Table Topics Master | Chairperson | Toastmaster | Evaluator
Word of the Night
Before the Meeting
Select the word of the night and prepare a sentence showing how the word is used in a sentence as a (verb, noun),
Prepare a brief explanation of the duties of the Word of the Day for the benefit of the guests.
Before the meeting begins, have the word printed/written out on A4 so people can see it.
When introduced:
Announce the word of the night, state it, “Tonight’s word of the night is…”, define it, use it in a sentence, and ask that people try to use it during the meeting.
Place the piece of paper somewhere in the room so everyone can see it, the chairperson can help.
Table Topics Master
Prepare 20 or more questions around a common theme – and the theme can be anything you choose. It could be about music, films, songs, food, travel, hobbies, proverbs or embarrassing situations – virtually anything! Unless we have a whole lot of guests I wouldn’t spend too much time explaining what Table Topics is about. After all, it will become quite obvious following the first few questions. The objective, of course, is to get as many Toastmasters involved as possible and therefore try to keep the theme fairly simple i.e. not something complex that requires a lengthy explanation. You aren’t trying to trap speakers or ask them difficult questions that they can’t answer – a good table topics session is one where you ask a lot of entertaining questions and get a lot of fluent, entertaining answers.
Don’t give a table topic to the Chairman, the Table Topics evaluators, or generally those giving prepared speeches in the second half of the meeting. The reason being that those people already have enough to do and there is an opportunity in Table Topics to get everybody else at the meeting involved. Indeed, it is possible that if some attendees don’t get a table topic they might not get to say anything all night. May I suggest that when you get to the meeting you take note of who is there and begin writing their names alongside the question you intend to ask them. Take special note of the names of the guests when they are introduced. Ideally, you would have all of your questions marked down for particular people even before you assume the lectern. After you explain your theme, may I suggest that you direct your first question to one of our more experienced and entertaining members. That should ensure that the session gets off to a good start. Don’t aim any questions at guests until towards the end of your session by which time they will be more familiar and comfortable with proceedings. And remember, pose the question before you nominate the person you wish to answer it. That way everybody is on their toes mentally preparing an answer.
Remember that you are responsible for conducting the whole Table Topics session including introducing the evaluators. The etiquette that we try to follow as a club is to welcome each speaker to the front with a handshake as well as a handshake when he/she has finished. It is the polite way of transferring control. Besides, a smile and a handshake can make a nervous recipient feel more relaxed. Only after the Table Topics evaluators have finished their evaluations and have passed control of the floor back to you, do you formally conclude your session by passing control back to the chairman. Having introduced a speaker, may I suggest that you retire to a seat on the side and allow the speaker the full use of the floor.
Chairperson
Try to get to the meeting 5 or 10 minutes early. Someone from Toastmasters will be in the room putting out the agenda and will be able to inform you of any late changes to personnel that have occurred since getting the agenda printed. There are always last-minute withdrawals etc.
Think about your theme or topic for the 30 second warm-up at the very beginning of the meeting. It can be about anything of course, but something humorous or topical is always good. A good chairperson is one who starts the meeting on time, finishes it on time, and keeps the action flowing in between.
A good chairperson at Toastmasters is like a good referee – he or she shouldn’t be the centre of attention but rather the conduit that brings out the best in everybody.
Large chunks of the program are often out of your hands e.g. Table Topics and the formal speeches and evaluations in the second half.
Try to say something encouraging after someone has completed a role and before you segue to the next item.
And while it is everybody’s responsibility to make guests feel welcome, it is particularly incumbent upon the chairman to do so.
Toastmaster
- This is the “Formal” section. This is what most people think Toastmasters is all about.
- The Toastmaster should act as a genial host who establishes and maintains the atmosphere.
- Ian will send the draft agenda out on the Monday before the meeting. It will show the names of the scheduled speakers but at that stage usually won’t show their speech titles. On the afternoon of the Toastmasters meeting that night, Ian will email all members the final agenda including speech titles.
- Arrive at the meeting early and confirm with each speaker their speech title, timing, and what are their objectives for the speech. Also, whether or not the lectern is required.
- The Toastmaster (not the chairman) is responsible for conducting the formal speeches part of the agenda, introducing not just the speakers in turn, but the evaluators as well. You should make some brief, warm and welcoming remarks before introducing the first speaker. Try to give a brief indication of their status as a member i.e. a relatively new member, an experienced speaker etc. For example, you might say: “Our first speaker tonight is Ian Ibbett and he has been a member of Toastmasters for 35 years. Tonight, he is attempting to deliver a humorous speech. So, try to laugh a lot. Ian’s speech will be evaluated by Siba Al-Haimus. Siba, what are the objectives that you will be evaluating tonight. (Siba then stands up in her seat and briefly tells the audience what the speaker is hoping to achieve, and then sits down). You thank Siba and confirm the timing of the speech. Then just before shaking the first speaker’s hand as they come to the lectern you should say: “So please welcome our first speaker for tonight, Ian Ibbett, and the title of his speech is ‘Dear Santa’. Dear Santa – Ian Ibbett.” You then shake hands and retire to a chair at the side leaving the stage/lectern completely to the speaker. The handshake (or elbow bump) is important because it is the formal handover of control of the lectern.
- Remember, the lectern can be a lonely and intimidating place for a speaker so as Toastmaster it is important that you make them feel as comfortable as possible. After the speech, the Toastmaster should lead the applause. Try to link the speakers with an off the cuff comment e.g. “Thanks, Ian for a wonderful speech. I, too, wanted a pogo stick when I was seven. Our second speaker tonight is Shane Varcoe. Judging by the title of his speech, I suspect it will be a world away from pogo sticks. Shane has been a member of Toastmasters for more than a decade…etc, etc.
