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How to Lead as Toastmaster of a Meeting

One of the most valuable experiences in your club work is when you take the chair as Toastmaster of the meeting and conduct the program. The leadership insights you gain from this experience will carry over into other situations where you must coordinate events and motivate participation according to a schedule of events. This assignment should not be attempted until you have had time to thoroughly get into the swing of the work. You should have completed at least three manual projects before you act as Toastmaster. During these weeks, observe how others perform, and profit by their examples.

The assignment as Toastmaster requires careful preparation in order to have a smoothly run meeting.

Check with each speaker on the program at least a week in advance.
Find out speech titles and times, and make up your full agenda.
Plan the introductions in advance. It is your responsibility to see that the speakers are on hand and that the program is conducted as planned, in the best possible way. This will generally involve at least one extra phone call to each speaker, and if necessary, the substitution of a new speaker for a scheduled one who drops out.
The primary duty of the Toastmaster is to act as a genial host, introducing the speakers in a way that will help them to do their best and encouraging the audience to listen with attention and anticipation. Don't just say, "The next speaker of the evening is. . ." The Toastmaster creates an atmosphere of interest, expectation, and receptivity.

Procedure

(Refer to the Suggested Club Meeting Outline. if necessary copy the outline and refer to it as you are leading the meeting.)

1. Offer a word of thanks to the president and accept the gavel when you are presented as Toastmaster.

2. Say a few words about the nature of the forthcoming program to warm up the audience.

3. Explain the duties of the timer, grammarian, Topicmaster, and general evaluator, and introduce them at the proper times.

4. Announce each speech by title and speaker. Identify which Communication and Leadership project the speaker is presenting, and briefly describe the purpose of that project. Introduce the speaker (see the following section on introductions).

5. Remain standing until the speaker has taken position and recognized you, then take your seat. A nod or gesture of acknowledgement is sufficient to indicate a transfer of control.

6. At the end of each presentation, lead the applause and offer a brief word of appreciation. Your function in this step is to bridge the gap between presentations, maintaining the interest of the audience. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 for each speaker.

7. At the conclusion of the program, briefly thank all speakers and return control of the meeting to the club president.

For further information, read the Toastmasters International publication, Chairman (200)

Introducing the Speaker

The introductory remarks by which speakers are presented to their audience are an important part of public speaking. Introductions typically are so bad that one of America’s greatest lecturers, Mark Twain, refused to let anyone introduce him; he simply walked out on the stage alone and introduced himself. There are, however, important reasons why a speaker should be introduced and guidelines that should be followed by both the speaker and the introducer.

Why an Introduction?

Why should a speaker be introduced to an audience, especially if the audience already knows the speaker?

There are several reasons:

1. No matter how familiar a speaker is with the audience, the speaker needs to separate himself from the listeners. An introduction aids in the separation; it’s a brief ceremony marking the significance of the speaker’s tran-sition from being in the group to stepping forth in front to lead its thinking.

2. The listeners will be more perceptive and appreciative if they understand what the speaker is undertaking. If the speaker’s goal is to clarify an idea or persuade the group, the introduction will help to establish the group’s "mental set."

3. Even when a speaker is well known, the audience may not know what special reason the speaker has for speaking about the chosen topic or any experience or ex-pertise the speaker has in the subject area. A good in-troduction makes it clear that the speaker speaks from special knowledge, experience or authority.

4. An introduction "builds a bridge" from where the thoughts of the group are at the moment to where the speaker wants them to be.

Thus, the introducer might say, "We have been discuss-ing the details of our club’s annual Officer Installation; now we’ll be focusing on something more dramatic and different. Henry Jones will speak to us about..."

When you have the opportunity to present an introduction, take the job seriously. It’s your opportunity for another speaking experience, even though you are not the featured speaker.

