# Welcome to Public Speaking!
How to Begin
While this is primarily a handbook for members of Toastmasters, the principles here will help you become better at speaking no matter which platform you choose.
If you're not a Toastmaster, you may be looking for the following essays:
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[Managing your Fear](/self/fear)
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[Choose Speech Topics Easily](/self/choose-speech-topics-easily)
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[How to Structure Speeches](/self/how-to-structure-speeches)
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## Why make a handbook for Toastmasters?
Toastmasters is a long-standing organization, and as with any organization that lasts long, it has its own culture, jargon, and insider information.
It can be confusing to have a ton of information thrown at you, and while there are several resources, guides, and training materials for all that you can accomplish in Toastmasters, I didn't find a consolidated effort.
**More importantly, I didn't find one that resonated with me.**
I've been in Toastmasters since 2016, and I've learned a lot in that time. I've also trained a whole lot of people in whatever I've learned. For your benefit, I've consolidated that experience here.
This is your handbook to getting everything you want out of Toastmasters. It's a culmination of all that I have learned, and everything I continue learning. I hope you use this to go from beginner to badass in your own way.
## Why is this called The DIVA handbook?
70% because **DIVA** is a play on **DIVision A**, my jurisdiction in 2019-2020 as District 92's Division A Director.
But also 30% **because Divas are fierce, confident, and self-assured**, 3 traits that we could use a lot more of. I hope you find your authentic, confident, and badass self in Toastmasters, and if this handbook helps even a little, it has done its job.
## How Complete is this Handbook?
I've removed a number of articles that were incomplete or not good enough. Anything you can see in the navigation is good enough to use. Articles with asterisks (\*) are coming in the next update.
Eventually, this page will have a function-based table of contents. The content is divided into sections according to which entity benefits along with you.
* **THE SELF** is purely for you and your understanding of fundamentals.
* **THE CLUB** is your first foray into leadership, learning how to manage your club.
* **THE COMMUNITY** is for when you're ready to step out of your club and start getting involved with higher leadership.
* **THE CONTESTS** are for when you're ready to compete against the best, and try to make a name for yourself as an expert speaker.
You can get into these in any order you like. This categorization is simply my recommendation.
# Meeting Checklist
Use this handy checklist to see if you're prepared to host a Toastmasters Meeting.
## Basic Criteria
### Meeting Roles
* [ ] We have a TMOD and a GE.
* [ ] We have a Timer, an Ah-Counter, and a Grammarian.
* [ ] We have a Table Topics Master.
* [ ] We have 1-4 prepared speakers.
* [ ] We have evaluators for each prepared speaker.
* [ ] We have a Presiding Officer (most often the President, but any officer is allowed).
### Pre-Meeting Preparation
* [ ] The TMOD\* decided and communicated the theme of the meeting beforehand.
*\*If your club officers decide the theme each meeting, then this is their responsibility.*
* [ ] The Grammarian decided the Word of the Day and communicated it beforehand.
* [ ] The TMOD has an introduction for each speaker, each evaluator, the TTM, and the GE.
* [ ] The GE has checked if the roletakers (Timer, Ah-counter, Grammarian) are aware of their responsibilities.
* [ ] The Presiding Officer has a short talk prepared around the theme.
* [ ] The Table Topics Master has an adequate number of topics prepared for the meeting.
* [ ] The club has a ballot or poll ready for end-of-meeting awards.
* [ ] **Prepared Speeches**
* [ ] The VPE is aware of each speaker's project level.
* [ ] Each speaker is attempting a Pathways project speech rather than a speech without Pathways objectives.
* [ ] The TMOD has the speech title and project number for each speaker.
* [ ] The speech evaluators have received the evaluation criteria and the timings for each speaker.
* [ ] If speakers are using props or visual aids, both the Sergeant-at-arms and the TMOD are aware and ready.
### Officer Responsibilities
* [ ] **Sergeant-at-arms**
* [ ] prepared the virtual/physical meeting room
* [ ] prepared any logistics such as visual aids, and refreshments if any for physical meetings
* [ ] has prepared a poll/ballot for end-of-meeting awards **(w. VPE or VPM)**
* [ ] is prepared to speak about the club meeting rules
* [ ] **Treasurer**
* [ ] No responsibilities for regular meetings, unless there is a planned showcase of the club budget.
* [ ] **Secretary**
* [ ] has shared the agenda for the meeting beforehand **(w. VPPR or VPE)**
* [ ] is prepared to note down minutes of the meeting, and share them afterwards.
* [ ] **VPPR**
* [ ] has shared the agenda for the meeting beforehand **(w. Secretary or VPE)**
* [ ] **VPM**
* [ ] has prepared a poll/ballot for end-of-meeting awards **(w. VPE or SAA)**
* [ ] greets everybody, especially guests, before the meeting starts **(w. President)**
* [ ] **VPE**
* [ ] has a list of every roletaker, and communicated it with the club.
* [ ] is aware of each speaker's project level and topic.
* [ ] has shared the agenda for the meeting beforehand **(w. Secretary or VPPR)**
* [ ] has prepared a poll/ballot for end-of-meeting awards **(w. VPM or SAA)**
* [ ] **President**
* [ ] greets everybody, especially guests, before the meeting starts **(w. VPM)**
* [ ] is aware of every aspect of the meeting.
* [ ] has a short talk prepared on the theme **(w. any other Presiding Officer)**
* [ ] ensures that the club officers go through this checklist. 😊
## Above and Beyond
These are add-on items that improve meeting quality.
### Meeting Quality
* [ ] **Additional Roles**
* [ ] We have a listener.
* [ ] We have a Fun Master, a Joke Master, or an entertainer role.
* [ ] We have a Parliamentarian to verify and report any breach of meeting and club bylaws.
* [ ] The Table Topics Master has at least 3 topics extra to what is required.
