchestration.
The Toastmaster, oftenconsidered the host of the
meeting Think of it like an MCplays a pivotal role in
orchestrating the event, themeeting.
This is the person who sets thetone for the meeting and
ensures a smooth flow from startto finish.
(02:23):
The Toastmaster introducesspeakers, keeps the meeting on
schedule and fosters anatmosphere of enthusiasm and
encouragement.
The specific responsibilitiesof the Toastmaster include
introducing the meeting.
So the Toastmaster willtypically kick off the meeting
by welcoming attendees,introducing the theme, providing
(02:47):
an overview of the agenda andnoting any changes to it.
As there are often last minutechanges to the agenda, the
Toastmaster will also do speakerintroductions.
So, before each speaker takes astage, this person will deliver
a brief introduction, perhapshighlighting the speaker's
accomplishments and setting thecontext for the audience.
(03:11):
Transition management is anotherrole for the Toastmaster, who
is really there to ensureseamless transitions between
different segments of themeeting to maintain a dynamic
and engaging atmosphere.
You really are, as theToastmaster, setting the tone
for the meeting and filling inthe gaps, adding your own
personality and slant of how themeeting is going, into those
(03:35):
transition times.
And also timekeeping and I'lldiscuss the timekeeper role in a
moment.
But the Toastmaster does keepan eye on the overall timing of
the meeting just to ensure thatit's running to the planned
schedule.
And finally, adaptability theToastmaster must be adaptable
(03:56):
and ready to handle unexpectedsituations or changes in the
agenda with poise and confidence.
As I mentioned, there are veryoften last minute changes and
even changes that happen withinthe meeting that need to be
addressed, and this is what theToastmaster looks after.
Now.
You can liken this role tobeing an emcee at a work event
(04:21):
or a wedding, and it's greattraining for that, because it
really does encourage you tothink on your toes and to be
able to adapt and be thatdynamic spaceholder for the
meeting.
Then we have the grammarian orother clubs call it different
things, but basically the roleof the grammarian is about
(04:43):
looking at language withprecision and other words we
might use within the meeting.
So in the realm of effectivecommunication, the grammarian
really does play a crucial rolein trying to elevate the use of
language within a Toastmastersmeeting by making other speakers
aware of what they are or arenot saying.
(05:04):
Now, this role encouragesmembers to pay attention to
their words, which fosters anenvironment where language can
become a powerful tool forcommunication.
Again, in various clubs, theresponsibilities of the
grammarian might involvepresenting a word of the day, so
they'll select a particularword, presenting it at the
(05:27):
beginning of the meeting, andmembers are encouraged to use
this word in their speeches, andthis whole exercise is designed
about promoting vocabularyexpansion.
A word of the day, for example,might be spectacular or
incredible or something otherthan great, if you think, for
(05:48):
example, how many times in a dayyou might use the word great
rather than other words whichmight be more specific.
So the word of the day, justreally, we try to make them
words that help people to expandtheir vocabulary.
The grammarian also looks at alanguage evaluation and they
(06:10):
will listen for notable uses oflanguage, both positive and
negative.
This individual may also offerconstructive feedback on grammar
, pronunciation and word choice.
They will also likely count umsand rs, and they will also look
at filler words such as, likeyou know so, and some of those
(06:34):
elements of speech that we mayor may not be conscious of
actually saying when we'redelivering speeches, and also
feedback delivery.
So in their report at the endof the meeting, the grammarian
aims to uplift and guide memberstowards, you know, more
articulate and polishedcommunication.
After all, everyone is atToastmasters to improve and this
(06:57):
element of speaking is anotherway that Toastmasters can help
to do this.
I have to say that when you'vebeen in Toastmasters for a while
and you become trained to lookat things like ums and rs and
filler words and just generallyhow people are speaking, you
(07:17):
become aware of it in otherareas of your life.
So whether it's work or just incasual conversations.
But when you see other peopledoing that, I feel it makes me
become more aware of how I mightbe doing that.
So it becomes a bit of a mirror.
It's an interesting habit thatyou get into after you've done
(07:38):
it at Toastmasters for perhaps afew meetings.