When You’re the Speaker

As a speaker, you should help to prepare a good introduction for yourself. Don’t be modest and tell your in-troducer that you don’t care how you’re introduced—you could be sabotaging your own speech. Instead, help your introducer by doing the following:

1. Take it for granted that the introduction will be properly prepared. Contribute toward the introducer’s attitude toward the job by offering your assistance and by showing your appreciation. Your introducer is working to help you; work with him or her and express your thanks.

2. Tell your introducer what you think ought to be said in introducing you. You don’t want claims that you are especially brilliant, successful or intelligent, or that you are a "good speaker." These things will be evident in your speech. Say to your introducer, "I am going to talk about government bonds as a personal investment, and I intend to analyze them from an accountant’s point of view. It will be helpful if you explain to the group when you introduce me that I have had such-and-such experience as an accountant."

Make sure your listeners are told that you can speak as an accountant with reasonable authority.

3. Answer all questions your introducer asks about your general background, but be careful that your introduc-tion doesn’t include a lot of data that sounds impressive but has no relevance to your speech.

When You’re the Introducer

Introductions need not be flat, dull or stereotyped. They can be graceful, witty, fun to give and fun to hear, if you do the following:

1. Give star billing to the speaker. Don’t be a scene stealer and try to impress listeners with how clever or wise you are. Every sentence you say should be directed to fulfilling one of the functions of an introduction. Direct the group’s attention to the speaker, not to yourself.

2. Know what the speaker will be talking about. Plan your introduction around the speaker’s topic. Don’t make a preliminary talk of your own on the subject. For example, if your speaker is presenting an accountant’s viewpoint on the new tax laws and you happen to be a better tax accountant than the speaker, use this fact to help, not to undermine the speaker. You could say, "As an accountant myself, I realize how important Alice’s subject is, and I’m eager to learn more about it..." Then let the speaker give the speech.

3. Make it clear to listeners the speaker’s expertise and experience in the topic.

4. Set the mood for the speaker and the speech. If Jim Clayton has just given a hilarious speech about his fishing vacation, and the speaker you are about to introduce will be talking about the need to support cancer research, your audience must be mentally prepared for the subject transition. Your introduction should change the atmosphere. You could say, "Jim’s account of the fish that got away was the funniest story I’ve heard for a long time, and I lmow that you enjoyed it, too. We know that some aspects of Jim’s experience were probably more serious than he indicated.

"Fortunately, they turned out well. However, there are some experiences in life that don’t turn out well. Life has its tragedies to match its comedies. Our next speaker is a woman who experienced one of life’s tragedies. She recently has spent more time in the hospital than any of us would like to contemplate, and her life has dramatically changed as a result of her experience. Two years ago, Judy Smith discovered that she had cancer. AAer extensive treatment, it is now in remission. Judy now counsels other cancer patients in coping with their illness. She will speak today about what we can do to help prevent and cure cancer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Judy Smith."

5. Be brief! If you tell a joke, make it swift and to the point. An introduction should never be longer than one minute; thirty seconds would be adequate. Prepare your introduction carefully, and make every word count. By following these guidelines, your introductions will be effective and beneficial, whether you are the speaker or the introducer.

How to Introduce a Speaker

Nearly everyone will be called upon at some time to introduce a speaker. The skill you develop in your club, especially when you are Toastmaster of the meeting, will be valuable to you in the future.

Every speaker deserves a thoughtful and helpful introduction. The best introductions are two-way, just as personal introductions are. You introduce the speaker to the audience and the audience to the speaker, establishing a common bond between them, a basis of mutual views and interests.

An introduction is a mini-speech—less than a minute in your Toastmasters club— which contains all the elements of a full speech.

It has an opening, which grabs the audience’s attention and makes them aware of the importance of the upcoming subject.

It has a body, explaining:

Why this subject?

Why this speaker?

Why this audience?

Why at this time?

It has a conclusion, which in this case is the lead-in to your actually presenting the speaker.

Your introduction should tell the audience about the expertise of the speaker and give relevant background information. You should set the mood of the audience for this particular speech, an especially challenging task if there is a marked change from the mood of the preceding talk.