* [ ] The TTM bases their topics around the theme.
* [ ] The TTM balances traditional style of topics with experimental styles.
* [ ] Each Prepared Speaker has had their speeches mentored.
* [ ] Evaluators have spoken to their target speakers beforehand to understand any additional objectives that the speaker may have.
* [ ] The TMOD is prepared with material on the theme.
* [ ] The TMOD is prepared to fill any awkward silence, e.g. when ballots are being prepared.
* [ ] The GE gives feedback to the Table Topics speakers.
* [ ] The GE gives feedback to the speech evaluators.
* [ ] The timer, ah-counter, and grammarian are encouraged to employ their creativity to add value to their reports.
* [ ] The TMOD or Presiding Officer requests guest feedback (beyond the ballot) at the end of the session.
* [ ] The Presiding Officer acknowledges guests and allow them to introduce themselves during their address.
### Officer Responsibilities
* [ ] The VPPR prepared a poster or a video or other creative collateral to encourage attendance.
* [ ] The VPPR takes photos or videos during the meeting, to share as club marketing afterwards.
* [ ] The VPM has membership applications and a contact book prepared for any guests.
* [ ] The VPM, VPE, or President recognize member milestones and achievements in a segment of the meeting.
* [ ] The President AND the VPM (whether they're the presiding officer or not) both greet each guest individually, and encourage them to attend again and join the club.
# WIIFM - Why Bother With Public Speaking?
Because you don't know yourself as much as you think you do.
The most important thing you can learn in any creative program is **Thought Development**.
When you create, you express yourself and learn **how you actually feel** about various topics in the world. In doing so, you learn how to organize your thoughts, and how to present it to someone so that it can be accepted.
This skill is indispensable, no matter what you do in your life.
Toastmasters is an experiential learning program - you learn by doing, and you'll be doing a lot. In all your efforts in Toastmasters, you will learn Thought Development. The scope of Toastmasters can be broken down into the following:
## If You're in a Hurry
Thought development via Toastmasters can be separated into the following categories:
* **Speaking:** You'll learn a number of types of speaking, including prepared speeches of all lengths, as well as impromptu speaking.
* **Evaluation:** You'll learn how to give feedback properly in a way that is both easy and helpful to the listener.
* **Mentoring and Coaching**: Performing is one thing. Teaching others to perform is an entirely different art, with far more fulfillment. You'll learn that too.
* **Networking**: As you attend your club meetings, and eventually other clubs and bigger events such as meets and conferences, you will have the opportunity to build robust circles of friends from different backgrounds. And if you're resourceful enough, you will find many, many business opportunities through these circles.
* **Fun:** This is an under-appreciated but vitally important aspect of personal development. If you're not having fun at Toastmasters, something is seriously wrong in your Toastmasters club.
Keep reading to learn more.
### Speaking
No matter what you do, where you live, where you work, and how you decide to shape your life, **you have to work with people.** Unless you're taking the extreme route of disappearing into a forest and living off the land, people are going to be a part of your life.
Learning how to communicate with those people is crucial.
In Toastmasters, you'll begin speaking within a club. At a club, you'll likely begin either with an icebreaker speech, introducing yourself to a club, or as a Table Topic (impromptu) speaker, or as a roletaker in the meeting such as a Timer, Ah-counter, or Grammarian.
Learning all those meeting roles and discovering your style and skill will be your primary objective.
As you grow more experienced, you will begin evaluation (see below) and build expertise. Eventually, you will start giving longer speeches and training.
Your club might also encourage you to visit other clubs and speak.
### Evaluation
Speaking to develop your thought is one side of the coin. Learning to listen is the other. Toastmasters has a built-in system of speech evaluation, and it requires some serious critical thinking skills to evaluate another person's speech.
There are also auxiliary evaluators, such as a timer, a grammarian, and even an ah-counter who counts the filler sounds used by speakers. So you have a ramp up to learn critical thinking.
You learn how to focus, capture information, and process it to produce a meaningful analysis. Evaluation is my skill of choice in Toastmasters, and the hundreds of evaluations I've done since I joined in 2016 have sharpened my mind no end.
### Mentoring and Coaching
As you become an expert, you will form your own circle of influence where you can guide people and clubs to better performance and self-discovery. Evaluation may be my skill of choice, but my most gratifying experiences have invariably been my mentoring experiences.
Without tooting my own horn too much, I will say that I am thankful for the opportunity to touch the lives of several people and add meaning and joy to them.
Even if you feel like you don't want to mentor others, you can and will find mentors for yourself. Having exposure to experts in the field of communication is a blessing, and will give structure and meaning to your own efforts in thought development.
### Networking
Even if you don't become a member of Toastmasters, you start by meeting people at a club. A Toastmasters club may have anywhere from 8 to 80 members, and that's a lot of people you can interact, form relationships, and work with. But your club is just the starting point.
Toastmasters as a global community spans 143 countries and 358,000+ members in 2020. Every year, there are hundreds of Toastmasters events where you can meet people from diverse and interesting backgrounds. You will also find people in many different industries, and there are several people who've built their own businesses working with their Toastmasters network.
It's all there, you just have to start looking.
### Fun
Toastmasters is some of the most fun I've had in my life. By its very nature, Toastmasters is a close community. We encourage a safe space for speakers to learn how to express themselves and challenge themselves.
Toastmasters is fun because it fulfils our deep need for social interaction. Going to events, watching people speak, speaking and organizing events myself - it all lends itself to staying active and alert. It is very gratifying to be appreciated by my seniors, and it has been very gratifying to become a senior and facilitate the same for younger speakers and leaders.
# Managing your Fear
AKA How to kick Glossophobia's arse
I honestly believe this is the main issue around Toastmasters and why members aren't available to achieve their full potential.
The biggest problem with the fear of public speaking is not many people are aware of it, or are in denial. This is what leads to statements like:
* "I don't have the time"
* "I don't know what to talk about"
* "it's not for me".
Really? **Talking** is not for you? An audience completely focused on you while you tell your story is not a desirable goal?
Every reason or excuse that people give about public speaking is a layer of obfuscation over the fear. It's difficult to admit that you feel unready to speak.
But the purpose of art is to develop your voice - whether **writing**, **singing**, **acting**, or **speaking**. Art teaches you HOW to think. Learning how to think develops your voice, find something worth talking about, and makes you powerful.
Like any muscle, you work out your artistic skill and it becomes stronger.
## Minimizing the Fear of Public Speaking
The first step is always to acknowledge the problem. If you don't believe you have a fear, you will do nothing to fix it, but your actions will continue to be defined by your subconscious biases. But once you know it exists, you can work towards replacing it.
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#### If you don't believe you have a fear, you will do nothing to fix it, but your actions will continue to be defined by your subconscious biases.
{% endhint %}
Something that works really well for me is to replace fear with excitement. When we're in an excited or happy state, we are able to ignore fear quite easily. You can get excited about any aspect of speaking you're going to try. Perhaps you will use a crazy prop or an eye-catching visual. Perhaps you plan to really let loose and use extreme voice modulation. Maybe you're going to sing on stage.
Focus on what new thing you want to try next. That excitement will carry you through the performance and allow you to have a great experience.
## Key Statements to Remember
The fear of performance will never go away. Even veterans with 20 years of experience still get nervous before performing. The key is to work past that nervousness. Here are some statements and mindsets that can help:
### 1. People want you to succeed.
Very selfishly, in fact. If you perform poorly on stage, people will be bored. Nobody wants to be bored, so secretly, everyone is hoping for an amazing performance. Use that to get yourself in the right frame of mind.
### 2. Nobody remembers your failures.
People remember great things - they remember amazing performances or things that left an impact on them. They don't have the bandwidth to remember times when they were underwhelmed or bored.
If someone remembers your failures, it is likely that they don't have nice things to think about, or that they're going through their own plateaus in life. **You will rarely run across someone who remembers your failures.**
Use this mindset to experiment and try your own ideas on stage, no matter how strange they may be. People will remember and appreciate the novelty.
### 3. Focus on the next step.
It's overwhelming to think about a massive education program or running through 30 speeches. It is also difficult to focus on 12 pieces of feedback from an evaluator.
Instead, focus on next steps. **Pick one problem** that an evaluator has given you, **and work on improving it** in your next speech. If you're a novice speaker, only focus on 1 speech, and set yourself a deadline.
If you're an experienced speaker, plan a series of speeches (maybe a full level from Pathways) and try to schedule them all. Pick a single challenge - a challenging challenge - and make it a 1-1 battle with it. You will minimize your feelings of overwhelm and helplessness.
# Iceberg? Icebreaker!
When working on your first speech, ignore everything else.
## Your Attitude towards your First Speech
There are 3 key things to keep in mind about your first speech:
1. Don't focus on anything in the future until after you've given your icebreaker.
2. Don't try to cram your entire life story into your icebreaker.
3. Don't seek extensive mentoring for your icebreaker.
### **1. Unless you are a hyper-motivated and foolhardy person, you should only focus on your first speech before thinking about any other speeches.**
There is a huge difference between someone who has given 1 speech and someone who has given 0 speeches, and that difference is that you realize that speaking isn't going to kill you.
{% hint style="info" %}
#### A person who has delivered at least one speech knows that speaking won't kill them.
{% endhint %}
This is not an exaggeration. While our minds can debate and reason, our bodies cannot. To your body, an icebreaker speech is no different from an angry tiger in front of you. That fear can be paralyzing, and worrying about awards and accolades before you've given even 1 speech is a recipe for disaster.
To get help with the fear of the icebreaker, see [Managing your Fear](/self/fear).
After you deliver your first speech, you will develop confidence that you didn't previously have. In the best-case scenario, you will realize that public speaking isn't as scary as it seems and you are more than capable. You will realize that you enjoy it.
### **2.** Please remember that this is not the only speech you're ever going to give in your life.
If things go as they're supposed to, this will be the first speech of many. You don't have to try and give the audience your entire life history in 6 minutes. Those sort of speeches aren't very effective, and don't give people the best shot at understanding who you are.
While we're at it, remember that talking about yourself in your icebreaker is only a tradition in Toastmasters, not a mandate. If you're not comfortable talking about your history, feel free to pick a different topic.
See [Methods of Writing](/self/icebreaker#methods-of-writing) below to get some structures for your speech.
### **3. Try to write your own speech, without too much help from others.**
The objectives of the icebreaker are to DISCOVER your natural strengths and areas of improvement. Nobody is expecting a world-class speech from you.
It is important to care about your presentation and to give it your absolute best shot. It is good to experiment and create a new style or inspire everybody in the room. **But if chasing those goals paralyzes you and stops you from speaking, then it isn't helping you out.**
Instead, write something that you truly believe in at the moment. It'll help your evaluator find your natural strengths and point those out to you. If you get a lot of mentoring, then your evaluator is listening to your mentor's words, not your own.
Remember: In Toastmasters, we understand that it takes courage to stand on the stage. So even if you come and stand silently for 4 minutes, Toastmasters will applaud you, because it takes courage to stand on stage without knowing what to say.
That is the expectation we have of first-time speakers - that they will be quiet the entire time. Anything above that is a bonus.
## Methods of Writing
If you choose to talk about yourself, here are three structures you can use for your story.
### Chronological
If you're absolutely intent on giving the audience a whole picture of your life, go in chronological order. Avoid jumping back and forth between time periods.