Now we also have the TableTopics Master and this is about
impromptu elegance, and Idiscussed in episode 10 one of
the hallmarks of Toastmastersmeetings being the Table Topic
session, where members practicetheir impromptu speaking for one
(07:59):
to two minutes.
The Table Topics Master isresponsible for crafting
engaging and thought provokingquestions which challenge
speakers to think on their feet.
The responsibilities of theTable Topics Masters include
question preparation.
As I said, they devise a seriesof open-ended questions
(08:19):
designed to elicit diverse andcreative responses from
participants.
This could be anything reallyaround a theme.
The theme might be what areyour goals for this year, or
favorite holidays, or tell usabout a time when the question
should be general enough innature that everyone can
(08:43):
reasonably answer them and nothave to think too hard.
But then some clubs will reallyplay around with this session
and make the topics quitechallenging, which is great
because it throws you out ofyour comfort zone and really
puts into practice thatimpromptu speaking muscle that
Toastmasters helps to build.
Now the Table Topics Master isalso responsible for speaker
(09:06):
selection.
They will call specificspeakers and we try not to give
someone who's doing a sevenminute prepared speech a table
topic if other people havesmaller speaking roles.
So it's really up to the TableTopics Master to make sure that
everyone at the meeting isgetting a speaking opportunity.
(09:26):
Also, time management.
So, like other roles, the TableTopics Master is responsible
for keeping that session withinthe allocated time, allowing
multiple participants toparticipate, and encouragement.
The Table Topics Master createsa supportive environment,
encouraging speakers to sharetheir thoughts without fear of
(09:48):
judgment.
One of our long-standingmembers will always get up when
he's the Table Topics Master andsay and if you need to lie, lie
, we're not going to know anydifference.
And it's become a bit of arunning joke in our club that
it's okay to lie in Table Topicsbecause really the audience
(10:10):
isn't going to know either wayNow.
Then we have speakers, and Italked a lot in episodes six and
eight about the role ofspeeches and prepared speeches
in a Toastmasters meeting.
But let's look at theresponsibilities of the speaker
here.
So firstly is speechpreparation.
Normally at a meeting there'llbe three or four speakers and
(10:33):
they will have typicallyprepared their speech.
So they'll prepare and deliverthat speech according to the
project requirements outlined inthe Pathways program.
They're also really responsiblefor engaging with the audience.
None of us want to sit thereand listen to the world's most
boring speech.
So we do, as speakers, have tobe cognizant of choosing topics
(10:57):
that will engage with theaudience and using whatever
tools and techniques we can toengage with that audience.
Also, speakers are really meantto adhere to time limits, so
everything on the agenda istimed and there are allocated
time limits.
And again, speakers must bemindful of the time constraints
(11:20):
outlined by the timer and theassignment they're working on
and to deliver speeches in thattime frame.
And feedback and reception.
So after the speech, thespeaker will receive
constructive feedback from theevaluator, enabling continuous
improvement and ideallyimplement that feedback in the
(11:41):
next speech.
Then we have the evaluator, andI looked at this role in detail
in episode 12, but just torecap the responsibilities of
speech evaluators, they arereally there to do an analysis
of the speech.
So the evaluator is going tolisten very attentively to their
(12:02):
nominated speakers presentation, analyzing various aspects of
that speech vocal variety, thecontent and the delivery.
Their main role is to provideconstructive feedback.
They really are there toemphasize the positive aspects
of the speech while providinginsights on areas that could be
refined, and the more specificit is, the more actual value it
(12:26):
provides to that speaker who iswanting to grow.
Evaluators are also there forencouragement and they really
should be striving to encouragespeakers while creating that
balance between constructivefeedback and providing positive
reinforcement.
At Toastmasters we ultimatelywant people to succeed while
(12:47):
providing good, constructivefeedback and encouragement, and
also we want to provideobjective evaluations.
An evaluation will always besomeone's personal opinion and
the opinions on anyone's speechmay vary quite substantially.
It's important to realise thatany evaluation that's provided
(13:07):
is just the opinion of thatevaluator.
But what we also want to see inevaluations is actionable,
specific suggestions forimprovement, because that gives
the speaker something to latchon to and to really action in
their next step.
Then we have the timer, which isall about keeping time and
(13:27):
keeping the pace of the meeting,and in a world where time is of
the essence, the timer in aToastmasters meeting is the
guardian of punctuality and thisrole ensures that each segment
of the meeting really sticks tothe specified time limits, and
this helps to foster a sense ofdiscipline and efficiency.
(13:48):
So the responsibilities of thetimekeeper include perhaps use
of lights or, in some clubs, itscoloured cards or signals to
indicate the progression of timeduring speeches, evaluations
and table topics.
There's actually a visualrepresentation that the speakers
can see to let them know howthey are tracking with time.
(14:09):
The timer will also present areport at the end of each
segment, just really helpingparticipants to become more
mindful of their time managementwhen speaking.
And time awareness.
The timer's role reallycultivates an awareness of time
among all the members,emphasising the importance of
(14:29):
delivering concise and impactfulspeeches, and if you think
about any work environment oryou might be having important
business meetings or whatever.
We don't have all day to getour message across, and keeping
this discipline of sticking totimes to a set agenda in a
(14:49):
Toastmasters meeting I think isquite a valuable discipline to
have and to be aware of.
Then we have the generalevaluator, whose role is really
looking after overarchingexcellence.
Think of the general evaluatoras the evaluator of evaluators,
and this role takes on asupervisory role, really
(15:11):
ensuring the overalleffectiveness and cohesiveness
of the meeting.
This role provides a holisticperspective, offering feedback
not only on individual speechesbut on the meeting as a whole.
The responsibilities of thegeneral evaluator include a
meeting overview and reallyhighlighting opportunities for
(15:33):
improvement as well as strengthsand things that they enjoyed
about the meeting.
They provide feedback to thespeech evaluators and the table
topics evaluator, again ensuringthat the evaluators are
evaluated and allowing theevaluators to grow their
feedback skills.
We also have encouragement andrecognition as well.
(15:56):
So, again acknowledging theefforts of all participants, the
general evaluator's role isreally to foster a positive
atmosphere, recognising whatpeople did well and the
contributions throughout themeeting.
Again, in the workplace, youmight think of the general
evaluator role as wrapping up abusiness strategy session or a
(16:18):
long work meeting or a teamevent.
It just really helps to honethose summarisation skills and
wrap things up in a way thatleaves people feeling clear and
motivated about what the nextsteps are.
There's also other roles in theToastmasters agenda, again
depending which club you visit.
(16:39):
So I always recommend checkingout a few clubs to see which
format best suits you.
But you may also see roles likethe Round Robin or the Warmup
Master, and their role is toprovide a theme which everyone
can then speak for, say 20 to 30seconds on, just at the
beginning of the meeting, to geteveryone thinking and speaking.
(17:01):
Other clubs will have a guestgreeter.
I know in our Mount Gravattclub we have a person assigned
to welcome guests and then tointroduce them in a segment of
the meeting and encourageexisting members and everyone to
go and make that new guest feelwelcome.
(17:22):
What I love about Toastmastersis the fact that in each meeting
the roles are rotated and youhave different people in them.
This ensures the meetings stayvaried and interesting and each
member brings their own flair toeach role.
What I also love is thetransferable skills that can be
practised at every Toastmastersmeeting and applied elsewhere.
(17:43):
Let's recap on some of theskills I've sort of alluded to
so far.
Firstly, there's leadershipskills.
So if we think about theToastmaster and the General
Evaluator, they're reallyholding space for the meeting in
one way or another and settingthe tone, managing transitions
(18:04):
and then the evaluator backingthat up, ensuring overall
effectiveness of the meeting.
There's, obviously,communication skills.
So every speaking project atToastmasters involves either
speaking, listening, watchingfor clever word usage, watching
how you deliver speeches andthen getting feedback on that.
(18:27):
Also with the agenda.
There's the element of timemanagement.
Every speaker is reallyencouraged to speak to their
allocated time slot and then thetimer and Toastmaster help to
package that meeting in a waythat keeps to the allocated
times.
(18:47):
There's also adaptability.
So whether it's the Toastmasterhaving to handle unforeseen
changes either just before themeeting starts or even through
it, it's a great sort of skillto be able to foster and
similarly with speakers, theyhave to adjust and be adaptable
to the conditions.
Sometimes there'll be a techglitch or the power will go out
(19:10):
or there'll be an audiencedisruption.
They need to be aware of theirability to adapt to the
circumstances.
There's also the skill ofimpromptu speaking and the
segments like table topics oreven speaking, or many of the
roles are impromptu speakingopportunities that provide
(19:31):
training for improving how youspeak and respond off the cuff.
There's also analytical skillsand whether it's the evaluator
or the general evaluator reallylooking in detail at how a
speaker is doing their speech,how they're delivering it, what
they're saying, how they'resaying it and then how the whole
(19:51):
meeting has come together.
Analytical skills is somethingthat definitely Toastmasters
helps to develop Really theability to provide constructive
feedback, encouragement andrecognition.
These types of skills are borneout by the evaluator and the
(20:12):
general evaluator and reallylooking for highlighting
people's strengths and areas forimprovement.
The application of that, as Idiscussed in a previous episode,
is really profound.
If you can deliver that kind offeedback to people in your
workplace or in your ownpersonal friendships or family
(20:33):
situations, it just becomes amuch nicer way of delivering
feedback.
Obviously, as well publicspeaking skills, where pretty
much all of the roles I'vetalked about are about improving
public speaking skills and,whether it's prepared speeches
or impromptu speeches, providingthis environment that allows
members to practice, fail ifthey have to fail, and improve.
(20:57):
It's all there in a verysupportive environment.
And the final skill is teamcollaboration.
A Toastmasters meeting has a lotof moving parts.
There's likely to be between 15or 20 members or more or less,
just depending on the clubReally coming together to create
an event, a meeting thatthey've prepared for.
(21:20):
They'll deliver their speeches,they get the feedback and
everyone goes on their merry way.
But that collaboration,everything we do is in
collaboration.
No one person is going to holdthe meeting, no one person is
going to break the meeting, soit's really a case of what you
put into the meeting you get outof it.
But in doing it in acollaborative way, it makes for
(21:43):
some great meetings.
And so there you have a summaryof the key roles at each
Toastmasters meeting.
As you can see, each rolecultivates a rich set of
transferable skills that extendbeyond the realm of public
speaking.
Each role contributes to thecollective learning experience,
(22:04):
creating a supportiveenvironment in which people can
thrive.
Now, if you're still on thefence about checking out a
Toastmasters club near you, allI would say is just go, do it.
Stop procrastinating, stopputting it off, stop making
excuses.
It's all very easy to do that,but I am sure that if you set
(22:27):
foot in a Toastmasters club,it's going to open up doors that
really are waiting to be opened.
Thanks for listening to today'sshow.
Head to talkativetoastmastercom, where you'll find the show
(22:49):
notes for this and all otherepisodes, as well as links to
some awesome Toastmastersresources.
If you found value in today'scontent, I'd really appreciate
if you could share it withfriends and colleagues who may
be interested, or leave a reviewon iTunes.
This helps more people to findus.
Until next time, remember thewords of Brian Tracy your
(23:12):
ability to communicate withothers will account for 85% of
your success in your businessand in your life.
Have a great week.
You're listening to the Talkative Toastmaster
podcast.
I'm your host, melanie Serplis.
In this podcast, we explore howToastmasters can help you to
polish your public speakingskills, communicate with
confidence and amplify yourauthenticity.
You'll hear from my fellowToastmasters and I how this
global organisation has impactedour lives for the better and
(00:31):
how it could impact yours.
Now let's get talkatives.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,to Episode 14.
This week, I'd like to explorethe Toastmasters meeting agenda
in detail.
To give you an idea of thedifferent speaking opportunities
at each meeting, I'll touch onwhat each role is and what's
(00:56):
required, how you may be able toapply this skill to other areas
of your life, and I'll thensummarise the 10 specific skills
I believe these roles help tocultivate.