- After all the speeches are finished, then the Toastmaster should introduce the Evaluators with a time limit of 2 to 3 minutes for each evaluation. Again, you welcome each evaluator in turn, and it is the handshake (or elbow bump) with them that transfers control of the lectern. At the end of the evaluations, say a few closing remarks, thank the speakers and the evaluators again with a round of applause and hand the meeting back to the Chairman.
Evaluation Technique Suggestions
Matter
Matter refers to the raw material in the speech itself. The facts, evidence etc which the speaker uses to construct their argument or case. The two cornerstones are logic and relevance. Was the subject matter interesting and was the material original? The very best speeches are generally personal. You aren’t just providing information, you are giving an opinion! Did the speaker take full advantage of the English palate of colourful words and phrases? Was the speech title well-chosen?
Method
Method is the structure or organization of your speech. Every speech should have a recognizable opening, middle and ending and in that order. The speaker should have a clear understanding of what he/she is aiming to accomplish with the speech and make this obvious to the audience. The speaker should develop the case and conclude by summarizing the case.
The first sentence or two is critical. Good methods of opening a speech are story, quotation, statement or question. Could the speaker’s beginning and ending have been made more interesting? The speaker should avoid thanking the audience; the audience should thank the speaker by applause.
If the speech organization confused you in any way, then say so. But also suggest what could have made it clearer to you.
Did the speaker get the timing of the speech right? (I know that we have an official Timer on the program but I suggest that you time the speaker yourself.) A good Toastmasters’ speech should aim at 7 minutes (6 minutes for the Icebreaker). Fall short of the allocated 7 minutes and the speaker hasn’t taken full advantage of the time available or perhaps has forgotten something; take longer than 7 minutes 30 seconds and the speaker hasn’t rehearsed the speech sufficiently.
Manner
Manner is the way in which the speaker delivers the speech. It includes everything that goes toward the presentation of the speech. This is the area of your evaluation upon which you should concentrate the most, say, a half to two-thirds of your presentation. Aspects to comment upon include:
- Use of Voice – Did the speaker employ vocal variety or was it monotone? Most speakers (whether experienced or inexperienced) don’t use enough vocal variety to emphasise important points or clever turns of phrase. A pause is a great way of letting an audience know that something special is coming. Did the speaker use pauses effectively? Was the speaker loud enough? Did the speaker vary his/her voice when he/she started a new point or idea?
- Speed or Rate of Delivery – Did the speaker vary the rate of delivery e.g. fast when excited; slow and deliberate when articulating a serious point? Did the speaker pause adequately between ideas and arguments etc. Most speakers speak too fast – particularly if they are inexperienced and new to Toastmasters.
- Body Language and Gestures – Did the speaker use his/her hands effectively in reinforcing the message? Did facial expressions accentuate the points being put forth? Did the speaker appear natural and stand comfortably without fidgeting? Did the speaker appear to enjoy himself/herself?
- Use of Notes – Did the speaker use notes? Would palm cards be more effective? Did the notes disturb both eye contact with the audience and restrict meaningful hand gestures?
- Eye Contact – The more you look at an audience the better and this applies to both speaker and evaluator. The best way for the speaker to make this happen is to rely less on notes or cards. It is also important to make eye contact with the whole audience. Given the horse-shoe nature of the seating plan at the Union Hotel speakers too often ignore those sitting at the very ends of the left and right wing tables.
- Humour – Did the speaker use humour to leaven his/her speech? Did the attempt at humour work? One tip for making humour work more effectively is the deliberate pause before the punchline. Body language can help in this regard as well. Did the speaker smile at any stage or were they too nervous to do so?
- Note: Master Evaluator – Handing out the ribbons
- Pick the best Evaluator of the evening and be specific why they were your favouritre. Was it the parts highlighted that were good or points for improvement for next time. It can be a speech or table Topic Evaluator.
- Pick the Best Speech – Usually, this is awarded to a prepared speech, but it could be awarded to another speaker. Remember, it’s not for the most experienced speaker; everyone is on their own journey, so it could be that you have seen their improvement over the past few months or someone has delivered their ice-breaker. But be specific why you have handled out the ribbon.
General Advice
While you will deliver your evaluation in the first person i.e. “I liked the way you introduced your speech” but refer to the speaker in the third person e.g. ‘The speaker delivered her speech fluently’ and don’t address your evaluation and eye contact to just the speaker but to the whole group. The idea is that your evaluation is for everybody’s benefit, not just that particular speaker.
Good evaluations need to strike the right tone i.e. you don’t want to be too critical of the speaker but nor do you want to bland and ignore their failings. Steer for the middle ground and aim to suggest one or two improvements. The evaluation should be seen by everybody as helpful and encouraging i.e. honest but in a way that motivates the speaker to improve. An evaluation is your opinion and nothing more.
Mention the speech’s effect on you; what the speaker did well; areas where the speaker could improve; and one or two specific recommendations. You won’t have time to cover everything – after all, you only have 2-3 minutes.
When you know the speech assignment number, read the speech guidelines. Talk with the speaker before the speech and try to find out his/her goals and any specific areas where the speaker would like help and feedback.
How you phrase your evaluation can have as much impact on the speaker as your content. Always remember that you are only speaking for yourself and giving your opinion. Avoid the royal ‘we’ or phrases such as ‘the audience wouldn’t have understood that…”
You should do nothing that calls more attention to yourself than your effort to help the speaker. Avoid exaggerated gestures or body language unless it is to illustrate a point about the speaker’s presentation.
Always conclude your evaluation on a positive note that will motivate the speaker to come back again with enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence. If the speaker has shown dramatic improvement in any aspect of his/her speaking, then say so.
When the formal meeting ends, make a point of going up to the speaker and discussing both the speech and your evaluation with him/her.