> e.g. "In school, I did X, Y, and Z...\
> In college, I did A, B, and C. College was a very formative experience for me...\
> While I was still in Bangalore for school, I enjoyed spending time in Lalbagh...\
> But when I came into the workforce, Ram called me and put me in a difficult position. Ram was my friend in school. So I called Laxman, who was my professor in college..."
In the above example, introduce Ram in the section where you talk about school, and introduce Professor Laxman when you talk about college. Keep the Lalbagh section with school as well, and reference it later when necessary.
These arrangements help the audience keep track of the things you're talking about, and prevents them becoming confused.
### HPSI
One of my favourite approaches for the icebreaker is HPSI. In fact, this approach is what I used for my own icebreaker in 2016.
I didn't realize this is an approach others can use until 2019, where a different speaker used it, and I was evaluating her.
#### What is HPSI? History, Principles, Skills, and Interests.
You may have heard the story about a philosophy professor who asked a student if a jar is full. The professor fills rocks in a jar and the students agree it is full. He then adds pebbles to it, and the pebbles fill up the gaps. After the students say it is full now, he adds sand. This mini-story is about setting the priorities of your life right, and [you can read it here](https://www.odessa.edu/current-students/_documents/pdfs/a-story-of-priorities-and-a-jar.pdf), if interested.
Similar to that story, **a high-level, undetailed history is the first foundation of your life**, the rocks, and talking about that gives people a rough idea of the kind of person you might be. They represent your roots and your upbringing.
After your brief history, **your principles are the second foundation of your life**, the pebbles. They tell people what you believe in, which might be the same as, or the opposite of, your roots.
**Your skills come third**, acting as the sand. They tell people what you can do, giving them something to respect about you.
Finally, **your interests are fourth**, and they are the water that the professor could have added in the story but didn't\*. Your interests complete the picture of you for the audience, telling people what you care about aside from your skills and work.
*\*Aside: Does this make me a better professor than the one in the story? You decide.*
### Fable
This is the simplest, and I would argue, the best way to approach the icebreaker. Many, many speeches, even advanced ones, take the structure that we call **"Story-Point"** - you tell exactly one story, and then you use that story to make one point.
{% hint style="info" %}
A fable is a story that contains a moral message.
{% endhint %}
Fables are simple to understand, and therefore make for very effective speeches. In the context of an icebreaker, they work whether or not you are talking about yourself.
If you do choose to talk about yourself, talk about one thing about you (any 1 historical event, principle, skill, or interest), and then near the end of the speech, interpret that one thing. You can interpret it as a lesson you learned, a piece of advice you have for the audience, or even an observation that might not be commonly known.
Basically, the interpretation is telling the audience WHY they should care about the story, and it makes for a powerful and attention-grabbing conclusion.
**All the best for your icebreaker!**
# Choose Speech Topics Easily
AKA How to defeat pre-filtering
This is one of the most common issues we hear about on a regular basis. This page will get rid of that problem for you permanently.
## The Real Issue is Pre-Filtering
Pre-filtering is the practice of rejecting your own ideas before you give them shape. Unfortunately, it is a very, very common practice.
Why do we pre-filter? We are predisposed to thinking that what we can say isn't important and nobody will care. It is a side-effect of low self-esteem. **I've even heard people say, "\[topic] matters to me, but I don't think anybody else will care about it."**
To avoid the embarrassment of delivering a speech that nobody cares about, young speakers, writers, and artists will often reject their ideas as soon as they get them. By doing it again and again, they reinforce the behavior, until they're left with **"nothing to talk about"**.
Of course, the real issue might be that they are negatively biased towards themselves.
How could I know if my topic isn't interesting to others? I don't know what people think. I barely know what they do in their own lives. This is my own low self-esteem that is preventing me from practising my art and becoming better.
One of the easiest mindset-shifts I preach is this: **change the problem to a challenge.** Instead of thinking, *"this won't be interesting to anyone"*, ask *"how do I make this interesting?"*
The sections below will teach you methods to choose topics easily.
## My Method: POSE
This is the method I use myself for creating speeches, and it is the method I teach most often.
POSE stands for **P**erson, **O**bject, **S**elf, **E**vent.
Simply put, in any speech you can only talk about a living thing or a non-living thing. In living things, you can either talk about yourself or somebody else. In non-living things, you can either talk about an tangible (object) or a non-tangible (event).
From each category of **P O S E** , choose one example that you care about, and write a speech about that. This gives you 4 speech topics to choose from.
For example, with **persons**, I can choose **my mother**, because I love her. I can also choose **Isaac Newton**, because he is a historical figure that inspires me. I can choose **Rosa Parks**, as a figure who made a big change in the world that I appreciate, even though her work might not have directly benefitted me.
For **objects**, I can choose big objects such as **my house or my car**, small objects that matter to me like **my glasses**, or objects of historical significance like **The Mona Lisa** or **The Gateway of India**, or objects of general interest such as **electricity lines** or **Sticky Notes**.
For the **self**, I can choose **principles**. e.g. Don't lie. Make time for self-care. Commit to your work. All good things to talk about. I can also choose **dreams or goals**. e.g. I want to lose 15 kg. I want to travel the world eating different cuisines. I want to read 26 books a year. I can choose **skills** or **habits**, and many more aspects of my life.
Finally for **events**, there are any number of experiences I can talk about - from **concerts** and **weddings** to **a normal workday** or **buying groceries on the way home**. See the Victim/Witness section below for more about events.
### Why I love this method
POSE gives you at least 4 different speech topics. That means you have something to work on for 4 future speeches. This method is also very mutable and expandable. When you start combining different elements, you get even more categories. Some examples of subcategories:
* Person + Self = Relationship
* Object + Self = Goal or Transaction
* Event + Self = Experience or Inference
* Object + Event = Adventure
* Event + Event = Coincidence or Pattern
* Self + Self = Belief
* ...and many more. Can you come up with more?