In Episode 4, I gave a briefoverview of what happens at a
Toastmasters meeting, and evenin previous episodes we've
(01:16):
touched on some of the roles,but this week I wanted to dive
into the detail, and please alsonote that each club does things
slightly differently, but thiswill give you a pretty good idea
of what you can expect.
At the heart of Toastmastersmeetings are various roles, each
contributing to the richtapestry of learning and growth.
(01:39):
In this episode, we'll diveinto the distinctive
responsibilities, of key roleswithin a Toastmasters meeting,
including the Toastmaster, theGrammarian Table, topics, master
Speakers, evaluators, timer andthe General Evaluator.
So firstly, let's look at theToastmaster, which is a role
(02:02):
about mastering the art oforchestration.
The Toastmaster, oftenconsidered the host of the
meeting Think of it like an MCplays a pivotal role in
orchestrating the event, themeeting.
This is the person who sets thetone for the meeting and
ensures a smooth flow from startto finish.
(02:23):
The Toastmaster introducesspeakers, keeps the meeting on
schedule and fosters anatmosphere of enthusiasm and
encouragement.
The specific responsibilitiesof the Toastmaster include
introducing the meeting.
So the Toastmaster willtypically kick off the meeting
by welcoming attendees,introducing the theme, providing
(02:47):
an overview of the agenda andnoting any changes to it.
As there are often last minutechanges to the agenda, the
Toastmaster will also do speakerintroductions.
So, before each speaker takes astage, this person will deliver
a brief introduction, perhapshighlighting the speaker's
accomplishments and setting thecontext for the audience.
(03:11):
Transition management is anotherrole for the Toastmaster, who
is really there to ensureseamless transitions between
different segments of themeeting to maintain a dynamic
and engaging atmosphere.
You really are, as theToastmaster, setting the tone
for the meeting and filling inthe gaps, adding your own
personality and slant of how themeeting is going, into those
(03:35):
transition times.
And also timekeeping and I'lldiscuss the timekeeper role in a
moment.
But the Toastmaster does keepan eye on the overall timing of
the meeting just to ensure thatit's running to the planned
schedule.
And finally, adaptability theToastmaster must be adaptable
(03:56):
and ready to handle unexpectedsituations or changes in the
agenda with poise and confidence.
As I mentioned, there are veryoften last minute changes and
even changes that happen withinthe meeting that need to be
addressed, and this is what theToastmaster looks after.
Now.
You can liken this role tobeing an emcee at a work event
(04:21):
or a wedding, and it's greattraining for that, because it
really does encourage you tothink on your toes and to be
able to adapt and be thatdynamic spaceholder for the
meeting.
Then we have the grammarian orother clubs call it different
things, but basically the roleof the grammarian is about
(04:43):
looking at language withprecision and other words we
might use within the meeting.
So in the realm of effectivecommunication, the grammarian
really does play a crucial rolein trying to elevate the use of
language within a Toastmastersmeeting by making other speakers
aware of what they are or arenot saying.
(05:04):
Now, this role encouragesmembers to pay attention to
their words, which fosters anenvironment where language can
become a powerful tool forcommunication.
Again, in various clubs, theresponsibilities of the
grammarian might involvepresenting a word of the day, so
they'll select a particularword, presenting it at the
(05:27):
beginning of the meeting, andmembers are encouraged to use
this word in their speeches, andthis whole exercise is designed
about promoting vocabularyexpansion.
A word of the day, for example,might be spectacular or
incredible or something otherthan great, if you think, for
(05:48):
example, how many times in a dayyou might use the word great
rather than other words whichmight be more specific.
So the word of the day, justreally, we try to make them
words that help people to expandtheir vocabulary.
The grammarian also looks at alanguage evaluation and they
(06:10):
will listen for notable uses oflanguage, both positive and
negative.
This individual may also offerconstructive feedback on grammar
, pronunciation and word choice.
They will also likely count umsand rs, and they will also look
at filler words such as, likeyou know so, and some of those
(06:34):
elements of speech that we mayor may not be conscious of
actually saying when we'redelivering speeches, and also
feedback delivery.
