How to Toastmaster the RDG Way

1. Command & Coordinate Video

2. What is the Toastmaster?

As Toastmaster, your role is to organize and lead the meeting. Remember, planning is the key to success as Toastmaster. If you have planned well, your task will be fun. If you have planned poorly, your task will be an ordeal.

In your role, you'll need to make command decisions as well as use creative planning to make the meeting Really Dang Good. You'll also develop your meeting facilitation and speaking skills.

3. Before, During, and After the Meeting

As with other roles, this lesson will cover preparing for the meeting, executing the role at the meeting, then follow up.

3.1. Before the Meeting

The VPE (or committee) should fill in the agenda with sign-ups a day or two after the meeting, then send out a notice. The way your club assigns roles will have it's own process; in this lesson I will use this procedure:

1. VPE pre-schedules meetings (usually assigns the Toastmaster in advance) in Easy Speak
2. VPE brings sign-up sheet to the meeting; members sign-up for roles for upcoming meetings
3. VPE updates the meetings on Easy Speak with the sign-ups, then sends out an e-mail to all members with a meeting checklist
4. After the mail goes out, the responsibility for filling remaining roles and plan the meeting falls to the Toastmaster; members should use the mail links to confirm their attendance or absence, as well as sign up for or confirm roles
5. The Toastmaster confirms sign-ups and reaches out to fill remaining roles, as well as sets the meeting theme in Easy Speak
6. The Toastmaster reaches out to speakers and requests their speech information, including introductions, to be put into Easy Speak

For step five, you may need to e-mail, text, or call members as needed. Remind them that they should login to Easy Speak.

As far as theme, you should prepare five to six mini segments to insert (see during the meeting to see where they can go). These segments should be no more than 2-3 minutes at most. There's plenty of opportunities for creativity here; these segments can range from mini-games or puzzles, segments of an ongoing story, informational tips, historical bits, and so on. Make them quick and make them concise.

As close as possible to the meeting, make sure you print out the following:

• Speaker introductions
• One detail agenda for your use
• Standard agendas for the remainder of the attendees
• Any theme-related material

3.2. During the Meeting

• After you take control from the Presiding Officer, open the meeting with a bang! Introduce your theme and letting the audience know what they’ll be getting out of their time spent at the meeting.
  
• If the presiding officer did not ask for cell phones to be turned off or other housekeeping tasks completed, do so.
  
• If any agenda slots need to be filled, request volunteers.
  
• Have the General Evaluator introduce their team (Timer & WAG).
  
• Introduce the first speaker (this should be provided by the speaker). Remember to include their manual, project title, speech title, time limits, and title. If needed, have the speaker’s evaluator announce the objectives and time limits.
  
• Lead the applause whenever you are in control.
  
• Request that the timer give a one minute moment of silence at the end of each speech to allow for comments to be written for the speaker.
  
• Repeat the two above steps for each prepared speaker.
  
• Remember to call for a timer’s report at the end of the prepared speeches segment. If either the Table Topics Master or the General Evaluator does not request their timer’s report, do so when you take back control.
  
• Use the time between segments to work your theme into the meeting. For example, after speeches are done and before Table Topics starts, spend a moment to give an interesting fact, next step, or activity in your theme material.
  
• If the club is voting for best prepared speech, do so if there are enough qualifying speakers. Remind the audience to consider fulfilled objectives first and foremost in their voting.
  
• If either the Table Topics Master or the General Evaluator does not request voting to be done, do so when you take back control.
  
• Mind the time. Ask the timer if you need to check if the meeting is on track time-wise.
  
• Before turning over control to the Presiding Officer, provide concluding remarks based on your theme.
  

Meeting Process

• Take control from the Presiding Officer once they call you
  
• If the Presiding Officer did not complete housekeeping tasks, do so now (guests, cell phones, etc.)
• Introduce your theme, if you have one
  
• If any meeting roles are vacant, fill them
  
• Introduce the General Evaluator, who will introduce their team (Timer, WAG, etc.)
  
