Meeting Role Guide
Toastmaster
Act as the Master of Ceremonies, set a positive tone, and keep the meeting running smoothly and on time.
The Role
The Toastmaster’s role in the meeting is to act as the Master of Ceremonies (MC). As the major role of the meeting, it can be very rewarding and exciting. The Toastmaster is the “face” of Toastmasters to any visitors to the meeting. It is important to set a positive tone.
The requirements for the Toastmaster role may vary for each Program/Club. Central to this role are:
- Ensure that all roles are filled prior to or at the beginning of the meeting.
- Welcome, and possibly introduce guests at the beginning of the meeting.
- Get the meeting started by describing the meeting format.
- Introduce the various roles or functionaries, and invite them to explain their roles.
- Initiate applause at an introduction of a person coming to the stage and after the presentation of a role.
- Manage the various sections of the meeting, keeping them on time.
- Introduce the major participants in the meeting and give control of the meeting, with applause, to each as required.
- Introduce each Speaker.
- Request time for comments after each speaker.
- Introduce the Topics Master for their section of the meeting.
- Monitor to keep the Table Topics section of the meeting on time.
- Introduce the Captain of the Watch for their section of the meeting.
- Ensure control of the meeting returns to the Presiding Officer for closing.
Before the Meeting
Review the role assignments, including Speakers, and discuss with the VP Education if necessary.
It is the Toastmaster’s responsibility to ensure that all roles are filled prior to the start of the meeting.
Contacting members directly before the meeting is a very effective way to fill role positions.
Be aware of the timing for the meeting. It is usually included on the agenda. Having a printed copy of the agenda is useful, and may be used as a guide for conducting the meeting.
Upon arrival at the meeting
- Arrive early to complete any last-minute details, including filling open role positions.
- Check with the speakers to address any last-minute changes.
During the Meeting
Preside with energy and enthusiasm. Remember, you are in charge of how the meeting progresses.
Strive to begin and end the meeting on time. Follow the agenda timings to ensure each segment is on time. You may need to adjust the schedule as you go.
Introduce each person you call to the stage. Lead the applause before and after each person comes forward.
Call for private comments after each speaker.
Follow the agenda through each segment. When the Captain of the Watch returns control of the meeting to you, share any final thoughts before handing control to the presiding officer. The presiding officer will solicit feedback from guests and handle any club business before adjourning.
After the Meeting
Congratulate yourself on a job well done! You may wish to speak with your mentor or an officer on areas of improvement and review your evaluation if this role was evaluated.
When You’re Called On
The Toastmasters role is not described in the meeting. However, the Toastmaster does describe the process of the meeting. This can be done in multiple ways (see the Toastmaster’s script for an alternate description). For example:
“The main body of our Toastmasters Meeting has three parts. We call it the “PIE”. First are the Prepared speeches, prepared in advance and given by members working through the educational program. The second part is Impromptu speaking, which we call Table Topics. This is an opportunity for anyone to come up and practice speaking ‘off the cuff.’ This develops the skills to shine in an interview, or respond to a quick question from your boss. All attendees, including guests are welcome to participate if you feel comfortable. The final section is our Evaluation section, where we evaluate the first speakers, gather our reports, and evaluate the meeting as a whole. Everyone has the opportunity to partake in at least one piece of this pie! But first, let me introduce those who will be performing roles in our meeting…”
Toastmaster Script
| Objective | Sample Script (optional) |
|---|---|
| Introduction: You should provide a brief introduction to the meeting, preferably no longer than 3-4 minutes. If the meeting has a theme, be sure to explain and incorporate it into your intro. | “Thank you, [Name of Presiding Officer] and thank you, everyone! I am honored to serve as your Toastmaster-of-the-Day today. I hope you’re ready for what will be a fun and rewarding meeting…” |
| Role Introductions: Ask the following roles to explain what they will be doing during the meeting: Wizard of Ahs, Cleric of Rhetoric, Sorcerer of Time, Scribe. | “Our Wizard of Ahs today is [Name of Wizard of Ahs]. [Name of Wizard of Ahs], can you please explain your role.?” (repeat as necessary) |
| Meeting Structure: Introduce the meeting agenda (on screen) and explain the three portions of our meeting. | “For the benefit of our guests and new Toastmasters, our meetings are divided into 3 parts: The first part is for prepared speeches, speeches given by members in an effort to meet an educational objective. The second part of the meeting is for table topics. These are short, 1-2 minute speeches given extemporaneously in response to prompts from our Topics Master. The third part of the meeting is devoted to evaluation. This is where participants get immediate feedback on their speeches from our peers. These evaluations help us all become better speakers.” |
| Introducing Speakers: For each prepared speech, read the provided speech introduction. After each speech, ask the Sorcerer of Time to measure 1 minute and encourage the audience to use this time to supply private written feedback to the speaker. | “Our (first) Speaker is [Name of Speaker 1]. He/she will be delivering a speech for the [Name of Project] project. [Read speech introduction.] Please help me welcome [Name of Speaker 1]” (repeat as necessary). |
| Collecting Feedback: For each prepared speech, ask members and guests to make brief, constructive comments. These comments should be collected in the appropriately labeled tub (ballot forms or online equivalent). | “Please take one minute to use your ballot form to write some constructive feedback for [Name of Speaker 1]. Sorcerer of Time, could we please get 1 minute on the clock?” (or online equivalent, and repeat as necessary) |
| Introduce Topics Master: Invite the Topics Master to conduct the extemporaneous speaking portion of the meeting. The Topics Master will cede control of the meeting to you when finished. | “Please help me welcome [Name of Topics Master] to run the Table Topics portion of our meeting.” |
| Introduce the Captain of the Watch: Conclude the speaking portion of the meeting and cede control to the Captain of the Watch who will run the remainder of the meeting. | “It has been a pleasure to be your Toastmaster today. I now cede control to our Captain of the Watch [Name of Captain of the Watch] who will conduct the evaluation portion of our meeting.” |
Skills You’ll Practice
Preparation, organization, time management, facilitation, motivation, and team-building
Why Take This Role?
The ability to bring people together, provide a positive and constructive environment, and to keep a meeting running on time are great benefits for persons in any role in their lives. The benefits are most obvious in a work environment with frequent meetings; however, other opportunities for applying learning from this role are available. Consider:
- Meetings and events in volunteer organizations
- Family or social gatherings: parties, weddings, etc.