Different Toastmasters Roles Explained

Different Toastmasters Roles Explained

 

The elegance of Toastmasters lies in the different speaking opportunities out there.

The planned speech is just one of the many opportunities to talk.

 

If you are thinking about joining a club near you, then it’s a good idea to be aware of the other positions in the club.

 

Just a quick heads up…

Some Toastmasters roles are unique to one club & not adopted in other clubs.

Due to Toastmasters being a global brand…there are different variations that are bound to form.

 

However, for the most part, there are central roles that make up most Toastmasters meetings.

Let’s go thru some of them.

 

The Toastmaster

 

The Toastmaster of the meeting is the individual who leads the meeting.

This is the conductor.

 

Different individuals & clubs have different methods on how to perform this position.

Some clubs follow a theme for the meeting that is created by the Toastmaster.

 

When I was in a club, one meeting, the Toastmaster had a throwback session.

Therefore, he set up the meeting with throwback quotes from figures in history to keep the mood light.

Heck, he even planned with the Table Topics Master (a position we will discuss shortly) to fit the theme.

 

The goal of a good Toastmaster is to keep everything flowing smoothly.

They are the emcee of the event.

The glue that creates a cohesive picture of all the other positions & guests.

 

General Evaluator

 

The General Evaluator is the individual who gives an evaluation of how the meeting was ran.

This position is extremely important because it allows each Toastmasters meeting to run in a concise manner.

 

-Some meetings are prone to go over the time limit.

-At certain times, a few members may be on the phone too much.

-And other times, certain positions didn’t prepare for their role.

 

Well, the General Evaluator is noticing all of that…and they will be bringing it up at the end of the meeting.

 

That’s not to say that the General evaluator only points out what went wrong.

They also point out in what areas the meeting was successful.

 

If the Toastmaster is the glue guy…

Then the General Evaluator is the constructive critic for the meeting.

 

Planned Speakers

 

At each meeting, there will be a few planned speakers who prepared a speech based on their path.

Their speeches have a particular topic & time limit.

Once complete, they will be evaluated & a vote will be made to decide who won the best speech.

 

Pretty straight forward.

 

Evaluators

 

Each planned speaker will be assigned an evaluator.

The evaluator will have an evaluation sheet for their designated speaker.

The evaluation sheet breaks down a few things that they need to look out for.

 

Once their specified speaker is done giving the talk, the evaluator will create an evaluation to deliver.

You heard that correctly.

The evaluation is created in the meeting.

So not too much time to prepare.

Luckily, the evaluation sheet makes it easier to craft the short evaluation which is around 3 minutes.

 

Table Topics Master

 

The Table Topics portion is the impromptu speech section of the club.

The Table Topics master is the person who prepares the topics beforehand.

 

Not only do they prepare the topics, but they also choose the individuals who will deliver the impromptu talk.

They have a selection of guests & members to choose from.

 

Some Table Topics master’s predominantly choose members & ask guests if they want to volunteer.

While some Table Topics master’s call members AND guests. No one is safe!

 

Timer

 

The Timer alerts each speaker, evaluator & table topics participants of their time limit.

Normally, a timer has some form of a light that signals where each talker stands.

Green – within time limits.

Yellow – getting closer to running out of time.

Red – wrap it up! Otherwise, you’ll get disqualified from the chance to win a ribbon.

 

The Timer delivers a timers report at the end of the meeting.

 

Grammarian

 

The Grammarian keeps track of proper grammar usage.

If a speaker is using too much slang, not finishing their sentences, or incorrectly using words, then they will be notified by the Grammarian at the end of the meeting.

 

Also, each Toastmasters meeting has a ‘word of the day.’

If a speaker were to use the word of the day, then the Grammarian will jot it down & let the audience know at the end.

 

Uh Counter

 

Um, like, so, you know, etc.

These are a few filler words that we may use in our speech.

 

The Uh Counter keeps a track of each of the filler words used & gives a count at the end.

This is a great role because it makes speakers aware of a problem they never knew they had.

 

Vote Counter

 

Each meeting allows the audience to vote on the best:

  • speaker
  • evaluator 
  • table topics participant

 

Once the votes have been completed on a survey, the vote counter collects the votes & tallies them up.

They get the count & deliver it to the Toastmaster.

And it will be the Toastmaster who announces the winners at the end.

 

Quiz Master

 

This position is unique to some clubs.

The Quiz Master creates questions centered around the talks of the speeches & asks questions at the end.

This shows who was paying attention & who was in la la land.

 

Sometimes the Quiz Master asks the questions, allows for participants to raise hands, and then chooses someone.

And other times, the Quiz Master directly picks someone from the audience (typically a member) and asks them.

 

Switching up the Toastmasters Roles

 

As you can tell, there are plenty of speaking opportunities in a Toastmasters meeting.

Have your pick!

 

We may make the mistake of thinking that it’s only planned speeches that allow for speaking opportunities, while in reality, that’s not the case.

 

A planned speech is a great way to build a public speaking swag.

However, the longer you are in the club, the better it is to experiment with different Toastmasters roles.

 

By engaging in different positions, it allows one to build our public speaking awareness.

What we are required to look for in each position is different.

 

-One position, be the Grammarian. ZONE in on grammar.

-Another position, be the Uh Counter. HEAR how much someone uses a filler. 

-Another meeting, be the Toastmaster. UNDERSTAND how it feels to lead a meeting.

 

You get the point.

The Toastmaster’s output experience is dictated by the input effort.

A wonderful way to build communication skills & build a social circle at the same time.

 

For more practical communication insights, subscribe to my free daily newsletter.

 

– ArmaniTalks 🎙️🔥

 

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