In Toastmasters, we learn by participating. During our meetings, members are called upon to perform a variety of roles to keep the meeting flowing smoothly. Responsibilities rotate each week, but the primary roles are:

• Pledge & Thought of the Day
• Toastmaster
• Speaker
• Table Topics Master
• General Evaluator
• Evaluator
• Timer
• Ah Counter/Grammarian

Pledge & Thought of the Day
After opening remarks from the club President, the person responsible for Pledge and Thought kicks off our meetings by sharing a brief inspirational or motivational "Thought of the Day". Then they lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Toastmaster
The main duty of the Toastmaster is to act as the host of the meeting and keep the program running smoothly, including introducing all of the participants. Prior to the meeting, the Toastmaster contacts all of the speakers and other key participants to confirm their attendance and find out some background information. The Toastmaster also prepares some brief remarks that can be used to bridge the gaps between program segments. During the meeting, the Toastmaster presides over the program and creates an atmosphere of interest, energy and enthusiasm.

Speaker
A major portion of each meeting is centered around the speakers. Their speeches are prepared based on the basic Communications and Leadership Program manual following a series of objectives. Each speech runs about 5-7 minutes, depending on the assignment.

Table Topics Master
In Toastmasters, a primary goal is for everyone to have an opportunity to speak. Table Topics is the portion of the meeting that makes this possible. The purpose is to have members think on their feet and speak for 1-2 minutes. The Table Topics Master prepares a number of interesting and thought provoking questions prior to the meeting. During the meeting the Topics Master calls on members (and guests if they want to participate) and asks them a prepared question, giving members 1-2 minutes to respond.

General Evaluator
The Evaluator is responsible for introducing the Evaluators for each speech, along with providing a brief report about the overall quality of the meeting. Some things the General Evaluator watches include whether the meeting began on time, how well meeting protocol was followed, and any outstanding things that made the meeting great or areas that could be improved.

Evaluator
After every prepared speech, the speaker receives and evaluation. In addition to a written evaluation, the Evaluator gets up and delivers a 1-2 minute verbal evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation is to help the speaker identify the things they did well and some areas of improvement for next time. Another vital role of the Evaluator is to provide encouragement to the speaker to help keep them motivated and enthusiastic.

Timer
One of the lessons to be practiced in speech training is how to express a thought in a specific time. The Timer keeps track of each speaker to make sure they stay within the time boundaries. The Timer operates a signal (Green, Yellow and Red Lights) that give each speaker a visual clue about the time remaining. For example, on a 5-7 minute prepared speech, the Timer will turn on the green light at 5 minutes, the yellow light at 6 minutes, and the red at 7 minutes. Once the red light comes on, the speaker has 30 seconds to wrap up.

Ah Counter/Grammarian
The purpose of the Ah Counter is to note words and sounds used as a "crutch" or to fill silent pauses during a speech. The biggest crutch words include "Um, And Um, You Know, So, Er and Ah." The Ah Counter also keeps track of repeated phrases like "I, I" or "this means, this means." At the end of the meeting, the Ah Counter gives a report on the number of times each speaker used a crutch word or sound. The second part of the role is that of Grammarian. The Grammarian watches for proper use of sentence structure and grammar, along with the use of particularly creative words.

Next: The Basic Communications & Leadership Manual Speeches -->