The success of a Toastmasters' meeting depends upon people pulling together in their various role assignments.Each of the roles listed to the right are filled ahead of time. If a person is unable to attend the meeting, then it is their responsbility to find a replacement.
| Chair |
This role is the most important and time consuming position in the meeting. It requires a lot of preparation to see that a meeting meets Toastmaster standards.
The main duty of the Chair is to ensure that the meeting runs according to plan. |
| Toastmaster |
The Toastmaster controls the main part of the after break meeting - the prepared speech section. The Toastmaster introduces this portion, explains the Toastmaster program and then introduces each speaker. After the last speaker, the Toastmaster returns control of the meeting back to the Chair.
|
| Table Topics Master |
Table topics is the portion of the meeting where people who are not involved in other parts of the meeting get a chance to speak. They have to answer (within a 1-2 minute time frame) a question posed to them by the Table Topics Master. The purpose of this is to help members think on their feet.
The Table Topics Master prepares and issues the topics and also sets the theme for the |
| General Evaluator |
The General Evaluator keeps track of every thing that happens during the meeting - from what time it starts, to how well each role is filled to whether the room is too hot or too cold. At the end of the meeting, the General Evaluator points out both what went well and what didn't go as well. |
| Speech Evaluators |
Each speaker has an evaluator. The speech evaluators acquaint themselves with the goals of the speech and then judge how well the speaker met those goals, making comments in the speaker's manual. Encouragement and helpful feedback are given at the end of the meeting. |
| Ah Counter |
The Ah Counter keeps track of all the words and sounds that are used as pause fillers by members during the meeting. These words may be actual "ahs" or they may be words such as well, you know, and or so. At the end of the meeting the Ah Counter reports on which member used the most filler words. |
| Grammarian |
The Grammarian has two main duties: to introduce an new word to members and encourage them to use it during the meeting; and to record and comment on either inappropriate or exemplary uses of the English language. |
| Timer |
The timer keeps track of time. Different sections within the meeting have time limits. Each speech has an acceptable time frame, as does each table topics answer. It is the timer's responsibility to keep track of the time, signal the speakers regarding how much time they have left, and, if required, inform the Chair when time limits for a certain meeting segment have been met. The timer gives a report at the end of the meeting as to how well the time limits were met. |
| Invocation Master |
The person giving the invocation at the beginning of the meeting composes and then presents a non-denominational invocation at the beginning of the meeting. |
| Fines Master | The role of the Mines Master is to find a suitable, preferably comical comment for each members performance and then present it at the end of the meeting. |