Meeting
Roles and Responsibilities
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Sergeant
At Arms
The Sergeant
at Arms serves as master host and makes the proper physical arrangements
for all Club meetings. This person makes sure each member and guest
is welcomed at Club meetings; chairs the weekly meeting; controls Club
property between meetings; attends and participates in Executive Committee
meetings.
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President
The President
serves at the Club's chief executive officer, responsible for general
supervision and operation of the Club. The President presides at Club
and Executive committee meetings and directs the Club in a Way which
meets the educational growth and leadership needs of members. In cooperation
with the Executive team, the President establishes long-term and short-term
plans for Club growth.
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Toastmaster
The main
duty of the Toastmaster is to act as a genial host and conduct the entire
program, including introducing participants. The Toastmaster prepares
the meeting agenda and ensures the meeting runs smoothly.
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Grammarian
The Grammarian
selects a "Word for the Day". It should be a word that can
be incorporated easily into everyday conversation but is different from
the way people usually express themselves.
During
the meeting announce the "Word of the Day", state its part
of speech, define it, use it in a sentence, and ask that anyone speaking
during any part of the meeting use it.
During
the meeting the Grammarian listens to everyone's word usage and writes
down any awkward use or misuse of the language (incomplete sentences,
sentences that change direction in midstream, incorrect grammar, malapropisms,
etc.) with a note of who erred. Write down who used the "Word of
the Day" (or derivative of it) and note those who used it correctly
or incorrectly.
The Grammarians
report trys to offer the correct usage in every instance where there
was misuse instead of only explaining what was wrong. The Grammarian
also reports on creative language usage and announce who used the "Word
of the Day".
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Humour
The Toastmaster
calls for volunteers (members or guests) who would like to tell a joke
or funny story.
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Prepared
Speeches
A major
portion of each meeting is centered around one or two speakers. Their
speeches are prepared based on manual project objectives and should
last from five to seven minutes for projects in the Communication
and Leader Program manual and eight or more minutes, depending on
the assignment, for projects in the Advanced Communication and Leadership
Program manuals.
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Evaluation
of Prepared Speeches
After every
prepared speech, the speaker receives an evaluation (written and oral)
by another member. The purpose of the evaluation is to help the speaker
become less self-conscious and a better speaker. The Evaluator will
indicate what the speaker did well in their speech and also offer suggestions
on what they could do to "grow on" to become a better speaker.
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Table
Topics
The ability
to think and speak on your feet is an important skill that is invaluable
in your everyday life. Table Topics provides you the opportunity to
practice impromptu speaking - thinking and speaking on your feet. You
learn how to present your thoughts in a clear, organized manner with
a minimum of preparation.
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Table
Topics Master
The Table
Topics portion of the meeting is conducted by the Table Topics Master.
The Table Topics Master announces a topic and calls on participants,
one at a time, who give impromptu one- to two-minute talks on the topic.
Or the Table Topics Master may assign subjects individually. Topics
will be realistic and useful to participants; they may address current
events or issues, for example. Your goals as a respondent are to present
ideas worth listening to, without prior preparation, and to communicate
true feelings on the subject with skill and conviction.
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Evaluation
of Table Topics
Each participant
of table topics receives a verbal evaluation. The Evaluator gives a
personal reaction to the presentation, and the purpose of the feedback
is to help the member become a more effective speaker.
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Ah
Counter
The purpose
of the Ah Counter is to note words and sounds used as a "crutch"
or "pause filler" by anyone who speaks during the meeting.
Words may be inappropriate interjections such as "and, well, but,
so, you know." Sounds may be "ah, um, er". The Ah Counter
also notes when a speaker repeats a word or phrase such as "I,
I" or "This means, this means."
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General
Evaluator
The General
Evaluator evaluates the meeting in general. The General Evaluator comments
on the quality of the evaluations given by the evaluators of the prepared
speeches and table topics.
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Timer
One of
the lessons to be practiced in speech training is that of expressing
a thought within a specific time. Prepared speeches, Table Topics and
Evaluations are all timed by the Timer. At the end of the meeting the
Timer will report the times of each participant. This will let the members
know if they delivered their presentation within the allotted time frame.
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