How to Presiding Officer the RDG Way

1. What is the Presiding Officer?

The presiding officer is a role usually held by the president of the club. They open and close the meeting, conducting announcements and club business in the process, and hand off the meeting to the Toastmaster for the majority of the time. If the president isn't available, the highest ranking officer will fill the role.

Doing this role is good speaking practice.

2. Before, During, & After the Meeting

Here's how to be a successful presiding officer.

2.1. Before the Meeting

Before the meeting, you should plan out what items of club business need to be brought up. This can include:

• Contests (club, area, division, district...)
• Dues renewals (start two months out from due date)
• Elections & nominations
• Promotions (club, district)
• Officer training
• Officer meetings
• Other events

If you are following the RDG TM Officers program, your Month-by-Month plan should accommodate these events.

Make sure you know who the toastmaster for the day is and how to pronounce their name.

If your club has special awards for first speech or someone is earning an educational award, make sure you have those prepared.

2.2. During the Meeting

Opening the Meeting

At the meeting start time, hit the gavel twice. Your officer folder should have a checklist of housekeeping items to cover; here is a sample list:

1. Silence cell phones & Welcome
   
2. Introduce guests
   
3. Good news time (promote camaraderie by having people give brief "good news" items)
   
4. Birthdays (first meeting of month)
   
5. Manual / evaluation form exchange 
   
6. Introduce and hand off control to the Toastmaster
   

Edit this list as appropriate.

During the Meeting

Depending on how much club business needs to be done, keep an eye on the clock and save time for final announcements and such.

Closing the Meeting

Once the Toastmaster hands things off, begin working on the post-meeting checklist. Another sample:

1. DCP champions & DCP progress post (who helped the club make progress toward DCP goals? How close are they to their educational award?)
   
2. Get guest feedback
   
3. Member vote in (last meet of month, need quorum)
   
4. “What Did You Learn?” OR “What did Toastmasters do for you?”
   
5. Next meeting roles
   
6. Any other club business (events, contests, promotions, etc.)
   
7. Turn cell phones back on, get your manuals back, clean up & dismiss
   

3. Suggestions

• Create a bookmarks folder in your browser of choice with Toastmasters resources in it. This will help you keep up to date with events. This can include:
• Toastmasters International
• Your district's web site (if applicable)
• Your club's FreeToastHost site
• Your club's Easy Speak site
• This site 😄
• Don't try to fit in too many items of club business at any one meeting; this will cause overload. Consider having the secretary include extra items in the after meeting report.