A Typical Club Meeting

 

The purpose of Toastmasters is to help members overcome apprehensions about speaking in public, improve communication skills and develop leadership skills.

This is accomplished by providing a self-paced, focused speaking program with a supportive, experienced group of people to assist you. This mutual support will help you become more effective in several skills, including formal public presentations, individual communications, impromptu speaking situations, managing and participating in meetings, and leading and managing people.

The chief mechanism in developing these skills is through the typical club meeting, which is designed to provide an opportunity to practice various techniques in a variety of situations.

A normal Toastmasters meeting will contain a number of individual sections within the meeting, as described below.

Table Topics

During this portion of the meeting, club members (and sometimes guests) practice impromptu speaking by responding to topic questions prepared by the Table Topics Master.

Prepared Speeches

In this section, assigned members practice their public speaking skills by giving a prepared presentation from the Pathways program.

Each project in a Pathways' path has a specific objective in an area that helps members practice different speaking techniques.

Some members may be just starting out, while others may be more advanced. Remember, though, all Toastmasters began just as you did and, as you learn from each project, you will be able to reach and exceed what you see in your first meetings.

Evaluations

During this portion, members practice their listening and evaluation skills. Assigned members will give evaluations of the prepared speeches and of the meeting as a whole. These evaluations provide feedback of how the evaluators saw the presenters and will point out the positive aspects of the speech and some possible areas for improvement. Good evaluations are the hallmark of skilled Toastmasters.

Roles in a meeting

Other members fill a number of roles in order to help the meeting flow smoothly and improve the quality of the meeting:

• The Toastmaster prepares and leads the meeting as "host."
• The Table Topics Master leads the impromptu speaking portion.
• The General Evaluator conducts the evaluation portion.
• The Timer supports everyone by reminding them of their use of time.
• The Ah Counter notes any word or sound used as a crutch, so speakers can become aware and correct them.

Business Meeting

During this portion, the club's business is handled. At the same time, the club practices effective meeting management skills, so that business can be handled quickly and efficiently.

Visiting a Club

If you would like to learn more about Toastmasters meetings, arrange to visit a club. There are no fees for visitors, and you can visit as many times as you like before deciding to become a member.