¡Hola! Toastmasters
GUIDELINES FOR MEETING ROLES
Version 2, Feb 2012
Table of Contents
How to Sign up for a Meeting Role .................................................................................................................................... 2
Toastmaster of the Evening - Guidelines ......................................................................................................................... 4
Timer - Guidelines ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Ah Counter/Grammarian - Guidelines ............................................................................................................................... 7
Word of the Day - Guidelines ............................................................................................................................................. 9
One Minute Speaker‟s Tip – Guidelines ......................................................................................................................... 11
Table Topics Master - Guidelines .................................................................................................................................... 12
Table Topics Speaker – Guidelines ................................................................................................................................ 14
Table Topics Evaluator - Guidelines ............................................................................................................................... 18
Modismos - Guidelines ...................................................................................................................................................... 21
General Evaluator - Guidelines ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Speech Evaluator - Guidelines ......................................................................................................................................... 24
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How to Sign up for a Meeting Role
The easiest way to sign up for a meeting role is to speak with the Vice President of Education (VPE) after the
meeting. If you‟re not sure who the VPE is, ask another club member to introduce you.
Outside of the meeting, there are two ways to sign up for a role:
Email the VPE at [email protected] and request a role, or
Sign up on the online agenda.
Signing up for a role on the online agenda
1. Go to http://5054.toastmastersclubs.org/
2. Login to your online account by clicking on the “Member Login” link (left side of screen under “Members
Only” area :
3. Enter your username and password on the login screen.
a. If you don‟t know your login details, contact the website administrator at [email protected]
4. Click on the “Meeting Agendas” link, which is also located under the “Members Only” area.
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5. Now take the following two steps:
a. In the dropdown list, choose the club meeting date for which you would like to sign up for a role.
b. Scroll down to the role you would like to take and click on the “Sign Up” button next to that role.
a
b
6. You have now successfully signed up for a role!
a. Note: we generally ask members to only sign up for one role.
b. If there are still vacant roles on the day of the meeting, you can then sign up for multiple roles by
speaking directly with the Vice President of Education ([email protected]).
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Toastmaster of the Evening - Guidelines
Fulfills Projects 4, 5, 7, 8, or 10 in the Competent Leader Manual
Congratulations for volunteering to be the Toastmaster (TMOE)! You ensure that the meeting runs smoothly
and on time, and you set the tone. If you choose a lively theme and lead the meeting with energy, the audience
will respond with energy.
A common pitfall among TMOEs is that they spend too much time talking about a theme, telling personal
stories, etc in between meeting roles. This causes the meeting to run behind schedule, and other members of
the club are then forced to cut their roles short. Your primary goal is to keep the meeting running on time
and smoothly, and that often means that you need to keep your introductions and transitions short.
BEFORE THE MEETING
1. Obtain the meeting agenda here: http://5054.toastmastersclubs.org/agenda.html
2. Contact the speakers at least 1 week in advance. Members‟ contact details are located at the “Private
Member Directory” link on this page: http://5054.toastmastersclubs.org/ Ask speakers to provide:
a. Speech title
b. Speech length
c. Speech #
d. Speech introduction (2-3 sentences)
3. Familiarize yourself with the typical meeting flow (use an old agenda or email the VP Education at
[email protected] for a copy of a typical meeting agenda).
4. Practice, prepare, and time your introduction and any transitions. This allows you to keep the meeting
going smoothly, and ensures that your speaking points are not too long.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
1. Dress professionally (business casual) for the role.
2. Arrive at least 20 minutes before the meeting starts to greet guests and set up the room.
3. Ensure that all members with roles in the meeting are present. If a member with a role does not show
up, find a substitute before the meeting starts.
4. Sit near the front of the room for quick and easy access to the lectern.
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5. Introduce yourself to the guests and write down their names. When you ask each guest to speak in
the guest introductions section, you can say their name first. This adds a personal touch.
DURING THE MEETING
1. Keep the meeting on time by following the agenda. If the meeting is running over time, you may need to
cut back in other areas (e.g. number of Table Topics, length of speech evaluations).
2. Briefly introduce the timer and grammarian/ah counter, so guests understand how a typical
Toastmasters meeting works.
3. Always lead the applause when you bring a member to the floor.
4. Remain standing until you have shaken hands with the next speaker and turned control of the stage
over to them; then be seated.
Need a creative idea for your Toastmaster role? Check out these resources:
Creative and educational themes:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4947478_come-creative-themes-toastmasters-meeting.html
Here are a few ideas from Toastmasters International:
http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/SpotlightArticles/ToastmastersOnstage.aspx
Other ideas
Check out a book of useless information from the library, e.g. The Ultimate Book of Useless Information
and read short passages throughout the meeting
Choose a topic that interests you and read snippets of trivia throughout the meeting (e.g. food trivia,
airplane trivia, etc.). You can even offer small prizes for people that answer questions correctly.
