Toastmaster Meetings Are Run To An Agenda
A structured meeting provides the best way to practice public speaking and by breaking the meeting up into lots of small parts it allows many speaking opportunities.
When you take your seat you will find a copy of the agenda. It is a guide to the speaking journey.
Learn Below About How A Meeting Works
- Meeting Agenda
Every Toastmaster club uses an agenda and meetings always start by introducing it. Agendas are very familiar to most people. At a speaking club though, they become a powerful transformative device. They are a mini journey that gives many people the opportunity to practice speaking whatever the level of their ability. Meeting agendas can vary although all clubs have common components. To see what a typical meeting agenda looks like click here to download a sample. - Meeting Roles
Each meeting allows club members to volunteer to take on different meeting roles. This is the key part of your ‘learn by doing’. - Opening the Meeting
Meetings at Abingdon Speakers are opened by the Seargant at Arms who then hands over to the toasmaster of the evening. The toastmaster is a member who will lead the club through the meeting agenda by introducing the speakers. The first two of the speakers are the functionary roles of timekeeper to keep track of time and grammarian to evaluate language. Along with the toastmaster, these two roles are practicing speaking through “learn by doing”. - Prepared Speeches
The prepared speeches are what people associate with public speaking. The prepared speeches can only be given my members and each speech is a project with its own objectives to meet. Generally four speeches are given (the number can vary) and they usually last between 5 and 10 minutes. You will be invited to give feedback and vote for the best speaker. - Evaluations
Although toastmasters may seem that it is all about prepared speeches, a meeting is far more about evaluations.It is through feedback about what we do well and what we can improve that we develop as speakers. All the prepared speakers will have their speech evaluated by a member. You will be invited to vote for the best evaluator. - Table Topics
The other major speaking section is the impromptu speaking section called Table Topics. In table topics, people give 2 minute impromptu speeches based on a question asked to them by a member. Guests can volunteer to take part. - Closing the Meeting
Meetings come to close with more evaluation. The timekeeper gives timing, and the grammarian gives their evaluation of language used.Lastly the general evaluator gives feedback to all the roles from speech evaluators to the toastmaster.The toastmaster hands the stage back to the club president who will wrap the meeting up with the awards you voted for.(link to sample agenda)