• Introduce the Table Topics Master and have them explain their role
  
• Insert the next part of your theme
  
• Introduce the first speaker, then have the evaluator stand up and read their objectives
  
• Lead the applause and hand control over to them
• When done, lead the applause and take back control
• Make a positive, relevant comment about the speech
• Ask the timer for one minute of silence while people write comments to the speaker
• Introduce other speakers in the same way
  
• When all speakers are done, call for a timer’s report
• Call for a vote for the eligible speakers
• Insert the next part of your theme, then introduce the Table Topics Master
  
• Take back control after they are done
• If the TTM didn’t call for a timer’s report & vote, do so now
• Insert the next part of your theme, then introduce the General Evaluator
  
• Take back control after they are done
• If the GE didn’t call for a timer’s report, WAG report, & vote, do so now
• Insert the last part of your theme, then turn control back to the Presiding Officer
  
• You can optionally do the guest feedback and awards

3.3. After the Meeting

After the meeting, you may need to provide portions of an after-action report or details about your meeting for Easy Speak. This will vary from club to club.

4. Suggestions

• Arrive early! This will let you make last minute substitutions and arrange the room to your liking.
  
• Make sure you know how to pronounce all of your speakers’ names. Verify them before the meeting if you’re not sure how to say them correctly.
  
• Work with the VPE on any special situations or requirements (Advanced level speakers will most be in need of this). This can include audio-visual setups.
  
• If you hand out awards, do so by putting out your right hand first. Offer the award with the left hand as the recipient starts to shake your hand, transferring the award above the clasped right hands.
  

5. Special Meeting Ideas

The following is a crib sheet of ideas for a special meeting day to be held once a month. The Toastmaster is (usually) responsible for selecting one of these and implementing it. 

1. Contest meeting
   
2. Banquets
   
3. Costume party / wear something special day 
   
4. All table topics 
   
5. Random roles day 
   
6. Evaluations first (this was suggested at training) 
   
7. Speech building day (break out into groups to get ideas flowing for speeches, or coaching sessions)
   
8. Spontaneous story day (the beginnings of a story are laid down in the space of 2 minutes, and members are chosen at random to continue the story in 1-3 minute increments in rapid-fire order) 
   
9. Meet at the Commons (might be intimidating to newer members, so we should be mindful of that) 
   
10. Meet outside (on a nice day, of course!) 
    
11. Meet for lunch 
    
12. All evaluations day (with a test speech) 
    
13. All evaluations day (evaluate a famous speech of your choice) 
    
14. Solve the mystery (something like this was featured in TM magazine) 
    
15. Extended speeches day (for advanced manual people) 
    
16. Live pausing evaluations day (advanced speaker does a speech where an evaluator will call 'pause' and offer commentary on the spot) 
    
17. Reversed order day (evaluations are given first, then table topics, then speeches -- another thing from officer training) 
    
18. Shakespeare day (everyone does their best Olde English impersonation) 
    
19. Member on trial day
    
20. Potluck table topics: Have everyone write up to three questions to pass to the TTM, who picks one out of a hat to ask.
    
21. News Station TM: Organize the meeting as a newscast, complete with filming. The TM is an anchor, the speakers are correspondents, TT respondents are "the man or woman on the street" etc.
    
22. Roast the officers day
    
23. Courtroom day 
    
24. Debate day 
    
25. Book/Movie/Media Report day (yet again from #22) 
    
26. Seminar day (similar to #15, but focused on a TM related topic) - this could include having an outside speaker come in to talk
    
27. Political election day (some stump speeches, mini-debate, Q&A) - could be based on some ridiculous non-issues like "cookie choice"
    
28. Poster presentation day (either bring in real posters that people give 2-3 minute presentations on the topic, or 1-3 PowerPoint slides to the same effect. Presentations would be in rapid-fire order, or if we could get a large space like the Commons, assign 2 people per poster to talk about a particular aspect of Toastmasters) 
    
29. Interview day: A chief interviewer for a made up company picks three people to interview (people submit mock resumes and cover letters which the interviewer would choose from), asking them 3-5 questions. 
    
30. Mystery surprise day: Envelopes are taped to the bottom of some chairs, with a few having gift cards.
    
31. White elephant day: For the holidays; participants bring in a small, $10 or less gift in wrapping, and after an initial exchange, turns are taken where they may elect to try to persuade others in the room to exchange with them. (another idea from either #19 or #22)
    
32. Club birthday