Email members in advance and ask them to answer a question. Then, when you call them to the front,
you can read their answer. Example questions:
o What are your summer plans?
o What is your favorite food?
o What is your number one speaking goal this year?
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Timer - Guidelines
Fulfills Project 4 in the Competent Leader Manual
The timer is crucial to ensuring that meeting participants speak within their allotted time. As timer you are
responsible for monitoring time for each meeting segment and each speaker. You‟ll also operate the timing
signal, indicating to each speaker how long he or she has been talking.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
5. Arrive at least 15 minutes before the meeting starts.
6. Check the agenda to see the timing ranges for each speaker.
7. The Sergeant-at-Arms (Rene Maldonado) will give you the timing device. Check to make sure the
timing device is working and that you can operate it.
8. Sit directly in the middle back of the room.
DURING THE MEETING
5. The Toastmaster may ask you to explain your role.
a. Example: “Mr/Madame Toastmaster, fellow members, most welcome guests, the numbers on the
right side of the agenda indicate the minimum and maximum times allowed for each speaking role.
The green light on the timing device go off when the speaker has reached the minimum time, the
yellow light after that, and the red light for the maximum time. If you see the red light, please wrap
up your speech right away.”
6. If the speaker goes over his time by more than a minute, clap to indicate that the speaker‟s time is up.
The exception is if the speaker is a guest or someone doing an Icebreaker speech.
7. When the General Evaluator calls upon you for the Timer’s report, keep it brief and to the point (you
have a maximum of 2 minutes). Suggestions for how to do this:
a. At the beginning of your report, point out that members can follow along with you by looking at the
time limits on the right-hand side of the agenda. That way, you don‟t have list to list each speaker‟s
minimum and maximum time limits.
b. Then list each person‟s speaking time, only noting if they were over time. For instance:
i. As Toastmaster, Andy spoke for 2 minutes and 5 seconds.
ii. Tom was the first speaker, and he spoke for 8 minutes and 15 seconds. This was over time.
iii. Julie was the second speaker, and her time was 5 minutes and 2 seconds.
8. Continue timing the meeting even after you have given your report.
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Ah Counter/Grammarian - Guidelines
Fulfills Projects 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the Competent Leader Manual
The ah counter/grammarian role is a fantastic way to improve your listening and speaking skills. This is an
important role within the meeting because you help speakers see when they need to work on filler words and
grammar.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
9. Print out the ah counter/grammarian’s log (see the next page).
10. Bring a pen.
11. Arrive at least 15 minutes before the meeting starts.
DURING THE MEETING
9. The Toastmaster may call upon you to explain your role (depends on the Toastmaster).
a. Example: “Mr/Madam Toastmaster, fellow members, most welcome guests, as the Ah Counter and
Grammarian for the meeting, I will listen for filler words such as ahs and ums. I will also listen for
incorrect grammar and excellent use of language.”
10. Tally everyone’s use of language using the ah counter/grammarian‟s log (see the next page).
11. The General Evaluator will call upon you near the end to provide the Ah Counter/Grammarian’s
Report.
a. Quickly go down the list of member who used filler words, e.g.
i. Andy, 2 ahs, 3 ums
ii. George, 4 ahs, 2 “you knows”
iii. Betsy, 5 ums
iv. Amy, Tom, and Arnold, you had no filler words
b. Quickly go down the list of speakers with grammatical errors and nice use of language
i. Andy, you said „I ain‟t been‟ instead of „I haven‟t been‟
ii. Betsy, you said „I am am a‟ instead of „I am a‟
iii. George, you used the vivid phrase, „she looked at me with fire in her eyes‟
12. A maximum of two minutes is allocated for the Grammarian’s Report. Please stay within this time
limit.
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Ah Counter/Grammarian’s Log
Role
Speaker Name
Ahs/ums and filler
words
Sergeant-AtArms
President
Toastmaster
Speaker #1
Speaker #2
Speaker #3
Speaker #4
Table Topics
Master
Table Topics
Speaker #1
Table Topics
Speaker #2
Table Topics
Speaker #3
Table Topics
Speaker #4
Table Topics
Speaker #5
Table Topics
Speaker #6
Modismos
General
Evaluator
Timer
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Incorrect grammar
Good use of
language
Word of the Day - Guidelines
The Word of the Day is another great role for improving your listening and speaking skills. By choosing a word,
you also help club members improve their vocabulary, and you help club members become more flexible
through adjusting their planned scripts to include the Word of the Day.
BEFORE THE MEETING
1. Choose an appropriate Word of the Day.
a. Try not to choose a word that is so difficult that members will struggle to remember and
incorporate it into their speeches.
b. On the flip side, try not to choose a word that is commonly used, for instance, “the”, “various”,
“Toastmasters”, etc.
2. Write down the definition of the word and a sentence that uses the word. You will read this to the
audience when talking about the Word of the Day.
3. Coordinate with the VP Education to add the Word of the Day to the agenda.
4. Create 1-2 Word of the Day signs. In large letters, write the Word of the Day on 1-2 sheets of paper that
can be displayed around the room. Note: you won‟t need to bring tape as we already have it.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
5. Bring the Word of the Day signs, a piece of paper to track who used the Word of the Day, and a pen.
6. Arrive early. This is so you can get tape from one of the officers and hang the Word of the Day on the wall
or podium.
DURING THE MEETING
7. Near the beginning of the meeting, the Toastmaster will call upon you to explain your role.
a. Example: “Mr/Madam Toastmaster, fellow members, most welcome guests, I am doing the
Word of the Day.
b. The Word of the Day is …
c. The definition is …
d. An example of how to use the word in a sentence is …
8. A maximum of two minutes is allocated for the Word of the Day explanation. Please stay within this
time limit.
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9. Near the end of the meeting, the General Evaluator will call upon you to give the Word of the Day report.
This is a quick report where you read off the names of people who used the Word of the Day.
10. A maximum of one minute is allocated for the Word of the Day final report. Please stay within this
time limit.
Need an idea for the Word of the Day?
Merriam Webster word of the day:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/
Dictionary.com word of the day:
http://dictionary.reference.com/
More common (but useful) words of the day from WordThink:
http://www.wordthink.com/
New York Times word of the day:
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/word-of-the-day/
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One Minute Speaker’s Tip – Guidelines
You provide one valuable tip to help your fellow Toastmasters improve the structure, content, or delivery of
their speeches. Because you only have a maximum of one minute to share the tip and how speakers can
implement it, make sure you choose one that can be easily explained in that time.
Suggestion: Some speakers try to cram 2-3 tips into one minute, and their delivery ends up feeling
rushed. One minute is not enough to provide any detail on more than one tip, so it‟s best to stick with
one tip.
BEFORE THE MEETING
1. Draw upon your experience or explore speaking resources to find a tip. See below for potential
resources.
2. Practice your delivery of the tip to ensure that it is less than one minute.
Speaking Resources
Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, offers some of the best free material for
speaking. Visit www.craigvalentine.com
o His blog is excellent
o Sign up for his 52 Speaking Tips and/or his newsletter for more tips
Darren LaCroix, the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, also offers useful resources. To access
some resources, you need to sign up for his mailing list. He offers a newsletter called Stage Time, a blog,
and free YouTube videos. Visit http://darrenlacroix.com/
Visit www.toastmasters.org for free articles
o There are a number of free articles here:
http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/FreeResources/NeedHelpGivingaSpeech.aspx
o The Toastmasters monthly magazine (now online) often has excellent speaking articles:
http://www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/currentissue.aspx
Visit http://speaking.alltop.com/ to find other blogs with speaking tips
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Table Topics Master - Guidelines
Fulfills Projects 4, 5, or 7 in the Competent Leader Manual
Table Topics is the impromptu speaking portion of the meeting, that is, the target speaker has no time to
prepare their answer. Your goal as the Table Topics Master (TTM) is to provide a fun environment that allows
speakers to work on impromptu speaking and creativity skills.
A maximum of 10 minutes is allocated for the Table Topics section – this includes your introduction
and all of the Table Topics speakers. Please stay within this time limit.
You can be as creative as you want. You can use props, music, acting, audience participation, or other
possibilities to get the creative juices of the audience members flowing. You can coordinate with the
Toastmaster to choose a theme, but this is not necessary.
Key Highlights
1. Briefly explain how Table Topics works and the timing guidelines before you call any speakers
2. Speaking order
a. Always call on an experienced member first, so guests and new members can see how
Table Topics works
b. Try to call on members who don‟t already have a role first
c. Then invite guests to participate
3. Keep your introduction and transitions between Table Topics speakers brief – you want to
maximize the number of people who participate in this section
BEFORE THE MEETING
1. Familiarize yourself with the basics of your role:
a. The Toastmaster calls you to the front to do Table Topics
b. You give a brief introduction to Table Topics (see below for guidelines)
c. You call a speaker to the front and ask a Table Topics question
d. In total, you usually call 4-6 Table Topics speakers, one at a time
2. Prepare at least 5 questions.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
3. Arrive at least 20 minutes early to check the agenda and see which members do not already have roles.
You can also speak with guests to see if they would like to participate.
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DURING THE MEETING
4. In your brief (less than one minute) introduction to Table Topics, you can cover:
a. What is Table Topics?
i. impromptu speaking that helps you practice thinking on your feet
b. How does it work?
i. a speaker will be called to the front, the TTM will read the question, and the speaker will
have 1-2 minutes to answer the question.
c. What is the chosen theme of the Table Topics portion?
i. (keep your explanation brief!)
5. Table Topics is about maximizing speaking opportunities for the members. Therefore, keep your
introduction and explanations for each question brief.
6. It is preferable to choose Table Topics speakers rather than asking for volunteers, so members
without a meeting role can speak. Guidelines for picking speakers:
a. Members that do not already have a meeting role should be called upon first.
i. See which members are present and cross-check against the meeting agenda.
b. Guests can participate in Table Topics, but you should never call a guest as the first speaker.
Always call on an experienced speaker first.
c. If you would like to ask a guest to participate, you can do one of the following:
i. Before the meeting, privately ask the guest if she would like to participate, or
ii. During Table Topics, ask if any guests would like to volunteer. If none volunteer, call on
a member instead.
7. If one speaker goes way over time, you may need to cut back on the number of questions you ask.
Make sure to keep within the overall 10 minute time limit.
8. When you finish speaking, return the floor to the Toastmaster. Wait until the Toastmaster has come to
the front of the room and shake hands with him or her.
Need a creative idea for your Table Topics session? Check out these resources:
http://toastmastersfaq.blogspot.com/2006/12/table-topics-ideas.html
http://hippwaters.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/3-awesome-ideas-for-table-topics/
http://adamwern.com/toastmasters/table-topics-ideas
This site contains humorous bumper stickers, which may spark some ideas for you:
http://www.cafepress.com/ibs_store/309551
Or Google Table Topics Ideas and see what comes up! 
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Table Topics Speaker – Guidelines
You‟ve been called upon to answer an impromptu question, and your knees are shaking. How do you get
through this without melting into the floor?
Don‟t worry! Nobody has ever died or disappeared from shame after doing Table Topics. We don‟t expect you
to be an articulate and polished speaker – all you have to do is make an honest try!
If you want to improve as an impromptu speaker, there are some handy techniques you can employ. Read on
for more details!
TABLE TOPICS GENERAL TIPS
1. Before you answer your question, pause, look at the audience, and smile. Appearance is everything,
and doing this makes you look more confident than you probably feel inside. It also buys you 2-3 extra
seconds.
2. Then greet the Table Topics Master, your fellow Toastmasters, and guests. This buys you 2-3
seconds.
3. If you don’t have an answer right away, repeat the Table Topics question. This buys you a few more
seconds!
4. Go with the first answer that pops into your head. Even if it isn‟t the most brilliant answer in the world,
it‟s something. If you try to think of the best possible answer, you‟re be standing silent in front of the room,
and it can start to feel awkward for you and the audience.
5. Try to have an opening, body, and conclusion to the speech.
6. Once you see the green light, start to wrap up your answer. I‟ve seen people give Table Topics
speeches that were great at first, and then they kept going and going and going. Don‟t go over time, and
everyone will love you.
7. End the speech at a natural stopping point. This is related to number 4 – you can ruin a great Table
Topics speech by continuing after a natural point to end the speech. Wrap it up when you have finished a
story or logical idea, and save the other ideas that you have for another speech.
8. Practice answering Table Topics outside of Hola meetings. Follow the links on page 13 to find example
Table Topics questions, and practice alone or with a Toastmasters friend.
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TECHNIQUES FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION
1. PREP technique
Elements of the PREP technique
Point
Reason
Example
Point
Explanation
State your point of view about the question. If it is an opinion
question, do you agree or disagree?
Give a reason for your view.
Give one to three examples as evidence to support your view (no
more the three).
Restate your point of view.
Some examples of the PREP technique:
Table Topics question
PREP answer
P – I believe that parents should not be punished when children are
caught stealing …
R – because parents cannot control everything children do, and
punishing parents would create a greater strain on families.
E – First, some parents work long hours just to make ends meet.
Do you believe the parents
Elaborate a little more on this. Second, sometimes parents do a good
should be punished when a child
job raising their children, but the kids fall in with the wrong crowd at
is caught stealing?
school. Elaborate a little more on this. Third, punishing parents may
put further financial strain on the family, causing children to act out
even more.
P – For these reasons, I believe that parents should not be punished
when children are caught stealing.
P – I believe that a friend should be loyal, easygoing, and caring ...
R – because friends make the good times better and the bad times
less bad.
What are the most important
E – A friend should be loyal because … {reason why loyalty is
characteristics to have in a
important}. A friend should be easygoing because … {reason why
friend?
easygoing is an important trait}. Finally, a friend should be caring
because … {reason why it‟s important for a friend to be caring}.
P – Look around at your friends – are they loyal, easygoing, and
caring?
Within the PREP technique, it is really useful to employ the Rule of Three. The rule of three is that three
points are memorable for the audience and often feel natural.
Here are some examples of how you can use the rule of three:
If the question is: “Why is it important to eat healthy?”, you could answer, “Three reasons to eat
healthy are because you have more energy, you look healthier, and you can live longer.
If the question is: “Do you like cats?”, you could answer, “I like cats for 3 reasons: they are loyal,
independent, and funny.”
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If you‟re giving three examples to answer a question, it‟s probably not enough to meet the one minute
minimum for Table Topics. The next step is to elaborate a little on each of your three points.
2. STORY technique
The story technique is where you tell a relevant story to support your Table Topics answer. You can either
tell personal stories, or stories about other people.
Some examples of the story technique:
Table Topics question
Story answer
Tell a story about a fantastic boss that you had and how his/her
leadership made a difference in the organization.
How important is leadership
OR
within the workplace?
Tell a story about a horrible boss that you had and how it negatively
affected the workplace.
With friends or family – tell a story about a Valentine‟s Day that you
celebrated with friends or family.
What is the best way to celebrate
OR
Valentine‟s Day?
Alone – tell a story about a horrible or funny Valentine‟s Day
experience that you had.
Tell a story about something you like to do at home.
In my house, I like to ….
OR
Protect my belongings – tell a story about being robbed or a friend who
was robbed, or a story that you read in the media about a burglary.
3. DIVERSION technique
Sometimes you get a Table Topics question that you simply can‟t answer.
If you get a question that you cannot answer, the diversion technique is to change the subject. Talk about
something you do know, preferably something that is at least slightly related to the Table Topics question.
For instance, one Table Topics question at the Division Table Topics contest was “Reply Hazy, Try Again.”1
Most of the contestants clearly didn‟t have any idea what that question meant. One of the contests used
the diversion technique and gave an answer like this: “Sometimes communication is hazy, and today I‟m
going to talk about how to improve your communication, particularly through making sure that you try, try
again.”
1
If you grew up in the 1980s, you might recognize this as one of the options on the Super 8 ball.
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Some more examples of the diversion technique:
Table Topics question
Diversion answer
I haven‟t been keeping up with the Ravens, but I have been keeping
up with xxx television show, and I think that {give an opinion about the
How do you think the Ravens
show}.
football team will do in the
OR
playoffs this year?
Football isn‟t a sport that I follow, but I think that exercise is really
important. Today I‟ll give you 3 reasons why I think that.
Since I don‟t have a crystal ball to see the future, I think it‟s better if I
talk about the present. And at present, I think that China is a
fascinating country because …
Where do you think that foreign
relations between China and
America are headed?
Explain why the cotton gin2 was a
revolutionary invention.
OR
It‟s difficult to determine which direction foreign relations are heading
for China and America, but I think the relationship between the US and
xxx country is a little more clear. I believe it is going …
I personally don‟t think the cotton gin was the greatest invention, but I
do believe that xxx was an important invention.
OR
Cotton and gin – two very important inventions, and this is why …
2
According to Wikipedia, “[The cotton gin] is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job that
otherwise must be performed painstakingly by hand.”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_gin
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Table Topics Evaluator - Guidelines
As the Table Topics Evaluator, you briefly provide oral feedback for each of the Table Topics participants. Your
aim is to highlight effective techniques that speakers used, and suggest improvements or other areas to
explore for each participant.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
1. If you think you’ll need ideas for Table Topics feedback, print out the checklist on page 20 for the
meeting.
2. Print out the table topics evaluation form (page 19) or bring paper for notes. Some people like to write
their notes on index cards, with one index card side for each Table Topics speaker.
DURING THE MEETING
3. Take notes on each Table Topics speech. Aim to find at least one strength and one suggestion for
improvement for each speaker.
4. When called upon to give your evaluation:
a. Briefly mention that Table Topics evaluations help speakers see what they are doing well and
what they can improve.
b. For the Table Topics Master, give 1-2 things that he/she did well, and 1-2 things he/she could
improve.
c. Go through each Table Topics speaker and briefly cover:
i. The speaker‟s name and a one sentence synopsis of what he/she spoke about.
1. E.g. Sally Smith told a hilarious story about her adventurous whitewater rafting
trip.
2. George Jetson described why keeping in touch with old friends is important.
3. Andy Rooney spoke about the importance of strong leadership.
ii. 1-2 things the speaker did well, and
iii. 1 things the speaker could improve
iv. Bonus: suggestion for how the speaker could make that improvement.
d.
