Meeting Etiquette

1. How to Transfer Control

Meeting Control

During the meeting, the person at the lectern is in control of who may speak. This ensures an orderly flow of events. Impolite or whispered comments are usually not appropriate. If you need to communicate with a meeting participant, consider passing a note.

Transferring Control

There are two types of transfer: the first is when calling for a report (e.g. timer or WAG); the person being passed to will typically stay at their seat (but may stand there) while the person at the front of the room stays. The second is when exchanging who is at the front of the room (such as when the Toastmaster hands off the stage to a speaker). 

For the first variant, first acknowledge the person in control, then perform your duty (give your report, explain your role, or whatever is appropriate). Conclude by acknowledging the person in control. For example, Katy is the GE, Jenny is the WAG. 

Katy: At this time I'd like to ask our WAG to give her report. Jenny, please tell us how we did.
Jenny: Thank you madam General Evaluator. [Jenny stands at her seat and gives her report] 
Jenny: And now that you know a little bit more about parallelism, I'm turning it back over to our general evaluator.
Katy: Thank you Jenny. [Katy pauses to lead applause] Next we have...

For our second case, the person in control will call up the person who will take control, leading the applause. The latter approaches the stage, takes the hand of the former, shakes, and then has a seat. The person now in control pauses to let the applause calm down, then performs their role.

To improve the transfer, if the person moving to sit down must cross the path of the person coming up, a slight pull can be applied, with the person sitting down following after.

If the person being called isn't responsive, remember: Stay and Shake. Simply call them again after a short pause.

Leaving the Lectern

As Toastmasters, one cardinal rule we follow is to never leave the lectern unattended (this doesn’t mean as a speaker that you can’t move around, of course). Someone must always be in control of the meeting. Never simply walk off and sit down without someone else taking control! If you are finished and the next scheduled member doesn't realize it, simply summon them again.

2. Applause (or, why is there so much clapping?)

One of the first things that struck me about Toastmasters is that there's a lot of clapping. If the energy of all that clapping could be harnessed, it would likely solve every energy crisis we'll ever have. Here's some do's and don'ts as guidelines.

Do:

• Make sure to lead the applause unless you're a speaker (prepared speech, Table Topics, or evaluation). This especially applies to the Toastmaster, Table Topics Master, and General Evaluator. If a speaker is very close to the head of the room, take a second to clap before you take their hand so that the rest of the audience gets the cue.
• Make it a point to stand along with your applause if it's someone's first speech or they just finished the last requirement for an educational award.

Don't:

• Be obnoxious with clapping by doing it too loudly or in an exaggerated fashion.
• Do it on a table or desk.

3. Q&A

"I found out I can't attend the meeting. What should I do?"

As with most of the material here, the answer to this will vary from club to club. Here is my ideal answer: if you are not the Toastmaster you should contact them to let them know you cannot attend. Provided you have time, you should find a substitute to cover for you. If you are the Toastmaster, you should try swapping with a Toastmaster from a future date; you may need to contact the VPE to ask them to update the meeting manager in Easy Speak. In either case, update your status in Easy Speak to show that you cannot attend.