Who is the Quizmaster in Toastmasters?

The Quizmaster is the person who listens to the speakers throughout the Toastmasters meeting and quizzes the guests and members on the content at the end of the meeting.

The first time I saw a Quizmaster, I was surprised.

‘Why were you surprised, Armani?’

Because most clubs I had been to did not have that position.

This particular club did.

Right before we were about to wrap up the meeting, the Quizmaster got up and began asking questions.

• Where did Claudia go for her summer vacation?
• Why was Matt afraid of heights?
• How many siblings does Jacob have?

All these questions were related to the speeches.

This section showed who was paying attention and who was dozing off.

As I saw the folks answering the questions, I learned something that day…

The Quizmaster position was a high ROI position for Toastmasters.

The Value of Having a Quizmaster in Your Club

Having a Quizmaster is high ROI because it forces people to pay attention.

For this particular meeting, I saw hands raising left and right as the Quizmaster asked their questions…

Everyone’s hands were raising but mine!

I wasn’t the best listener back then.

I thought the purpose of Toastmasters was to work on speaking skills, not listening skills.

With the Quizmaster, I realized that I could work on both.

• Speaking and listening.

There was a game element to it too.

Because a lot of attendees don’t speak for the event.

This was a great opportunity for those who didn’t contribute much to contribute something.

The quizzing at the end allowed the meeting to finish off on a strong note.

Asking Good Questions as the Quizmaster

The questions that the Quizmaster creates should be simple.

It shouldn’t be too nuanced or require a long explanation.

The best questions are quick and to the point.

For Example

Bad question:

• What were the hidden themes behind Jimmy’s speech?

Good question:

• What was the vacation destination that Jimmy went to?

The reason I say the first question is bad is because it is too open-ended.

Different audience members may reach different conclusions.

While with the good question, there is a simple & direct answer.

I recommend not asking too many “yes or no” questions.

• Did Jimmy go on vacation?

That’s a yes or no question.

Yes or no questions are fine in doses.

However, it doesn’t allow for much engagement and listening skills to be exercised.

Ask questions that require the audience to think, but not think too much.

A Few Tips for Being a Quizmaster

I’ve been the Quizmaster once in my life, so I don’t have much advice on this section.

I’ll share what the experience was like and what I’d do in the future to be a better Quizmaster.

First observation, the meeting moves FAST.

Since this is the first time we are listening to the speaker, we have no clue what is going to come out of their mouth.

I recommend taking notes that you can refer back to.

There is never a moment when someone says:

‘Okay, let’s give the Quizmaster 10 minutes to create his questions.’

When you create your questions will be a judgment call on your end.

You can either create all the questions at once, or you can create them throughout the meeting.

Once delivering your questions, don’t stay stuck on a question that others can’t answer for too long.

There will be moments when you were hyper-focused for a certain portion of a speaker’s talk while the audience dozed off.

What you considered important info was not important info for them.

Rather than beat a dead horse, just move on to the next question.

Which brings me to the next tip….

• Have a respectable number of questions.

I recommend at least 7.

Just like the meeting goes by fast, a correct or incorrect answer is delivered fast as well.

Have your arsenal full.

One final observation:

• Some members are better listeners than others.

Don’t be surprised if there is one member who KEEPS raising their hand while others are like:

‘Uh…what’s going on?’

In situations like this, do your best to spread the attention.

If Claudia keeps raising her hand, and Dimitri does a rare hand raise, then call on Dimitri.

Even if Claudia raised her hand first, call on Dimitri to allow others to participate.

This tip is a judgment call.

It initially feels like we are punishing the good behavior in Claudia.

But in the big picture, I believe it keeps more people involved, creating a flywheel effect.

Introduce a Quizmaster to your Club

Most clubs don’t have a Quizmaster.

This is why it’s smart to bring the position to your club.

If you have influence, begin experimenting with this role.

‘Hey guys, I’ve seen some other clubs utilize the Quizmaster for their club. How about we try it out to? It’d give the guests and members a great opportunity to work on their listening skills.’

If you don’t have much influence in the club, then book a meeting with someone who does.

Recommend the position and see where it goes from there.

I believe the Quizmaster position will soon be in all Toastmasters clubs.

I’m surprised that’s not already the case.

Be a pioneer and introduce this position to your region!

The other members will thank you for it.

Listening is Fun When It’s a Game

A lot of people love to talk, but few people like to listen.

That’s because talking can be done subconsciously while listening requires conscious effort.

When we introduce the Quizmaster position, we’ll notice all the members are way more engaged.

It’s fun to listen when it’s gamified.

Just like many members compete for the best speaker ribbon, in the future, more folks will compete for the best listener role.

They should make a ribbon for it.

By exercising speaking AND listening skills, Toastmasters will solidify itself as the #1 communication skills club.

For more public speaking insights check out the Speaking Wizard eBook: