Sherman Oaks Toastmasters – Gettin’ Toasty #147 Meeting Guide – Roles: Key Duties

Presented below is a brief overview of each of the roles at our meeting. We provide an agenda at each meeting which outlines the timing of each role.

Presiding Officer’s Introductions and Guest’s Welcome

Host Greeter

Prior to the meeting, a member stays near the door to greet guests, show them where to sign-in on the guest book, get a nametag, and a parking pass
Preferably sits near the door to continue to greet guests who may arrive late and help them find seats around the table if the room is crowded
If necessary, they could also help get additional chairs for guests if needed

Opening Thought Role

A member provides a 1 minute “thought of the day” – which can be from notes, if needed
Asks members and guests to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance

Toastmaster

Acts as the emcee/host of the meeting
Makes opening comments (optional), explains his/her role, and then introduces Timer/Ballot Counter and the Ah-Counter to explain their roles
Introduces the Table Topics Master
Has meeting returned to him/her after Table Topics
Introduces the Prepared Speeches portion of the meeting, and then introduces each speaker by reading their ‘speaker intro’
Calls for a Timer’s report after all speeches are completed
Asks members to fill out a ballot for Best Speaker and pass it to the Ballot Counter
Calls for reports (AH Counter and Ballot Counter) at the end of the meeting

Timer/Ballot Counter

Explains his/her role when called by Toastmaster
Times all TT, prepared speeches, and speech evaluators – displaying the color-coded timing lights to let speakers know how long they’ve been speaking
Provides a Timer’s Report when called by TT Master/Toastmaster/General Evaluator – noting if all speakers were within time, or who has been disqualified
Counts ballots for each section of the meetings and holds results for end of meeting
Doesn’t vote unless there’s a tie – and provides the tie-breaking vote
Provides winner results for each section when called upon by the Toastmaster at end of meeting

Ah-Counter/Grammarian

Arrives at meeting with Word of the Day to share with members and guests
Explains his/her role when called by Toastmaster
Keeps track of all filler words, all notable uses of grammar, and all uses of the Word of the Day throughout the meeting
Provides the Ah-Counter’s Report for all members and guests when called by the Toastmaster at end of meeting

Table Topics Master

Prepares Table Topics questions for all TT (Table Topics) participants
Before the meeting, should note everyone who has a role from the agenda, so he/she can call on everyone else.
Explains what TTs are, what his/her role is, the value of extemporaneous speaking, and what the theme is for the TT questions that day
Calls for a Timer’s report after all TT are completed
Asks members to fill out a ballot for Best TT and pass it to the Ballot Counter
Calls on guest TT volunteers after all eligible members have participated. Offers participating quests three choices: answer a new question, answer an old question, talk about themselves

General Evaluator

Explains his/her role, and then introduces each speech evaluator (returning to the lectern after each speech evaluation.)
Calls for a Timer’s report after all evaluations are completed
Provides an evaluation of how the meeting went, including meeting roles. (Shouldn’t include an evaluation of the speakers, unless truly necessary – e.g. objectionable content.)
Asks members to fill out a ballot for Best Evaluator and pass it to the Ballot Counter

Evaluator