So in their report at the endof the meeting, the grammarian
aims to uplift and guide memberstowards, you know, more
articulate and polishedcommunication.
After all, everyone is atToastmasters to improve and this
(06:57):
element of speaking is anotherway that Toastmasters can help
to do this.
I have to say that when you'vebeen in Toastmasters for a while
and you become trained to lookat things like ums and rs and
filler words and just generallyhow people are speaking, you
(07:17):
become aware of it in otherareas of your life.
So whether it's work or just incasual conversations.
But when you see other peopledoing that, I feel it makes me
become more aware of how I mightbe doing that.
So it becomes a bit of a mirror.
It's an interesting habit thatyou get into after you've done
(07:38):
it at Toastmasters for perhaps afew meetings.
Now we also have the TableTopics Master and this is about
impromptu elegance, and Idiscussed in episode 10 one of
the hallmarks of Toastmastersmeetings being the Table Topic
session, where members practicetheir impromptu speaking for one
(07:59):
to two minutes.
The Table Topics Master isresponsible for crafting
engaging and thought provokingquestions which challenge
speakers to think on their feet.
The responsibilities of theTable Topics Masters include
question preparation.
As I said, they devise a seriesof open-ended questions
(08:19):
designed to elicit diverse andcreative responses from
participants.
This could be anything reallyaround a theme.
The theme might be what areyour goals for this year, or
favorite holidays, or tell usabout a time when the question
should be general enough innature that everyone can
(08:43):
reasonably answer them and nothave to think too hard.
But then some clubs will reallyplay around with this session
and make the topics quitechallenging, which is great
because it throws you out ofyour comfort zone and really
puts into practice thatimpromptu speaking muscle that
Toastmasters helps to build.
Now the Table Topics Master isalso responsible for speaker
(09:06):
selection.
They will call specificspeakers and we try not to give
someone who's doing a sevenminute prepared speech a table
topic if other people havesmaller speaking roles.
So it's really up to the TableTopics Master to make sure that
everyone at the meeting isgetting a speaking opportunity.
(09:26):
Also, time management.
So, like other roles, the TableTopics Master is responsible
for keeping that session withinthe allocated time, allowing
multiple participants toparticipate, and encouragement.
The Table Topics Master createsa supportive environment,
encouraging speakers to sharetheir thoughts without fear of
(09:48):
judgment.
One of our long-standingmembers will always get up when
he's the Table Topics Master andsay and if you need to lie, lie
, we're not going to know anydifference.
And it's become a bit of arunning joke in our club that
it's okay to lie in Table Topicsbecause really the audience
(10:10):
isn't going to know either wayNow.
Then we have speakers, and Italked a lot in episodes six and
eight about the role ofspeeches and prepared speeches
in a Toastmasters meeting.
But let's look at theresponsibilities of the speaker
here.
So firstly is speechpreparation.
Normally at a meeting there'llbe three or four speakers and
(10:33):
they will have typicallyprepared their speech.
So they'll prepare and deliverthat speech according to the
project requirements outlined inthe Pathways program.
They're also really responsiblefor engaging with the audience.
None of us want to sit thereand listen to the world's most
boring speech.
So we do, as speakers, have tobe cognizant of choosing topics
(10:57):
that will engage with theaudience and using whatever
tools and techniques we can toengage with that audience.
Also, speakers are really meantto adhere to time limits, so
everything on the agenda istimed and there are allocated
time limits.
And again, speakers must bemindful of the time constraints
(11:20):
outlined by the timer and theassignment they're working on
and to deliver speeches in thattime frame.
And feedback and reception.
So after the speech, thespeaker will receive
constructive feedback from theevaluator, enabling continuous
improvement and ideallyimplement that feedback in the
(11:41):
next speech.
Then we have the evaluator, andI looked at this role in detail
in episode 12, but just torecap the responsibilities of
speech evaluators, they arereally there to do an analysis
of the speech.
So the evaluator is going tolisten very attentively to their
(12:02):
nominated speakers presentation, analyzing various aspects of
that speech vocal variety, thecontent and the delivery.
Their main role is to provideconstructive feedback.
