Be a little early so that you can be met by one of our friendly members and introduced to some of the other members before the meeting. This will help you to feel welcome and know at least someone else in the room. The meeting will start with the Sergeant At Arms letting us know the meeting will start soon and to find a place to sit.
The following are some of the segments which you will hear at a typical meeting:
A Toastmaster chairs the overall meeting, generally setting the tone and pace of the meeting. There is usually a theme for the meeting, like ‘’Love is in the Air’’ for Valentine’s Day or ‘’Strange Australian Customs’’ and a printed program outlining what segments are planned for the meeting.
Warm- Ups are a segment to warm up our vocal cords and brain power ready for the evening. Each person has the opportunity to stand and deliver a sentence in reply to the topic. As a Guest, if you do not want to participate, then say ‘Pass’. There is no pressure to participate- we understand it is daunting to come along to a meeting as a Guest.
Table Topics is a segment to practice the art of impromptu speaking for 1-2 minutes on a given topic. This is a challenging, yet fun session.
Table Topics Master is the person who prepares and presents topics for the Table Topics session. You’ll notice a big grin on this person’s face as they get to choose topics for the members to talk about.
Evaluators help speakers to improve their speaking skills by encouraging strengths and offering suggestions for improvements. These are important segments, as we all want to improve and get better.
A Timekeeper will record the time taken to present each segment. Green, yellow and red lights offer time control. Each segment is allotted a time and a Green light means that the segment is within the time given, Yellow means that the segment is starting to run out of time and Red means the segment has used up its allotted time. Keeping to time is also an important skill practiced and encouraged.
Prepared Speeches are presented by members working their way through their Communication Manual or Advanced Manual. Each speech has objectives and a time limit to work towards. These speeches usually last between 5-7 minutes and all sorts of topics are chosen by members to talk about.