You have put your hand up to be the Toastmaster of the evening but have absolutely no idea what you have gotten yourself into. Have no fear, it is actually a lot of fun and helps you in your career as well with regards to organisational and time management skills.
According to Toastmasters International, the main duties of the Toastmaster is to coordinate and conduct the entire meeting, introduce participants, and act as a host. The Toastmaster sets the tone for the meeting. This task is generally reserved for members who are quite familiar with the club and its procedures.
Some tips to get you started.
- Decide on the meeting theme at least a week in advance.
This not only helps the VPPR send out the invitations early enough, but it also allows those with speaking roles time to incorporate the theme into their speech (if they like). Encourage the Table Topics Master to tie the theme into his / her role too.
You can also reach out to each speaker of the evening and ask them to give you a sentence of what the theme means to them. This will give you the opportunity to share this info when introducing them just before their speech. - Double-check pronunciation of names.
Confirm the pronunciation of names of those who are delivering a speech or performing a role. You can do this either before the meeting or arrive a bit earlier to discuss with the president. Alternatively, you can reach out to the person directly and just explain that you want to introduce them correctly. - Prepare and lead with sincerity, energy, enthusiasm, and decisiveness.
Preparation is key so make sure to look at the agenda prior to the meeting so that you understand the flow of the meeting. You can also chat to the VPE about the order of the meeting at the club. Different clubs run their meetings in slightly different ways.
Relax and enjoy, there is no reason to be nervous of apprehensive. Keep your energy levels high as this sets the scene for the meeting. - Introducing your theme and your team.
The president will hand over control to you to introduce your theme. You will have 3 minutes to open the meeting with a powerful introduction. Practice this as you would a speech, it should not exceed 3 minutes.
As Toastmaster you can’t run this meeting entirely on your own and that is why you have a team to assist.
This team consists of:
A Timekeeper,
an Ah Counter, and a
grammarian
Ask these team members to introduce their role for the evening and then hand over to the person responsible for doing the Toast to Toastmasters International. - Introducing the speakers
When introducing the speakers, this is the opportunity to give their brief into related to your theme. For example: “I asked Karyn how she felt about her goals that she set out for the year, and this is what she said”.
You will then first introduce their evaluator to give the purpose of the speech followed by the speaker. The format goes as follows – pronounce their name, then their speech title, then their speech title and their name.
For example: “Help me to welcome Karyn Strybos with her speech title: Cheers to a love so strong, Cheers to a love so strong, Karyn Strybos” - Lead the applause.
Members and guests will take their cue from you, so make sure you know when to clap, and carry the rest of the room with you. In a virtual setting unmute yourself so that your clap can be heard. - Show that you have paid attention.
This is not required, but I have often heard Toastmasters pull out small things from the speech or something that is relatable. This shows that you have paid attention during their speech and often adds really nice context to the evening. - Your role is nearly done.
At Mariswe Toastmasters your role officially ends when we have the break so before you announce the break maybe add one more final thought related to your theme.
Final thoughts.
Your mentor will be the best source of advice, tips and tricks to get you through the meeting but if you do not have a mentor ask someone who has done the Toastmasters role before as they may be able to offer you some additional guidance.
You can also download the Toastmasters script and checklist here.
The Toastmaster role has allowed me to understand the role of moderator or MC for meetings or events. It also helped me understand how to chair meetings at work. It has helped me create agenda’s, managing my time more effectively and boosted my confidence in holding both in-person and online events. It has also given me the opportunity to practice brining the energy into a room to ensure that meetings are engaging.
– Busisiwe Nteyi (Mariswe Toastmasters Member)