## A Method from Aalap Mehta, DTM: Victim/Witness
DTM Aalap shared this method at Division A's Apricot event on 21st September, 2019. In this method, he says that you can either talk about:
* something that happened to you, i.e. something you were a victim of
* something that happened that you saw i.e. something you witnessed
**For example, imagine you are travelling by bus, and you had to run to catch it. That is something you were a victim of, and you can create speeches out of that experience.** Some ideas from this example:
1. Buses operate on a schedule, and we have to work around these schedules.
2. If you're late in the morning, you might have to run and potentially put yourself in danger.
3. Buses are overcrowded in India. There are so many people here. Overpopulation is a problem.
4. Buses are overcrowded in India. It is an uncomfortable yet convenient way of travel.
5. ...and many more.
**Sticking to the same example, imagine you were travelling by bus and you happened to see a bike on the road. The biker looked interesting to you. You witnessed them.** You can talk about that, wondering about what their life is like.
Or you saw a fruit seller give an apple to a child for free, and you witnessed it. Some ideas from this example:
1. Kindness is not the monopoly of the rich.
2. The health benefits of apples.
3. Children are precious and we should care for them.
4. ...and many more.
Speeches are an experience in their own right. When you talk about something you were a victim of or something you witnessed, you are sharing an experience you had. You give that experience to other people, inviting them to feel the same way you do. That is what community is all about.
#### All the best with your speechwriting!
# How to Structure Speeches
A speech can take myriad forms. Based on the ideas and emotions you want to convey, a speech can be deadly serious or hysterically funny... or both or neither. Mapping out every type of structure of speeches is a near impossible task.
So instead, I will share a few principles on speechwriting, and will then condense it to a process.
## Principles of Speechwriting
### Make exactly one point.
The best speeches make one point. Most speeches in Toastmasters give you 5-7 minutes to speak. In this time, you can only do justice to one central idea.
A lot of beginners tend to cram their speeches with details about their lives. Remember, you will not give only one speech in your life! Make sure that your speech can be boiled down to a single statement.
In professional writing terminology, that single statement is called a **through-line**, which means a connecting theme, plot, or idea that unifies your work (whether that's a book or a speech or a movie or a blog post).
Have a through-line.
### Support your one point.
Now if a speech can be boiled down to a single statement, then why do we need 5-7 minutes to make it? Because convincing people takes time and effort.
You wouldn't listen to just anything I say, would you?
So keeping your through-line in mind, create 2-4 sub-points that support your statement and build to it.
### Recapture attention.
The audience is not as attentive as you think. If your speech isn't sufficiently interesting, you will find very quickly that people are starting to look down at their phones.
Each of your 2-4 sub-points serves as a pitstop in your speech, and you should use them as opportunities to recapture attention.
You can use **repetition**, which is very effective because our brains are adept at detecting patterns. The moment you repeat a statement, especially with the same stress and intonation, people take notice. Your sub-points can be the same as your through-line, and that creates effective repetition.
You can also use a **change in voice** - volume, pitch, or speed, to recapture attention.
One of the easiest ways to recapture attention though, is to **pause**. Don't be afraid to take a deep pause, even up to 5 seconds! Especially pause after you make a sub-point.
### Be fair and honest...
If your speech topic is a contentious one i.e. **it can be debated**, you would benefit from anticipating counter-arguments. Don't be afraid to address the downsides of your stance, and make statements that highlight the positives instead.
If you address counter-arguments, your speech feels much more honest and the audience will be more willing to listen to you.
### ...but not too much.
**The worst sentences** I've ever heard in a speech is "*...At least that is my opinion. You may think something different.*"
Yuck.
What the audience already thinks about your topic doesn't matter in the few minutes you're speaking. You're here to make **YOUR** case, share **YOUR** opinion, and stake **YOUR** claim. Sentences or sentence fragments that justify your stance make you appear less confident.
Examples:
* "I think the government needs to do a better job, **but I'm not trying to hurt anybody's sentiments here.**"
* "**It is only my opinion**, but wine is a con industry."
* "Life sucks and then you die. **At least I think so.**"
I call these **qualifiers** - fragments of text that make your sentence become longer, thereby qualifying them to somehow be more important. They don't.
While you may think that you're being fair and polite by using such terms, what you're doing is anticipating and avoiding conflict. But avoiding conflict only makes you **appear AND feel weak**. These statements are also a reflection of your own lack of self-esteem.
Don't intentionally provoke people, but don't try to placate everybody either. It doesn't help you at all.
## Common Methods of Structuring Speeches
Based on the above principles, my favorite method of speechwriting is to reverse engineer it.
### Reverse Engineer
1. Start with your conclusion.
2. Come up with at least 6 sub-points - 3 positive and 3 negative.
3. Decide the tone of your speech. How do you want the audience to feel?
4. Based on your tone, choose 2-4 points from your list and list them above your conclusion.
5. Create a hook for the start of the speech that captures attention.
6. Start filling out the spaces between your introduction, points, and conclusion.
7. Practice your speech and repeat steps 2-6 till you're happy with your speech.
If this feels like too much work, there is an easier method.
### Story-Point
The simplest, and sometimes most effective, method of speechwriting is storytelling. Right from our collective childhoods, we've been told fables - stories that have a moral lesson at the end.
The advantage of that knowledge is that you know EVERYBODY ELSE is also familiar with fables. So why not use that method?
Your main point is the lesson you're trying to teach the audience. Either create an original story that demonstrates that lesson, or pick up one of the millions of stories from our history - real or fictional.
### Story-Point-Story-Point
If you have a particularly strong sub-point to make, you can tell 2 stories, or 2 parts of a story, to demonstrate the sub-point and your main point.
### Debate-Decision
This is a variation on story-point-story-point. Think of it as story-story-point-point. For topics that require the audience to weigh pros and cons, tell 2 stories, and then highlight the pros and cons of each stance.