They really are there toemphasize the positive aspects
of the speech while providinginsights on areas that could be
refined, and the more specificit is, the more actual value it
(12:26):
provides to that speaker who iswanting to grow.
Evaluators are also there forencouragement and they really
should be striving to encouragespeakers while creating that
balance between constructivefeedback and providing positive
reinforcement.
At Toastmasters we ultimatelywant people to succeed while
(12:47):
providing good, constructivefeedback and encouragement, and
also we want to provideobjective evaluations.
An evaluation will always besomeone's personal opinion and
the opinions on anyone's speechmay vary quite substantially.
It's important to realise thatany evaluation that's provided
(13:07):
is just the opinion of thatevaluator.
But what we also want to see inevaluations is actionable,
specific suggestions forimprovement, because that gives
the speaker something to latchon to and to really action in
their next step.
Then we have the timer, which isall about keeping time and
(13:27):
keeping the pace of the meeting,and in a world where time is of
the essence, the timer in aToastmasters meeting is the
guardian of punctuality and thisrole ensures that each segment
of the meeting really sticks tothe specified time limits, and
this helps to foster a sense ofdiscipline and efficiency.
(13:48):
So the responsibilities of thetimekeeper include perhaps use
of lights or, in some clubs, itscoloured cards or signals to
indicate the progression of timeduring speeches, evaluations
and table topics.
There's actually a visualrepresentation that the speakers
can see to let them know howthey are tracking with time.
(14:09):
The timer will also present areport at the end of each
segment, just really helpingparticipants to become more
mindful of their time managementwhen speaking.
And time awareness.
The timer's role reallycultivates an awareness of time
among all the members,emphasising the importance of
(14:29):
delivering concise and impactfulspeeches, and if you think
about any work environment oryou might be having important
business meetings or whatever.
We don't have all day to getour message across, and keeping
this discipline of sticking totimes to a set agenda in a
(14:49):
Toastmasters meeting I think isquite a valuable discipline to
have and to be aware of.
Then we have the generalevaluator, whose role is really
looking after overarchingexcellence.
Think of the general evaluatoras the evaluator of evaluators,
and this role takes on asupervisory role, really
(15:11):
ensuring the overalleffectiveness and cohesiveness
of the meeting.
This role provides a holisticperspective, offering feedback
not only on individual speechesbut on the meeting as a whole.
The responsibilities of thegeneral evaluator include a
meeting overview and reallyhighlighting opportunities for
(15:33):
improvement as well as strengthsand things that they enjoyed
about the meeting.
They provide feedback to thespeech evaluators and the table
topics evaluator, again ensuringthat the evaluators are
evaluated and allowing theevaluators to grow their
feedback skills.
We also have encouragement andrecognition as well.
(15:56):
So, again acknowledging theefforts of all participants, the
general evaluator's role isreally to foster a positive
atmosphere, recognising whatpeople did well and the
contributions throughout themeeting.
Again, in the workplace, youmight think of the general
evaluator role as wrapping up abusiness strategy session or a
(16:18):
long work meeting or a teamevent.
It just really helps to honethose summarisation skills and
wrap things up in a way thatleaves people feeling clear and
motivated about what the nextsteps are.
There's also other roles in theToastmasters agenda, again
depending which club you visit.
(16:39):
So I always recommend checkingout a few clubs to see which
format best suits you.
But you may also see roles likethe Round Robin or the Warmup
Master, and their role is toprovide a theme which everyone
can then speak for, say 20 to 30seconds on, just at the
beginning of the meeting, to geteveryone thinking and speaking.
(17:01):
Other clubs will have a guestgreeter.
I know in our Mount Gravattclub we have a person assigned
to welcome guests and then tointroduce them in a segment of
the meeting and encourageexisting members and everyone to
go and make that new guest feelwelcome.
(17:22):
What I love about Toastmastersis the fact that in each meeting
the roles are rotated and youhave different people in them.
This ensures the meetings stayvaried and interesting and each
member brings their own flair toeach role.
What I also love is thetransferable skills that can be
practised at every Toastmastersmeeting and applied elsewhere.
