Please address any further questions to the VP of Education (vpeducation@queenstoastmasters.com) or speak to a member of the executive before/after any meeting.

ROLE AVAILABILITY

Open roles (guests or members): humorist, timer, ah counter/word of the day
Roles requiring membership: toastmaster, table topics master, speaker, table topics evaluator, speech evaluator, general evaluator (and any of the roles above)

TIPS FOR ALL ROLES

1) Please arrive 10 minutes early if possible to make sure that everything's all organized and you're ready to go.
2) Please stand any time you address the group
3) Observe Toastmasters etiquette by beginning each address with "Mr/Madam Toastmaster", or "Mr/Madam Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters, and guests"

ROLE DESCRIPTIONS

Toastmaster
See attachment ("Toastmaster Description") below for a detailed summary of the Toastmaster's role

Humorist
Tell a joke! Please make sure it's appropriate for a professional setting, and not too long (you're allocated about 1 minute in the agenda) -- other than that, it's all up to you!

Timer
Keep track of speakers' time management by timing speeches and signaling the speaker. You will hold up a green card when the speaker has reached the minimum time, a yellow card when the speaker is approaching the end of their allotted time, and a red card when the maximum time has been reached and the speaker should wrap up. Note the name of the speaker and their time, and report to the Toastmaster at the end of the meeting. You will time: table topics participants, prepared speeches, and evaluators. (We provide all materials)

You will be called upon to give a description of the role (from your seat; do not go to the lectern). A sample role description may read, "Thank you Mr/Madam Toastmaster. One of the goals we work on at Toastmasters is the ability to speak within a set time limit. I will be aiding the speakers by keeping track of time and holding up a a green card when the speaker has reached the minimum time, a yellow card when the speaker is approaching the end of their allotted time, and a red card when time is out and the speaker should conclude. I will report back at the end of the meeting."

Ah Counter / Word of the Day
Your role is to keep track of the number of filler words people use. They can include, but are not limited to, words such as "um", "ah", "like", "so", "and", etc. You'll keep a record of each time you hear one, and report on it at the end of the meeting. You will be recording these for: table topics participants, prepared speeches, and evaluators. (Some people choose to count them for all other participants at the meeting; it's up to you)

You don't need to keep track of which filler words are used: please just give one total figure per person. It tends to be more effective for people to hear a lump sum ("You had six filler words"), rather than a breakdown ("You had one 'um', three 'ands', etc"). If you notice that someone is using the same filler word all the time, you can mention that, but don't worry about it too much. Also, as a matter of politeness, if someone surpasses ten fillers words, you can just tell them they had "more than ten".

You will be called upon to give an explanation of the role (from your seat; do not go to the lectern). You can say something like "Thank you Mr/Madam Toastmaster. At Toastmasters, we strive to speak as clearly and effectively as possible, and one of the ways to do that is to eliminate the use of filler words. I will track the number of filler words in each speech and report back at the end of the meeting."

The other part of your role is providing a word of the day. It can be anything you want, but the point is for people to integrate it into their speech, so try to make it usable! With your role description as ah counter, introduce the word of the day (word, definition, example of usage), and explain that convention is for people to knock on the table when a speaker uses the word in their speech. Tally word of the day uses along with your tally of filler words.

General Evaluator
Your job is to evaluate the evaluators, and comment on anything you noticed in the meeting. Make note of what was effective, and what needs improvement, both within evaluations and the meeting at large. You will be called upon to give a role description at the beginning of the meeting.

Table Topics Master
Prepare table topics. Ensure each piece of paper has both a number (prepare about 10-15) and a question/prompt. Topics can be anything you wish, as long as they are something that any member selected at random could speak about for 1 to 1.5 minutes.

The Toastmaster will call you to the front of the room. At this point, you should describe the way that the table topics section works. Please emphasize that it is an opportunity to practice impromptu speaking, that guests are welcome to participate, and, most importantly, that is is voluntary. After you have described table topics, pass around the topics, allowing people to choose them. Call up the person with #1. Shake their hand, and move off to the side of the room (do not return to your seat) until #1 is finished. When #1 finishes, shake their hand and thank them, then move on to #2. Repeat until finished or until out of time. (If you want, you may comment briefly on the responses to segue from one speaker to the next.) When all speakers are finished, you may turn the lectern back to the Toastmaster, and return to your seat.

Speaker
Please refer to the Competent Communicator manual for speech guidelines. If your manual has not arrived, a copy of the first speech is attached at the bottom of this page ("Icebreaker Speech")

Table Topics Evaluator
You have three minutes to evaluate upwards of 10 table topics participants. Make a note of each speaker's name, and highlight one point of improvement and one or two points of praise per person. The hardest part is brevity; three minutes is not a lot of time! Try to avoid extraneous discussion and focus only on the evaluation to ensure you can fit everyone in. Please have at least one point for every speaker, and avoid comparing speakers. Everyone has their own strengths, and we are not a competitive club. A tip: avoid saying "but", as it negates the compliment before it (ex. "You had good eye contact, but you were too quiet"). It is more effective to give two separate statements (ex. "You had good eye contact. I felt that you could have been louder"). This is a really great role if you'd like to try your hand at evaluations for the first time!

Speech Evaluator
If you are taking on this role for the first time, please speak to our VP of Education for guidelines