For this type of speech, it is important that you **make a choice at the end of your speech.** You could leave it open-ended for the audience to come to their own conclusion, but in my opinion, that isn't very effective. Instead, remember that as the speaker, it is your job to basically tell the audience what to think - don't be afraid to take a stance!
### Create your Own
These are just some methods out of many. Remember that speechwriting is an infinitely creative art. If you have an idea that doesn't fit into these methods, create your own. Speechwriting can be incredibly fun if you choose to enjoy it!
# \*Pathways for Individuals
*Coming in the next update.*
* Advantages of Pathways over traditional
* Choosing a path, focus on the core projects of level 3,4,5; projects > speeches (how to feel about Pathways)
* Marking a project complete (website workflow)
* Planning your speeches
* DCP
# \*Path Completion
The Reflect on your Path speech
*(Dedicated to TM Mahima Mehta, Area F4 Director, District 92, 2020-21. She reached out to me to evaluate her path completion speech even though we had never spoken before. In doing so, she inspired me to think about what it means to complete a path and reflect.)*
*Coming in the next update.*
# Table Topics and the Dread Around Them
Ah the infamous Table Topics - a concept so unique that it is a registered trademark of Toastmasters International. The concept that sometimes has people leave the room screaming... or at least attend to a conveniently timed "important phone call."
I know 3 things about Table Topics:
1. They strike fear in the hearts of speakers, even veteran speakers.
2. They feel like the longest 2 minutes of your life.
3. They're honestly not that bad.
## Why Attempt Table Topics?
Being able to speak with a prepared presentation or a plan is one thing. Being able to speak off the cuff is an entirely different skill to master.
I joined Toastmasters in 2016 **specifically because I wanted to master table topics**. I've always felt that I struggle to speak in small groups, like when you're with friends at a restaurant. I used to feel like I'd say something stupid and put my foot in my mouth, and my hope was that learning to tackle table topics would improve my ability to think before I speak.
As mentioned in [*What the heck is In It For Me?*](/self/wiifm), the main thing you learn in Toastmasters is **thought development - learning how to think** and how to arrange your thoughts for maximum impact. Table Topics exemplifies that learning - a true way to test your mettle and see just how good you are.
Plus, you have to remember that you're only speaking for 2 minutes. It's an easy way to get your speaking fix regularly and rack up practice. I strongly recommend you **attempt Table Topics at every meeting** of your Toastmasters club. To get even more practice in, **think of what you would say for every topic** presented at your club, even if you're not the one speaking about it.
## Strategies for Table Topics
That all being said, how do you begin to ace the art of speaking on the spot? Here are a few techniques for you to try.
### The Previously Prepared Speech
The first thing you need to know about this method is that **I hate it**.
There is a saying in some of our Indian Toastmasters circles - "*If you've been asked to talk about a tree, but you only know about a cow, talk about the cow, and at the end say that the cow was tied to the tree.*"
In this method, you prepare one or two speeches of a generic nature, and then when you receive the topic, you tell your generic story and adapt it to the topic given.
While I do have a few key stories from my life at the tip of my tongue (as should everyone), I do NOT advocate this method because it goes against the spirit of the exercise - you learn nothing about thinking on your feet.
**Skip this method, and opt for the next two.**
### P.R.O.B.E.
No, I'm not talking about an alien abduction. This is a technique I learned from Pramoda Vyasarao, a charter member of my first club, Oracle's ORA\*TORS club. He gives a 35 minute workshop on this, but here is a brief version.
* **P - Personalize:** Find a personal story that relates to the topic.
* **R - Relax:** Before you begin speaking, take a moment to physically relax and stop yourself from panicking.
* **O - Opening:** Use a hook to create an interesting opening. Ask a provocative question or act out something so you capture the attention of the audience.
* **B - Body:** Dive into your story and lead up to a statement or an argument you want to make. The story should illustrate your statement.
* **E - Ending:** If you've made an argument in your body, summarize it. If you have not, make a statement explaining what you learned from your story and what you would like to tell the audience.
One of the biggest mistakes we make with question-style table topics is we answer the question. When you answer the question, you will have maybe-30-seconds worth of material. You'll run out of things to say, and start floundering. Instead, use the topic as a prompt to tell a story.
### C to A
This is my favourite method of tackling Table Topics. I adapted this from an improv technique that I learned from another Toastmaster, Saveen Hegde, in his improv comedy workshop.
Take a few seconds in silence to **make a decision based on the topic** - do you believe in it or not? Do you agree with it or not? is it relevant to you or not? **Turn that into a statement**, and then think of a **related statement**. Start speaking with the related statement, then work backwards through your logic, going through your first statement, and ultimately arriving at the topic as the conclusion.
This works well for less-abstract, decision-based topics. It isn't suited to a direct question e.g. *"what is a song that inspired you?"*
{% hint style="success" %}
**All the best with your table topics!** Remember, learning to deal with the panic of not knowing what to talk about is a crucial skill to becoming a better communicator. Attempt them as often as you can.
{% endhint %}
# The (He)art of Evaluation
How to evaluate properly and be heard while doing it
Context. Context. Context.
That's not just a word repeated 3 times - it is the entire heart of evaluation.
Let me explain either through this video...
{% embed url="" %}
...or in this article, if you prefer to read. Get ready, it's a LOOOOOONG one.
## What is the point of evaluation?
If you think the purpose of evaluation is to give the speaker a bunch of points to help them improve, you're sadly mistaken.
I believe the core purpose of evaluation, the heart, is to:
1. Make the speaker want to speak again.
2. Use the speaker as an example to teach the audience something.
A speaker will improve with practice. The more they speak, the better they become. If an evaluation is too harsh, a speaker may be demotivated and may not want to speak again. **Thus, a bad evaluation is one that doesn't make the speaker want to speak again.**
Instead, an evaluation with a couple of suggestions gives a speaker a direction to proceed in. They will take care of the rest when they speak next.