(17:43):
Let's recap on some of theskills I've sort of alluded to
so far.
Firstly, there's leadershipskills.
So if we think about theToastmaster and the General
Evaluator, they're reallyholding space for the meeting in
one way or another and settingthe tone, managing transitions
(18:04):
and then the evaluator backingthat up, ensuring overall
effectiveness of the meeting.
There's, obviously,communication skills.
So every speaking project atToastmasters involves either
speaking, listening, watchingfor clever word usage, watching
how you deliver speeches andthen getting feedback on that.
(18:27):
Also with the agenda.
There's the element of timemanagement.
Every speaker is reallyencouraged to speak to their
allocated time slot and then thetimer and Toastmaster help to
package that meeting in a waythat keeps to the allocated
times.
(18:47):
There's also adaptability.
So whether it's the Toastmasterhaving to handle unforeseen
changes either just before themeeting starts or even through
it, it's a great sort of skillto be able to foster and
similarly with speakers, theyhave to adjust and be adaptable
to the conditions.
Sometimes there'll be a techglitch or the power will go out
(19:10):
or there'll be an audiencedisruption.
They need to be aware of theirability to adapt to the
circumstances.
There's also the skill ofimpromptu speaking and the
segments like table topics oreven speaking, or many of the
roles are impromptu speakingopportunities that provide
(19:31):
training for improving how youspeak and respond off the cuff.
There's also analytical skillsand whether it's the evaluator
or the general evaluator reallylooking in detail at how a
speaker is doing their speech,how they're delivering it, what
they're saying, how they'resaying it and then how the whole
(19:51):
meeting has come together.
Analytical skills is somethingthat definitely Toastmasters
helps to develop Really theability to provide constructive
feedback, encouragement andrecognition.
These types of skills are borneout by the evaluator and the
(20:12):
general evaluator and reallylooking for highlighting
people's strengths and areas forimprovement.
The application of that, as Idiscussed in a previous episode,
is really profound.
If you can deliver that kind offeedback to people in your
workplace or in your ownpersonal friendships or family
(20:33):
situations, it just becomes amuch nicer way of delivering
feedback.
Obviously, as well publicspeaking skills, where pretty
much all of the roles I'vetalked about are about improving
public speaking skills and,whether it's prepared speeches
or impromptu speeches, providingthis environment that allows
members to practice, fail ifthey have to fail, and improve.
(20:57):
It's all there in a verysupportive environment.
And the final skill is teamcollaboration.
A Toastmasters meeting has a lotof moving parts.
There's likely to be between 15or 20 members or more or less,
just depending on the clubReally coming together to create
an event, a meeting thatthey've prepared for.
(21:20):
They'll deliver their speeches,they get the feedback and
everyone goes on their merry way.
But that collaboration,everything we do is in
collaboration.
No one person is going to holdthe meeting, no one person is
going to break the meeting, soit's really a case of what you
put into the meeting you get outof it.
But in doing it in acollaborative way, it makes for
(21:43):
some great meetings.
And so there you have a summaryof the key roles at each
Toastmasters meeting.
As you can see, each rolecultivates a rich set of
transferable skills that extendbeyond the realm of public
speaking.
Each role contributes to thecollective learning experience,
(22:04):
creating a supportiveenvironment in which people can
thrive.
Now, if you're still on thefence about checking out a
Toastmasters club near you, allI would say is just go, do it.
Stop procrastinating, stopputting it off, stop making
excuses.
It's all very easy to do that,but I am sure that if you set
(22:27):
foot in a Toastmasters club,it's going to open up doors that
really are waiting to be opened.
Thanks for listening to today'sshow.
Head to talkativetoastmastercom, where you'll find the show
(22:49):
notes for this and all otherepisodes, as well as links to
some awesome Toastmastersresources.
If you found value in today'scontent, I'd really appreciate
if you could share it withfriends and colleagues who may
be interested, or leave a reviewon iTunes.
This helps more people to findus.
Until next time, remember thewords of Brian Tracy your
(23:12):
ability to communicate withothers will account for 85% of
your success in your businessand in your life.
Have a great week.
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