While covering these points, be careful not to give the speaker’s speech. Allusions to the topic will arouse audience interest without taking away from the speaker’s impact. Build expectation and end your introduction when interest peaks. Weave the speaker’s name into the introduction as much as possible (unless it is a surprise name the audience will recognize), so the audience will clearly relate this speaker with this topic. Above all, don’t overdo it. Say what needs to be said, and then sit down. Obviously, an introduction requires almost as much preparation as a full speech. You will need to contact the speaker in advance and discuss the relevant information about speech and speaker. You should then make an outline of your introduction and rehearse it. Good preparation will clearly show, and both the audience and the speaker will appreciate it.

For further information, read the Toastmasters International pamphlet, Introducing the Speaker (111).

When You Are Toastmaster

As Toastmaster of the Day you face the task of introducing the other members of the program. If the Toastmaster does not perform the duties well, an entire meeting can end in failure. Therefore, this task is not usually assigned to a member until he or she is quite familiar with the club and its procedures. The primary duty of the Toastmaster is to act as a genial host and con-duct the entire program. Program participants should be introduced in such a manner as to prepare the audience to listen with excitement and rapt attention. It is the Toastmaster who creates an atmosphere of interest, expectation and receptivity.

Prior to the meeting

Check with the Vice President Education to find out if a special theme has been set for the meeting and if there are any program changes. If no theme has been set, you may decide the theme and notify participants.

Call the Table Topics master to discuss his or her duties. Also provide the Table Topics master with a list of program participants to insure these people will not be called on for Topics responses.

Call all speakers in advance to remind them that they are speaking. Interview them to find out their speech title, manual project number, purpose to be achieved, time requested, and something interesting about themselves which you can use when introducing them (job, family, hobbies, education, why this topic to this audience, etc.)

Call the general evaluator to confirm the assignment. Ask the general evaluator to call the other members of the evaluation team (speech evaluators, Topics master, timer, grammarian, ah counter, etc.) and remind them of their responsibilities.

Prepare introductions for each speaker. A proper introduction is important to the success of the speaker’s presentation. To prepare a good introduction, refer to "Introducing the Speaker," included in this packet.

Prepare remarks which can be used to bridge the gaps between program segments. You may never use them, but you should be prepared to avoid possibly awkward periods of silence.

Remember that performing as Toastmaster is one of the most valuable experiences in your club work. The assignment requires careful preparation in order to have a smoothly run meeting.

Prepare the meeting agenda for distribution at the meeting .

At the meeting

Arrive early in order to finish any last-minute details.

Check with the speakers for any last-minute changes.

Distribute agendas.

Sit near the head of the table and have your speakers do likewise for quick and easy access to the lectern.

During the meeting

Preside with sincerity, energy and decisiveness. Take your audience on a pleasant journey and make them feel that all is going well.

Always lead the applause before and after the Topics session, each prepared speaker, and the general evaluator.

Remain standing near the lectern after your introduction until the speaker has acknowledged you and assumed control of the meeting; then be seated.

Introduce the general evaluator as you would any speaker; the general evaluator will then introduce the other members of the evaluation team.

Introduce the Table Topics master as you would any speaker. If the Table Topics master forgets to call for the timer’s report and vote for best Topics Speaker, you do it.

Introduce each speaker in turn.

At the conclusion of the speaking program, request the timer’s report and vote for Best Speaker.

Briefly reintroduce the general evaluator. If the general evaluator forgets to call for the timer’s report and vote for Best Evaluator, you do it.

While votes are being tallied, make announcements (such as verification of next week’s program).

Award trophies, ribbons or buttons.

Request the Thought for the Day (if appropriate).

Adjourn the meeting, or if appropriate, return control to the Chairman.

Resources

Introducing the Speaker (Code Ill)

Chairman (200)

Patterns In Programming (Code 1314)

When You ‘re the Introducer (Code 1167-E)