5. Pitfalls to avoid:
a. Don’t recount each of the Table Topics speeches. This does not help the participants, and it
annoys members who want to hear tips and suggestions, not a retelling of the Table Topic.
b. Don’t spend too much time evaluating the first few Table Topics speakers. You might run
out of time and rob other Table Topics participants of the chance to receive an evaluation.
c. Keep the focus of your evaluation on the speakers. Don‟t spend time talking about how their
speech reminded you of a particular story or anecdote – remember that a Table Topics
evaluation is not about you; it‟s about the speakers!
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Table Topics Evaluator Form
Speaker #1 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
Speaker #2 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
Speaker #3 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
Speaker #4 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
Speaker #5 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
Speaker #6 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
Speaker #7 name:
Brief description:
Strengths:
Areas for improvement:
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Table Topics Evaluator Checklist
Table Topics Master
Logistics
 Was the introduction and explanation of Table Topics kept to 1 minute or less?
 Were members called on in the appropriate order (those with no role, then guests)?
 Were guests invited to participate?
 Were transitions between speakers short to allow as many people as possible to participate?
Delivery
 Did the TTM‟s posture display confidence and poise?
 Were gestures natural?
 Did the TTM make effective eye contact without reading too much from notes?
 Was the TTM articulate and easy to hear?
 Was it slow enough overall to be understandable?
Table Topics Speakers
The Speech Organization
 Did the speech have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
 Was the speech focused? (Did all arguments, stories, anecdotes relate to the message?)
 Did the speaker stop at a natural stopping point (vs continuing to speak well after a natural point where the
speech could have ended)?
Physical – Use of the Stage, Gestures and Eye Contact
 Did the speaker use the stage? (vs. standing in one spot)
 Did the speaker face the audience? (vs. facing the Table Topics Master)
 Did the speaker display confidence and poise?
 Were gestures natural?
 Does the speaker have any distracting mannerisms?
 Was eye contact effective in connecting the speaker to the whole audience?
Language and Vocal Variety
 Was the speaker articulate and easy to hear?
 Was it slow enough overall to be understandable?
 Were pauses used to aid understandability, heighten excitement, or provide drama?
Other notes:
When trying to think of an answer to the question, a good technique is to repeat the Table Topics question. It is
useful to point out when speakers do this, as it lets other new speakers know about this technique.
The Table Topics speaker is not required to answer the question directly because he/she may not know the
answer. Did the speaker effectively steer the question to another one that he/she could answer effectively?
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Modismos - Guidelines
Modismos is a unique section of Hola! Toastmasters. Modismos, which is Spanish for idioms, was originally
developed for members to showcase different words from their mother tongue, particularly dialect or slang3. It
has since expanded to include additional aspects of culture:
Language,
Food,
Gestures,
Art,
Music, or
Anything else of cultural interest
For modismos, you have you have 3-5 minutes to speak about some aspect of a culture. Some people will
chose 4-5 words of dialect or slang. Others talk about food or the meanings of certain gestures.
This option fulfills Projects 4 or 5 in the Competent Leader manual.
Although it is not required, it is good practice to organize your modismos speech with an introduction, body,
and conclusion. For instance, you might give a brief introduction to the country you are speaking about, then
discuss language in the body, and wrap up with a conclusion.
It‟s also a good idea to practice your modismos speech a few times and time yourself while doing it. That way,
you will appear more smooth and polished, and you‟ll stay within your allotted time.
3
Hola! Toastmasters was originally founded as a Spanish and English club. The Spanish speakers gave speeches in English and vice
versa. Hola! has since become so diverse and multi-cultural that we now do all speeches in English.
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General Evaluator - Guidelines
Fulfills Projects 2, 3, 5, 7, or 8 in the Competent Leader Manual
As the General Evaluator (GE), you help the Club improve the quality of its meetings. You provide supportive
feedback that encourages and motivates members to continually improve how they perform their roles. Check
the agenda to see how long you have to make your report.
BEFORE THE MEETING
3. Familiarize yourself with how the General Evaluation segment of the meeting works (use an old
agenda or email the VP Education at [email protected] for a copy of a typical meeting
agenda).
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
4. Arrive at least 20 minutes early to ensure that all members of the evaluation team are present. If not, ask
a member to substitute, and brief this member on his or her role.
DURING THE MEETING
7. Take evaluation notes on the meeting and everyone who is taking a role (except for the speakers).
See the checklist on page 23 for ideas.
8. When you are called to introduce the evaluation portion of the meeting, explain that feedback is
important for improvement and evaluations should highlight both the strengths of the speaker and 1-2
areas for improvement.
9. Always lead the applause when you bring a member to the floor.
10. Remain standing until you have shaken hands with the next speaker and turned control of the stage
over to them; then be seated.
11. During your evaluation, evaluate everyone on in the meeting who has not already been evaluated.
Try to highlight one strength and one area of improvement for each role.
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General Evaluator Checklist
A.





Everyone
Did the speaker‟s posture display confidence and poise?
