Speech Guide For Toastmaster Or President
Your meeting will go more efficiently and be less stressful if you check in advance by phoning the participants the weekend or night before or both. Check everybody is in the country, in good health, has remembered the meeting, has prepared, and has everything they need.
Check the main speaker/s and evaluator/s and mentors have contacted each other. Have the speakers brought or asked for any needed props such as a flipchart or projector or projector extension lead. Does the Grammarian have a printed word of the day.
Will everybody bring any manuals? If a first time speaker has no manual, the TME or mentor should send them or talk them through the requirements of the speech and timing it.
Can the speakers or committee members give you any introductions to speakers, whatever would increase the speaker's confidence or make the audience clap. (Qualifications, and what they mean - such as a PhD - which is a doctor - not a doctor of law but a ... who spent five years researching English grammar).
Appoint a backup speaker with a backup speech in case of absent or delayed speakers (who might fall ill, get lost, or be stuck in traffic. That way you will have the minimum of three speakers required for voting.
Who opens the meeting? At many weddings and functions the Toastmaster who knows the venue, and the order of proceedings, opens and then invites the VIP of the evening to speak. But in a Toastmasters Intention speech training club the order of VIPs is usually to start with the experienced VIP President, who is the well known figure, who knows proceedings better than the Toastmaster of the Evening who is a novice practising the role.
The President and Toastmaster of the evening need to liaise and be clear which one will do which role of these:
1 Organisation History
For the benefit of newcomers and a reminder to old-timers:
Explain the origin and purpose of Toastmasters International to train speakers (remember the number of clubs and members, first in the USA, then worldwide, and perhaps the original of the new or longstanding club or the number of clubs in a city, or country or region, (such as London, UK, Singapore, Las Vegas, Asia, Australia).
2 Personal Past or Recent Inspiration
Tell a personal story starting with the benefit to the audience and a question to be answered when they hear your speech.
Present: For example, 'why the the car accident I saw / survived has also benefitted you'.
Past: Alternatively a historical story why I joined Toastmasters to speak at a wedding, give a presentation. Or a recent event: on my way here tonight; a dramatic incident such as seeing a car accident and realising life was short, being on a plane and praising fate or yourself you would write a speech.
End with a happy or funny note.
3 Arrange Seating / Latecomers' Seats
Assign an empty seat or two near the door for latecomers with an agenda.
Appoint a mentor to smile at latecomers. Or welcome latecomers.
If anybody has signified they will be late, warn the audience to reduce embarrassment. Start promptly, if necessary filling time with a game or going round the room asking everybody to say their name and whether they are a member or a guest. Welcome the latecomer. If the main speaker or any role filler is absent, assign the VPE, SAA or other committee member to phone and find out whether the speaker or evaluator will be arriving late but in time or if another must fulfil the role.
Contests
In contests the judges should not sit beside speakers.
Workshops and Training
Agendas.
Seating - warn people that they need to be seated next to those in the same role for group work later, or in pairs or groups of four, or with strangers for an introduce yourself exercise. Saves delay later.
4 Housekeeping Rules: Safety and comfort
Point out fire exits, toilets, and tell people about intervals and meeting end time to encourage them to wait.
Safety: Point out the fire exits.
Noise: Ask people to turn off phones or sit near exit door / aisle if they must have phones on to help latecomers or deal with emergencies. You will have more success if:
a) Turn off phones
You ask people to get out their phones, demonstrate by getting out yours, then ask them to turn off phones. Ask if anybody has a new phone and doesn't know how to turn it off. Getting out your own phone saves you the embarrassment of the Toastmasters or speaker's own phone going off.
b) Turn phones back on
Promise to remind them to put phones back on at interval and end of meeting. If I have forgotten to turn off my phone I am also likely to forget to turn it on. I decline to turn off the phone unless I am reminded to turn it back on, because if my taxi driver can't reach me at the end of the evening I will be stranded in a strange city at night.
Distribute Agendas, Papers and Pens
Hand out agenda / voting slips / Paper and pencils / copies of evaluator / judging forms
Introduce / welcome guests and VIPs
Run through agenda of the evening.
Encourage enthusiasm and clapping.
Use phrases such as:
Please clear the aisle, move chairs together or apart to make space for members of the audience to come forward. Look at the speaker and sit up. Don't slouch, fold your arms, frown, look at your phone, hunt in your bag. Don't whisper. If you must pass on a message, hand a three word note.
We encourage speakers by clapping like this!
We also smile!
Angela Lansbury, CL, ACG, travel writer and photographer, workshop leader, speaker.
Toastmasters Experience
I have been a committee member of two London Clubs, Harrovians and HOD. During my years at Toastmasters International which I joined in 2005 (ten years ago at the time of writing this post), I have given 40 speeches, reaching Advanced Communicator Gold.
I am the author of five books about Wedding speeches and wedding etiquette written for Ward Lock Cassell including Wedding Speeches and Toasts. My book How To Be A Bridesmaid featured in the Singapore Library presentation on how to use the library given to a group of Expat visitors. I have presented workshops on how to speak impromptu with props grabbed from your pocket or venue; I have written two books on Quotations: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
I visit clubs in Singapore and London, England every year and am happy to be Grammarian, Evaluator, General Evaluator or Speaker or Judge or any other role.
I am also available outside London and Singapore, worldwide, if I can be tempted by a fee, an honorarium and/or offer of accommodation and transport. I will also interested in writing blog posts, brochures, websites, articles and books, either for my own amusement or profit, or for a fee and/or royalties.