When you use the speaker's example to teach the audience an aspect of speaking, you are helping the audience learn something, and thus prepare for their own speeches. At the same time, **you are praising the speaker**, and thus accomplishing goal 1 again.
## What are the traits of a good evaluation?
* **Usable** - can the speaker use the point you've made? If not, don't make the point. For example, you can talk about *how 5 years ago, people appreciated speeches more, but now they don't*. **This adds nothing to the speaker,** but only acts as a vent for your own frustrations. Similarly, tired tropes and metaphors, *like how a speech is like biryani*, only entertain the audience, but aren't usable by the speaker.
* **Understandable** - The aforementioned cliches, as well as heavy jargon and blustering verbosity, like this sentence, aren't very good. Keep it simple.
* **Demonstrable** - If you cannot point out specific examples in the speech, or if your recommendations aren't detailed enough, they are not demonstrable. For example, **"improve your hand gestures"** is very common advice during evaluations. But improve how? Do what? It is incomplete information and adds nothing to the speaker. Instead, show speakers what they did, and what they can do. **Show more, tell less.**
## How long is the role of an evaluator?
Remember that as an evaluator, you aren't just focused on the 2-3 minutes. You have a pre-meeting and a post-meeting task as well.
### Before the Meeting
If you get a chance to speak to the speaker, **ask them about their project.** Check their objectives with them, and also ask them if they're trying to accomplish something beyond the objectives of the speech. Getting this information will give you context and direction and make your evaluation much better.
Even if the speaker doesn't give you any specific information, just talking to them will give you some idea of **what they're like a person**, and therefore **what their speaking style is.** Knowing their style helps shape your evaluation. Examples of this are in the video.
### During the Evaluation
Do not share EVERYTHING you have during your evaluation speech. **A 3 minute speech is only good for about 4-5 points of evaluation.** Save everything else for after the meeting.
If the speaker was generally good, share 3 things they did well and 2 things that can be improved. If the speaker wasn't particularly good, share 2 things they did well and 3 things that can be improved. **This ratio works for 90% of speakers**, and is a great structure for novice evaluators.
### After the Meeting
After the meeting, if you approach the speaker and go over your evaluation again, you'll be doing more than most evaluators do. This is an opportunity for you to better explain your stance and show the speaker that you are genuinely invested in their growth.
This is also an opportunity for you to share any feedback that you didn't share in your 3 minute speech, and to answer any questions the speaker has.
## What can you evaluate?
You could create so many subcategories on what to talk about, but here I'll share a few basic ones that you should address.
In general, a speech will be broken down into **Content** (what was said), **Delivery** (how it was said), and **Intent** (what the speaker was trying to do).
### Content
The content is the foundation of a speech. You could dress up a speech with the greatest performance in the world, but if it doesn't have great content, the best you'll get is polite applause. The basic elements of content are:
* **Message** - You can say a lot, but say nothing at all at the same time. Every speech needs to have a purpose. What is the speaker trying to do with her speech?\
\
Generally, a speech can be one of four types - a speech that informs, a speech that entertains, a speech that persuades, or a speech that inspires. In between those types, there are myriad purposes for giving a speech. A speaker may be trying anything from giving you a hilarious anecdote about their day in traffic to convincing you to start your own herb garden.\
\
As an evaluator, you need to check if you can identify the message of the speech, and whether it is evident that that message is singular in nature. Any speech with more than 1 message is confused and unclear.
* **Structure** - There are as many structures in a speech as there are words in the language. A speaker may be innovative with how they capture and hold your attention. Structure is a criterion where many evaluators fail, because they prefer prescribing the same old-school format on every speech.\
\
In general, you will hear that every speech has an opening, a body, and a conclusion. This is true because every speech starts, continues, and ends. But in the formula of OBC, many evaluators are unable to identify what else the speaker has done.
* **Language** - What is better - high-brow, complex, rich language, or plain, simple, easy language? The answer is neither. The best language is the one that fits the intent. If a speaker is attempting to entertain the audience or teach them something, vivid description are necessary. But if a speaker is trying to persuade the audience or inspire them to chase their goals, then simple language works better because it connects with people better.\
\
As an evaluator, it is easy for you to get intimidated when a bombastic, verbose speaker takes the stage. However, as long as you're able to follow the conversation, you are qualified to comment on the usage of language, whether it be to praise the speaker or to ask them to be more simple.
### Delivery
If content is the foundation, then delivery is the paint on the building. Without great delivery, your speech has no aesthetic. It would be bland, boring, and ineffective. The basic elements of delivery are:
* **Voice** - The four elements of voice are **pace** (speed), **pitch**, **power** (volume), and **pauses**. In general, a speech should vary, or modulate, 1 or more of those 4 elements. It is not that a higher volume is always better than a lower volume. Both should be used when appropriate, and a speech should have moments in it that allow the speaker to use both. It is **change** that keeps a speech interesting, so if a speaker can vary any of those, they're doing well.\
\
In my experience, **speakers who are more natural sounding** are able to vary their power and pauses more easily, while **speakers who are more performative** are able to vary pitch and pace more easily. Your recommendations should be based on the style of the speaker.
* **Body** - Your body speaks its own language, and the language it speaks is truth. I don't subscribe to statistics that say body language is 65% or 85% of communication, but it is a very vivid and important part of communication.\
\
I primarily like to judge if a speaker was comfortable and confident on stage. That information becomes apparent quickly. If they're fidgety, if they're comforting or soothing themselves, or if they're subconsciously blocking their body from the audience, they're not comfortable. Nervous movement around the stage, like rocking back and forth or side to side, is also a sign of discomfort.\
\
Beyond comfort and confidence, body language manifests in the use of hands and arms to be more expressive, and in acting to sell the message. Not every speech needs to be demonstrated, hence not every speech needs acting. Provide this advice, with examples, only if necessary.