Were gestures natural?
Did the speaker make effective eye contact without reading too much from notes?
Was the speaker articulate and easy to hear?
Was it slow enough overall to be understandable?
B.



President
Did the President ensure that guests were welcomed before the meeting?
Did the meeting start on time?
Did the President explain Toastmasters if guests were present?
C.




Toastmaster
Did the Toastmaster keep the introduction brief (2-3 minutes)?
Theme - was the theme introduced and did the TMOE keep it throughout the meeting?
Were the timer and grammarian roles explained at the beginning of the meeting?
Were guests given an opportunity to introduce themselves?
o Did the speech introductions include a brief introduction and the speech title?
 Did the Toastmaster run the meeting according to the agenda?
 Did the Toastmaster lead the applause when bringing speakers to the front?
 Did the Toastmaster shake the hands of everyone who came to the front?
D.




Evaluator
Did the evaluator keep the focus on the speaker?
Did the evaluator go over the project guidelines from the speaker‟s manual?
Did the evaluator avoid going off on tangents?
Did the evaluator focus on a few main strengths and areas for improvement (as opposed to providing a
long list)?
 Was the 'sandwich' technique employed:
 Did it begin on a positive note?
 Was at least one suggestion for improvement made?
 Was encouragement added at the close?
E. Timer and Ah Counter/Grammarian
 Did each keep track of all roles within the meeting?
 Did each keep their report succinct and to-the-point?
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Speech Evaluator - Guidelines
Fulfills Projects 1, 2, 3, or 8 in the Competent Leader Manual
As an evaluator, you help the speaker see what he did well and how he can improve. You provide supportive
feedback that encourages and motivates the speaker to continue learning.
While an evaluator should never be harsh or mean-spirited, some evaluators are afraid of hurting the speaker‟s
feelings and don‟t provide meaningful suggestions for improvement. You should always provide at least one tip
to help the speaker grow.
BEFORE THE MEETING
4. Contact the speaker at least 2 days before and obtain:
a. The project number, topic, and speaker‟s objectives.
b. Whether the speaker wishes you to comment, orally or in writing, on any specific aspect of speech
construction, content, or delivery.
5. Read the project carefully so that you know what to watch for during the speech.
ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING
5. Bring paper and a pen to take notes.
6. Arrive at least 15 minutes early so you can obtain the manual from the speaker.
DURING THE MEETING
12. Take notes on the speech and organize them to create a coherent evaluation (see pages 25-29 for
ideas).
13. Open your evaluation with the usual address to the Toastmasters, guests, and specifically the speaker.
14. Refresh the audience's memory by highlighting the main speech objectives before giving the meat of
your evaluation.
15. Give a positive, constructive evaluation that highlights 1-2 of the speaker‟s strengths, 1-2 areas for
improvement, and specifics on how to implement the areas for improvement.
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HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE AN EVALUATION?
A great evaluation has an opening, body, and conclusion and tells the audience how the evaluation is
organized, for instance, “Today, I will talk about what I saw, heard, and felt during Joanne’s speech.” Here are
two different techniques you could use to organize your evaluation:
1. The “Sandwich” or the “Commend Recommend Commend” (CRC) Technique
With this technique, suggestions for improvement are sandwiched between positive comments. The speaker
will likely be more receptive to listening to criticism if positive statements surround it. The general structure is:
1. Commend: Begin by highlighting strengths demonstrated by the speaker.
2. Recommend: Discuss 1-2 areas for improvement and how the speaker can improve.
3. Commend: Conclude by highlighting additional strengths of the presentation.
Commend: 1-2 points
about what the speaker
did well.
Commend: highlight other
strengths or give positive
wrap-up of speech.
Suggest how the speaker
could improve these
areas.
Recommend: 1-2 areas
that the speaker could
improve.
]
2. The “I Saw, I Heard, I Felt” Technique
3.
With this technique, you focus on the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic aspects of the speech. You can use a
table like the one below to help you organize the evaluation.
I Saw
I Heard
I Felt
Content
Props or slideware
Use of effective language,
organization, transitions
Language that made you
feel fearful, angry, sad, etc.
Delivery
Movement on stage,
gestures
Vocal variety, voice
projection
Body language that helped
convey the speaker‟s
emotions
As with the CRC, you don‟t want to overload the speaker with ideas for improvement. Pick 1-2 from the saw,
heard, or felt categories and provide ideas on how the speaker can implement them.
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BONUS TIP #1: You don‟t have to tell the speaker everything you saw and heard. Less is more. Concentrate
on the 1-2 of the speaker‟s strengths and 1-2 areas for improvement.
BONUS TIP #2: For speakers working out of the CC Manual, focus on the objectives of their speech. If the
speaker is on speech #2, don‟t bring up vocal variety – focus on speech organization. This helps the speaker
work on one skill at a time.