CL - Competent Leader
ACG - Advanced Communicator Gold
Check the main speaker/s and evaluator/s and mentors have contacted each other. Have the speakers brought or asked for any needed props such as a flipchart or projector or projector extension lead. Does the Grammarian have a printed word of the day.
Will everybody bring any manuals? If a first time speaker has no manual, the TME or mentor should send them or talk them through the requirements of the speech and timing it.
Can the speakers or committee members give you any introductions to speakers, whatever would increase the speaker's confidence or make the audience clap. (Qualifications, and what they mean - such as a PhD - which is a doctor - not a doctor of law but a ... who spent five years researching English grammar).
Appoint a backup speaker with a backup speech in case of absent or delayed speakers (who might fall ill, get lost, or be stuck in traffic. That way you will have the minimum of three speakers required for voting.
Who opens the meeting? At many weddings and functions the Toastmaster who knows the venue, and the order of proceedings, opens and then invites the VIP of the evening to speak. But in a Toastmasters Intention speech training club the order of VIPs is usually to start with the experienced VIP President, who is the well known figure, who knows proceedings better than the Toastmaster of the Evening who is a novice practising the role.
The President and Toastmaster of the evening need to liaise and be clear which one will do which role of these:
1 Organisation History
For the benefit of newcomers and a reminder to old-timers:
Explain the origin and purpose of Toastmasters International to train speakers (remember the number of clubs and members, first in the USA, then worldwide, and perhaps the original of the new or longstanding club or the number of clubs in a city, or country or region, (such as London, UK, Singapore, Las Vegas, Asia, Australia).
2 Personal Past or Recent Inspiration
Tell a personal story starting with the benefit to the audience and a question to be answered when they hear your speech.
Present: For example, 'why the the car accident I saw / survived has also benefitted you'.
Past: Alternatively a historical story why I joined Toastmasters to speak at a wedding, give a presentation. Or a recent event: on my way here tonight; a dramatic incident such as seeing a car accident and realising life was short, being on a plane and praising fate or yourself you would write a speech.
End with a happy or funny note.
3 Arrange Seating / Latecomers' Seats
Assign an empty seat or two near the door for latecomers with an agenda.
Appoint a mentor to smile at latecomers. Or welcome latecomers.
If anybody has signified they will be late, warn the audience to reduce embarrassment. Start promptly, if necessary filling time with a game or going round the room asking everybody to say their name and whether they are a member or a guest. Welcome the latecomer. If the main speaker or any role filler is absent, assign the VPE, SAA or other committee member to phone and find out whether the speaker or evaluator will be arriving late but in time or if another must fulfil the role.
Contests
In contests the judges should not sit beside speakers.
Workshops and Training
Agendas.
Seating - warn people that they need to be seated next to those in the same role for group work later, or in pairs or groups of four, or with strangers for an introduce yourself exercise. Saves delay later.
4 Housekeeping Rules: Safety and comfort
Point out fire exits, toilets, and tell people about intervals and meeting end time to encourage them to wait.
Safety: Point out the fire exits.
Noise: Ask people to turn off phones or sit near exit door / aisle if they must have phones on to help latecomers or deal with emergencies. You will have more success if:
a) Turn off phones
You ask people to get out their phones, demonstrate by getting out yours, then ask them to turn off phones. Ask if anybody has a new phone and doesn't know how to turn it off. Getting out your own phone saves you the embarrassment of the Toastmasters or speaker's own phone going off.
b) Turn phones back on
Promise to remind them to put phones back on at interval and end of meeting. If I have forgotten to turn off my phone I am also likely to forget to turn it on. I decline to turn off the phone unless I am reminded to turn it back on, because if my taxi driver can't reach me at the end of the evening I will be stranded in a strange city at night.
Distribute Agendas, Papers and Pens
Hand out agenda / voting slips / Paper and pencils / copies of evaluator / judging forms
Introduce / welcome guests and VIPs
Run through agenda of the evening.
Encourage enthusiasm and clapping.
Use phrases such as:
Please clear the aisle, move chairs together or apart to make space for members of the audience to come forward. Look at the speaker and sit up. Don't slouch, fold your arms, frown, look at your phone, hunt in your bag. Don't whisper. If you must pass on a message, hand a three word note.
We encourage speakers by clapping like this!
We also smile!
Angela Lansbury, CL, ACG, travel writer and photographer, workshop leader, speaker.
Toastmasters Experience
I have been a committee member of two London Clubs, Harrovians and HOD. During my years at Toastmasters International which I joined in 2005 (ten years ago at the time of writing this post), I have given 40 speeches, reaching Advanced Communicator Gold.
I am the author of five books about Wedding speeches and wedding etiquette written for Ward Lock Cassell including Wedding Speeches and Toasts. My book How To Be A Bridesmaid featured in the Singapore Library presentation on how to use the library given to a group of Expat visitors. I have presented workshops on how to speak impromptu with props grabbed from your pocket or venue; I have written two books on Quotations: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
I visit clubs in Singapore and London, England every year and am happy to be Grammarian, Evaluator, General Evaluator or Speaker or Judge or any other role.
I am also available outside London and Singapore, worldwide, if I can be tempted by a fee, an honorarium and/or offer of accommodation and transport. I will also interested in writing blog posts, brochures, websites, articles and books, either for my own amusement or profit, or for a fee and/or royalties.
CL - Competent Leader
ACG - Advanced Communicator Gold
Labels: agendas, clapping, fire exit, Latecomers, meeting seating, President, safety, seats, TME, Toastmaster, toilet, turn off phones, VIPs, weddings
posted by Angela Lansbury Author at 2:59 AM
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