Toastmaster meetings follow a similar structure worldwide, with slight variations. This is how we do it:
President’s News
President or a residing board member greets members and guests, and announces important news and events.
Members and Guests
Introduce themselves before the meeting and during the break. At the end of the meeting guests are asked to give a brief feedback.
Toastmaster of the Evening (TME)
Introduces the evening’s theme and each functionary.
Functionaries
There are five functions to be filled. Each functionary speaks up and lets us know what they will be doing throughout the evening.
Speeches
Usually three speeches are delivered. Members work with different manuals provided by Toastmasters International.
15-Minute Intermission
We stretch, stand up, mingle, make notes, and nibble on chocolate chip cookies.
Table Topic Master (TTM)
Takes the stage and invites ca. three to five members and guests to come up and give an impromptu speech based on questions the TTM created.
General Evaluator (GE)
Takes over and introduces the three evaluators.
Evaluators
Each speech that was delivered receives an evaluation with constructive and supportive feedback.
Functionaries
Share their reports:
- Grammarian:
Introduces new words to members, comments on language usage during the course of the meeting, and provides examples of eloquence. - Timer:
Times each speech, evaluation, and table topic to raise speakers’ awareness of speech duration. Speakers will see a green light to keep speaking, yellow light to start coming to a close, and a red light to finish within 30 seconds. - Ah-Counter:
Listens and counts how often speakers use filler words like “ah,” hence the name ah-counter. - Camera Operator:
Records the speeches, evaluations, and table topics. - Listener:
Asks comprehensive questions based on the three speeches.
General Evaluator
Gives feedback to each table topic speaker and evaluator. The GE evaluates the entire evening, noting the good, the bad, and the potential.
Vote
The audience decides on their favorite speakers, evaluator, and functionary of the evening.
President or residing board member
Announces our favorites. We end with loud applause for the winners, fold up tables, pile up chairs, and round off the evening at a restaurant near by.
