Toastmasters Ah Counter: What Do They Do?
Um, like, you know, so…
These are filler words.
Filler words are words that do not move the point forward.
If you’re reading this article, then chances are that you are the ‘ah counter’ for your upcoming Toastmasters meeting.
- What should you do?
- What should you look out for?
- How should you deliver your report?
This article will give you a practical look into that.
If you are someone who is not the ah counter but want to know more about filler words, then this article will give you added perspective on public speaking.
Toastmasters Club Positions
Toastmasters is a public speaking club.
Within the club, there are members and guests.
The members are able to volunteer for different positions.
There is the head Toastmaster.
General evaluator.
Planned speakers.
Evaluators.
And there are micro positions that keep the meeting going smoothly.
The timer.
Grammarian.
Quizmaster.
And the ah counter.
With me so far?
‘Yessir.’
Cool.
The Ah Counter
The ah counter is responsible for counting the filler words and crutch words that a speaker uses.
Fillers normally range from:
- Like
- You know
- So
- Um
- Uh
etc.
A crutch phrase is a phrase where words are unnecessarily repeated.
A lot of speakers repeat a statement multiple times in a talk without noticing.
For example:
‘I love cats. I love cats. Because cats are…’
Or they will say a certain phrase over and over.
When I was the ah counter in one meeting, I heard a speaker say ‘depending on the circumstance’ a lot.
It almost became autopilot for them.
Therefore, an ah counter is looking out for:
- Filler words and crutch words.
Listen, Tally, and Report
At the beginning of the meeting, you may have to introduce yourself with your role.
Or the Toastmaster will introduce you as the ah counter for the meeting.
During the meeting, you are pretty much sitting back and listening.
As you notice filler & crutch words, make a tally on your sheet.
Toastmasters typically gives a sheet that can be downloaded from their website.
Here’s a sample of the ah counter tracking log:
Once the meeting is winding down, you will be asked to present an ah counter report.
This is where things get fun.
The Difficulty of Being an Ah Counter
‘So I’m just listening, tallying up filler words, and delivering a report. What can be so difficult about that?’
It can get difficult if a particular speaker used a LOT of filler words.
I recall one time, I said um 20 times in a 2-minute speech.
Most of the other speakers were polished in that Toastmasters club.
When the ah counter said my name and how many times I said the filler words, I began to blush.
The poor ah counter had a somber voice as they were delivering the message.
As if they thought:
‘Damn, I don’t want to embarrass this fellow.’
That’s the tough part of being an ah counter.
At times, it will feel like you are embarrassing someone else.
And this may cause you to lie on your reports.
^This is not appropriate behavior.
Others may never find out.
However, you have a job to do.
Leave personal biases out of this.
Listen for fillers.
Tally it up.
And deliver the report.
The Perspective of an Ah Counter
The perspective that you should have while being the ah counter is:
‘I am giving these upcoming public speakers, awareness.’
I never knew I said um so much.
When I found out that day, it stung at first.
Later, it was a good problem to have.
I was able to take in the info and adjust.
My view on fillers words is:
- No need to fully get rid of them.
Occasional filler words humanize you and allow your message to be digested better.
But when the filler words are distracting from the message, that’s when it’s smart to take action and dial it back.
The ah counter is simply reporting the facts.
Through the facts, the speaker gets knowledge.
Through the knowledge, they evolve their behaviors.
The Fruits of Being an Ah Counter
There are a lot of pros to being an ah counter.
One pro is that it gets you hyper-tuned into the speech.
It allows you to build a stronger appreciation for words.
Also, it allows you to get more exposure to the Toastmasters club.
For this club, you get out what you put in.
Simply going to the meeting and volunteering to be the planned speaker will lead to benefits.
However, by volunteering for a variety of positions, you will level up your public speaking game much faster!
The position is pretty straightforward:
- Listen.
- Tally.
- Report.
3 steps.
Powerful impacts.
Book to Improve Public Speaking
Public speaking is a dying skill.
Which means that fewer and fewer people are attempting to learn it.
Why should they?
I mean how often are you really public speaking?
Maybe for weddings and work presentations.
With fewer public speakers stepping up…
Now is the time to learn!
‘Why should I learn? You just said that a few moments require public speaking.’
The reason you should learn is because you can.
This allows you to take advantage of phantom opportunities.
A person who is capable of public speaking is similar to someone who can fight.
Sure, the fighter doesn’t have to fight all the time.
But simply being aware that they can throw hands leads to confidence.
Likewise, it’s the same with public speaking.
Have this skillset under your belt, and you will have the guts to speak up whenever you desire.
To learn more about public speaking, be sure to check out:
This book will teach you how to:
- Brainstorm a speech from scratch.
- Create a speech fast.
- Practice a speech.
- Deliver your talk with confidence.
- Monitor your progress.
Plus, you’ll get a bonus section on Toastmasters if you were thinking about joining the club!
GRAB A COPY HERE!
– ArmaniTalks 
