Fair Oaks Toastmasters

By Steve Riccardi, ATM-Silver, Cupertino Toastmasters, Club #4608

One of the Toastmaster meeting roles that sometimes receives less attention and respect than it deserves is the Word Master. But like all Toastmaster meeting roles, the Word Master is an important part of the educational experience, for both the meeting participants and the Word Master. Speech #6 of the basic CTM manual is all about working with words. Not just any words, but the right words! The Word Master’s role is to help all of us learn what those "right" words are. For example, which words are effective in helping the speaker clearly express his message to the audience?

The word-of-the-day (WOTD) should be selected carefully. Remember, the word does not have to be exotic, just effective. A Word Master has two roles; (1) to introduce a word to the meeting and (2) to listen carefully for who used the word correctly. To introduce the word, the Word Master should (a) display the word in large enough type so that all members can see it ( or provide a handout to each member ); (b) pronounce the word clearly and correctly and (c) give an example of how to use the word in a sentence. One clever idea that I have seen is to include the WOTD with its definition and an example of usage on the meeting agenda. My second favorite technique is to provide a handout to everyone at the meeting. Writing the WOTD on a whiteboard or taping it at the front of the meeting room will also work if it is large enough for all to see.

Remember, bring in a word that members can use. Your role as a Word Master is to help, not to confuse by just grabbing the WOTD from Merriam Webster.com.

If your club has members who speak English as a second language, it is fine to bring in a word that may be common to you but that you notice others may have difficulty pronouncing. Now comes the hard part for the Word Master; Listening! It is not enough to simply count who used the WOTD. You should be listening to who uses the word correctly in terms of pronunciation and proper usage. Use of the word, but with incorrect pronunciation or usage in an improper context, does not satisfy the objective. Of course, variations on a word are acceptable. For example, if the WOTD is "fanatic", a noun, then a speaker can use the noun "fanaticism" or the adjective "fanatical" and still receive credit for using the WOTD. Again, the purpose of having a WOTD is to educate your fellow Toastmasters and to help you sharpen your listening skills.

For those who do use the word correctly, you, as the Word Master, should congratulate them. And for those who do not use the word correctly, explain why their usage was incorrect and further how it should have been used. Remember, if club members do not think the Word Master will listen carefully to hear them use the WOTD, they will not bother to try.

Every meeting role at a Toastmasters meeting is important. As a Word Master, remember to strive to education others and to improve your listening skills

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Fair Oaks Toastmasters, Club #7528 Sunnyvale, California District 4, Area G1