Toastmaster Roles
At a typical Toastmasters meeting, the members of the club take turns performing the various meeting roles. These roles change from week to week, and provide all members with an opportunity to speak at every meeting. Each Toastmasters club is unique, and may not utilize all of these roles, or have one or two of their own.
Club President - The Club President is responsible for opening the meeting by calling the meeting to order and introducing the Toastmaster of the day. It is the President's responsibility to ensure that meetings start on-time.
Toastmaster of the Day - The Toastmaster is the "master of ceremonies" and leader of the meeting. The Toastmaster is responsible for administrating the meeting and keeping it running on-time.
Joke or Thought for the Day - Some Toastmasters choose to present a joke to create an atmosphere of laughter. The thought provides inspiration or motivation to the group, setting a positive tone for the meeting.
Word of the Day - The Word or Thought of the Day is used to improve the vocabulary of the club. Each meeting a member of the club introduces a word, defines it, and gives an example of its usage.
Table Topics Master - The Table Topics Master presides over the Table Topics (impromptu) section of the meeting. The Table Topics Master prepares a set of unique questions and randomly calls on club members to respond.
General Evaluator - The General Evaluator presides over the evaluation section of the meeting. The General Evaluator calls for reports by meeting officials (e.g. the Grammarian) and provides feedback on the meeting in general.
Evaluator - Each prepared speaker has an evaluator assigned to provide the speaker with feedback. The evaluator provides both written and oral feedback.
Grammarian - The Grammarian monitors speakers and reports on both good and bad use of the English language. When speaking, people often use such 'crutch' words or fillers as ah, um, you know, well, and, or they just repeat a word or phrase. These words and sounds can be annoying to listeners. The Grammarian notes these words or sounds and helps the Speaker become aware of them.
Timer - One of the purposes of Toastmasters is to teach people to express thoughts within a specific time interval. The Timer is responsible for monitoring time and emphasizing the importance of time to everyone. Each segment of the meeting is timed. The Timer operates the timing device which indicates to the Speaker how long he or she has been talking.
Sergeant at Arms - The Sergeant at Arms is responsible for the set-up and tear-down of the room as well as greeting the club members and guests. All club members are encouraged to help the Sergeant at Arms meet and greet guest and set-up and tear-down the room!