Meeting Format
A typical Toastmasters meeting is divided into four segments:
- Prepared speeches from the Communication and Leadership program are presented by members to improve particular aspects of their public-speaking ability. There are ten speeches which make up the first segment of a Toastmaster career.
- Table Topics, which gives members without speaking roles that evening the opportunity to practice impromptu speaking skills by answering questions asked by the Table Topics Master.
- Evaluations by Club members provide constructive feedback to both prepared speakers and meeting leaders. An evaluator, usually a more experienced Club member, gives an oral evaluation and provides written comments to each speaker. All members present give written feedback to each speaker as well.
- A business portion for addressing the business of the Club.
Each meeting is supported by members who take turns serving in the roles necessary to conduct our meetings, including:
- Toastmaster – prepares and leads the overall program. Serves as MC and ringleader, as it were.
- Table Topics Master – leads the impromptu speaking segment by asking questions to those who do not have assigned speaking roles.
- General Evaluator – evaluates the meeting overall
- Speech Evaluator – evaluates a particular speaker
- Table Topics Evaluator – evaluates the Table Topics segment, giving feedback to both the Table Topics Master and select respondents.
- Timer – simply put, keeps track of each speaker’s time and provides immediate feedback in the form of signals.
- Grammarian – listens for grammatical mistakes used during meetings. The Grammarian also provides the “Word of the Day”, a word members attempt to incorporate into the meeting when speaking.
- “Ah” Counter – keeps track of, um, crutch words and, … uh, you know, unsavory speaking habits used by, like, each member of the group… uh… yeah.