So many people over the years have asked me what is Toastmasters? What do you do there?
I have been with Forest City Toastmasters for over 9 years now. (We were the very first club in London over 60 years ago) I so enjoy the people who make me laugh and who are my friends through thick and thin. As well I learned how to give speeches. The following information follows the roles on our weekly agenda. I have learned to relax when speaking and to laugh at myself when mistakes are made. I also participated in being on the executive and that was so much fun.
Our meetings start with our Assistant Sgt. at Arms giving us a five-minute warning to start the meeting. Then they introduce the Chairperson for the first half. At the end of the meeting the Assistant Sgt. At Arms will fine members for minor infractions! The Chair gives a short speech on the theme that was chosen the previous week.
Our Secretary and Timer are introduced. The timer shows notifications for green, yellow and red. Timing is used for every speech.
The Aw Counter & Grammarian are introduced and close to the end of the meeting will give their report. The Grammarian gives us the word of the day which we are encouraged to use throughout the meeting. The chair directs the business meeting. There is a review of the minutes and they are either accepted or changes are made. The executive is invited to share with our group any new information for the club officer’s reports. When new business is presented to our club it is put into a motion. For example, I move that we wear green for St. Patrick’s Day. This is then debated and ultimately voted on. If there are any amendments these are voted on first. We follow Robert’s Rules which you can see in any of the Federal or Provincial Parliamentary procedures. At the end of the business meeting, the Parliamentarian will give an evaluation of this meeting and offer suggestions for improvements if needed for the Chair.
The Chair will then introduce the Table Topics Master. The Table Topics Master forms 6 questions geared to the theme for this week. Six volunteers, members and guests alike, are encouraged to participate. A Table Topics speech is 2 minutes long. The timer will give a green card after one minute, a yellow card after 1.5 minutes and a red card at 2 minutes. Table topics are a good way to practise speaking spontaneously. There are two evaluators after the speeches are complete.
Everything in Toastmasters is evaluated. This helps members to learn and grow. Evaluations are done in a way that encourages change, yet supports the members. They give what we call glows and grows. Glows help to reinforce what was excellent in a speech. A grow helps define an area that might need some improvements and how to do this. Often examples are given to the speakers.
We have one area on our agenda that may or may not be included each week. The Forest City Toastmasters moment is an event that helps to explain new ideas or roles in our club or even what the executive has decided to bring to our club and how this will improve events or roles. For example, our new Owl Pro was introduced and a short video was posted so that we could see how this addition to Zoom could improve our Zoom clarity. It also made hooking up equipment a lot easier as well.
After a brief break, the Chair introduces the Toastmaster who conducts the second half of the meeting. A short speech is given on the theme for the current meeting. The Toastmaster introduces the speakers and their evaluators who will share what the speaker’s goals are for their speech. After each speech, the Timer gives one minute for comments to be written for the speaker. Once all speakers have given their talk the evaluators will come to the lectern to give their evaluations. Forest City members vote on the best speaker and best evaluator for both the formal speeches and Table Topics as well.
The Aw counter presents their report. They will review the filler words that they have heard throughout the evening. These are words such as aw, um, so, you know, and & but. Also, double words or phrases are reported. We endeavour to use pauses instead of these words. Members are given their use of these words either through chat or on a piece of paper given to them privately. It is important to know what connector words we often use. Unless we know them it is hard to correct them.
The Grammarian then comes to the lectern to address the grammar that has been used. Unique phrases or words are brought forth. This help enriches a person’s speech. They present an award for someone who has shown great humour.
The General Evaluator evaluates any person who has not already been evaluated. Evaluations are so important at Toastmaster as it helps us to learn and grow at every meeting. The G.E. presents an award for the person who shows the most enthusiasm.
The Timer then gives their report. It is important, especially for formal speeches to know the exact timing. When speech contests are held if you are under or over your time by 30 seconds you are eliminated from the competition. The timer helps to keep the agenda on time so that our meetings can end at a reasonable hour. The timer also gives a short quiz from the evening meeting. This helps you to pay attention as you know there will be a quiz.
The Toastmaster hands the lectern back to the chair who will end the meeting after the V.P. of Education goes over the agenda for the next couple of weeks.
We also have a connection online where you can put your name in for a role. Our meetings always end with: For the good of Toastmasters. This can be upcoming events or support for the various members. It ends the meeting on a positive note.
I hope that this gives you a better idea of how our meetings are run. We welcome guests to see for themselves if this might be a place to learn and grow for them. Please connect with us (V.P. Membership) if you have any questions.