PROVIDING SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO IMPROVE THE SPEECH
For every major suggestion for improvement, you should provide ideas on how the speaker can improve.
Below are examples of suggestions for improvement and ideas on implementing them:
Suggestion: Increase vocal variety
How: Exaggerate your loudness or softness in the speech. For instance, in the part of the speech where you
were arguing with the customer service representative, you could have raised your voice. Even if you didn‟t
raise your voice in real life, you can exaggerate your anger in the speech.
Suggestion: Organize your speech better
How: Before writing your speech, outline it. Your outline should include: an introduction, the thesis (main point
statement), the body, and the conclusion. For the body, the rule of 3 is an effective way to organize –the 3
main points that you want to make in your speech make up the body. With your specific speech, you could
have given 3 main ways to reduce stress in your life for the body.
Suggestion: Slow down when you speak
How: Some speakers speak quickly because they have too much material to cover and worry about going
overtime. If this is the case, spend more time writing your speech and deciding what is absolutely necessary to
keep. If you speak quickly because of nervousness, practice taking deep breaths before you come on stage
and while you are speaking.
Suggestion: Your opening could have been stronger
How: Try opening with a question like “Have you ever felt stressed?” or a strong statement, e.g. “Americans
work xx number of hours per week and take less vacations than xx countries.” See project #2 in the CC
manual for more ideas on openings.
Suggestion: Pace less when you speak
How: Try practicing your speech by standing still. If you have to, weigh your feet down with something heavy
until you become used to standing still while you‟re speaking. Then practice moving deliberately, for instance,
when you change from one point to another in the speech, you can move to another point on the stage.
26
Additional Helpful Material: Speech Evaluator Checklist
Sometimes the speaker does a great job covering the speech project objectives from his manual, and you
don‟t have much to say! Of course, you still want to give useful feedback. Below are other areas where you can
look for improvement.
Questions
Your notes on the speaker
Appropriateness
 Was the speech appropriate for the demographics
of the audience?
 Could the speech have made anyone
uncomfortable?
The Message
 Did the speaker deliver a clear message?
 Was the message you- and we-focused, or was it
I- and me-focused?
The Speech Opening
 Was a hook used effectively to draw the audience
into the speech? Examples of hooks are: a story,
a startling statistic, a controversial statement, or a
powerful visual.
 Did the speech opening clearly relate to the
message of the speech?
The Speech Body
 Was the speech organized logically? Was it easy
to follow?
 Was the speech focused? (Did all arguments,
stories, anecdotes relate to the message?)
 Were metaphors and symbolism use to improve
understanding?
 Were the transitions between parts of the speech
smooth?
The Speech Conclusion
 Was the conclusion concise?
 Was the conclusion memorable?
 If appropriate, was there a call-to-action?
27
Questions
Your notes on the speaker
Physical – Use of the Stage, Gestures and Eye
Contact
 Did the speaker make appropriate use of the
speaking area?
 Did the speaker‟s posture display confidence and
poise?
 Were gestures natural, timely, and
complementary?
 Does the speaker have any distracting
mannerisms?
 Was eye contact effective in connecting the
speaker to the whole audience?
Language and Vocal Variety
 Was the speaker articulate and easy to hear?
 Were loud and soft variations used appropriately?
 Was the pace varied? Was it slow enough overall
to be understandable?
 Were pauses used to aid understandability,
heighten excitement, or provide drama?
Intangibles
 How did the speech make you feel?
 Were you persuaded?
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Additional Helpful Material: Speech Organization Chart
When you‟re evaluating a speaker who struggles with organization, it can be helpful to outline their speech
while you listen. The chart below provides the main parts of the speech that you should be hearing in the
speech and gives you some hints on what the speaker should be saying in those parts of the speech.
Part of speech
Brief notes on what the speaker
said/wrote
Opening
Hints for evaluation
Was the opening powerful and did it
grab your attention?
E.g. startling statement, question for
audience, quote, start of a story, etc.
Did the speaker provide the reason
for the speech, the main point of the
speech, or a hint at the main point?
Thesis statement
E.g. “Exercise is an important part of
a healthy lifestyle.”
Did the speaker provide a brief
structure for the speech?
How this speech is
organized
E.g. “There are 3 reasons why
exercise is important … “
Is there a clear structure to the body?
Examples of structure:
3 reasons why …
Cause, effect, solution
Past, present, future
Bad, good, impact on
someone/something
3 advantages of …
Pros vs. cons
In one sentence or less, what should
the listener take away from this
presentation?
Did the speaker wrap up the main
points and provide closing thoughts?
Body
Take-home message
Conclusion
Call-to-action
Does the speech include a call-toaction (indicating a possible next
step)?
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