### Intent
Beyond what the speaker did is what the speaker wanted to do. **This is for really advanced evaluators.** If you develop a keen eye and ear for evaluation, you will notice cracks or anomalies in a speaker's voice and whether their body language belies doubt that the speech doesn't. You'll be able to sense discomfort from the speaker. Pointing out inconsistencies might give the speaker some great insight into their own beliefs, styles, and confidence, and can be invaluable advice, if you know what you are doing.
Even if you cannot judge inconsistencies because you're not an "expert" yet, there are still ways for you to judge intent, primarily in the speaker's content. For example, if the choice of stories or lines don't match the spirit of the speech, you're in a position to point out that the speaker intended to convey a particular message but ended up conveying another. This is useful because the speaker will appreciate you understanding their intent, and will be more likely to accept your feedback.
## Final Tips
1. **Focus on the positive.** You need to make the speaker want to speak again. By highlighting key strengths of the speaker, and peaks during the speech, you can make a speaker feel good about their performance.
2. **Give Next Steps only.** A speaker cannot remember (or may discard) evaluations with a large number of improvements. Instead, give the speaker one or two things to focus on, so that they can start tracking their improvement from their next speech onwards.
3. **You present your opinion.** Remember that a speaker can discard your evaluation. This means two things. First, do not be intimidated if you're evaluating someone with more experience than you. Second, do not present your evaluation as if you are preaching gospel. Your feedback is simply your opinion.
4. **Good > Perfect.** Like speaking, evaluation is a skill you will improve over time. Keep practicing your skill, do it as often as you can, and you will become an excellent evaluator.
# How does Networking Work?
Many of you might have joined Toastmasters for networking. If you haven't, read the first section below.
## Why You Absolutely NEED to Go Beyond Your Club
Most of my learning in Toastmasters has been outside my club. Back around January 2017, I had finished my first speech module in the traditional education program and I was bored. I didn't see what else I could learn, and I slowed down significantly. In May 2017, my mentor asked me to come with him to the district conference, and there I was literally taken aback by the quality of speakers. **I learned that day just how much I still had to learn.**
Beyond just learning, think about scale. Your club has 10-50 members at most. After a while, you'll easily become familiar with everybody. But when you go beyond your club, you will meet so many more people, with a higher chance of seeing people that you get along with and a **higher chance of meeting more competent, more driven people.**
Allow yourself exposure. Go to district, division, and area events. Go perform at other clubs. Meet many new people - you will only benefit from it.
## A 5-step Method to Networking
Here's a breakdown of my approach to networking.
1. Approach to Networking and First Impressions
2. Making Small Talk
3. Making a Meaningful Connection
4. Leveraging your Connections and Giving Help
5. Maintaining Relationships Long Term
### 1. Approach to Networking and First Impressions
First, a better name. Networking sounds very corporate – **what you’re actually doing is making friends**. That’s it.
There's an important distinction. When you think networking, you think “corporate”, “give-and-take”, “fake”. When you make friends, you think of “enjoyment”, “support” and “trust”. These are the core elements of a good network.
You must shift your mindset from “networking” to “making friends”. **When you attend events, set your mind to having fun.** You’re there to have a good time, and when you approach the event that way, it'll show. That's the first impression that attracts people to you.
A great first impression CAN be faked. You can dress perfectly, act cordial, be careful about your walk, don’t say anything risqué. It is **MUCH easier to create fun by being enthusiastic**.
Enthusiasm is an intangible that not many people notice, but everybody feels. You've heard of vibes, right? Your “vibe” is what makes people want to talk to you, and all it requires is 1 small shift in mindset.
Next time you attend an event, don't stick to the people you know. Pull in a stranger into an ongoing conversation. Be fun.
### 2. Making Small Talk
Why do we engage in small talk? Small talk is not small at all. It's an important evaluation - both you and your partner are seeing if you're worth talking to each other. We are uncomfortable with silence in social situations, so we fill it, but at the same time, we are not sure whether we can trust the person we're talking to. Hence, we play this game of poking and prodding.
#### Active Listening: Learn to Shut Up
A key mistake we make as people is talking way too much. This is especially true if we're trying to network™. We think we have to fill in the gaps and be loud to be interesting.
**You can also be interesting by listening.**
Listening is a very rare skill. We are almost always thinking, "*Where can I jump in? Can I talk about me?*"
After sharing a personal story, **follow up with an open-ended question**, such as "Have you ever experienced anything like that?", or "Why do you think that happened?" **Then, pay attention.**
Let them know that you are really listening by expressing your interest on your face (good eye contact) and body (turn towards them and move your hands away from your chest).
And that really is the crux of networking - bringing some sort of value to someone so that you decide to be friends, even if that value is just listening to them because no one else does.
### 3. Making a Meaningful Connection
Here’s a sticking point – it’s very, very rare and difficult to create a meaningful connection in 1 meeting. It’s just not practically possible. You have to meet people again and again, and impress again and again, at least 3 times.
So if you’ve found someone you like talking to, and you’d like to have them in your life, **take control of the opportunity to see them again.** At the end of the night of the first meeting, ask them, “*so when are we seeing each other next?*”
If you’re part of a community, like Toastmasters, bring up the next event on the calendar, and ask to see them there. “*Come to the event. It'll be fun with you around.*”
Another thing to do is to **integrate early** i.e. introduce them to a friend of yours at the event, and if they introduce a friend of theirs, treat their friend with just as much importance. The more natural it feels for both of you to be in a group, the faster you will establish a meaningful, deep connection.
### 4. Leveraging your Connections and Giving Help
Using your connections to get help is not a bad thing - it is literally how the world works. However, if you think you are going to "use" people, you're mistaken. The mindset shift needed for leveraging relationships is accepting that your friend is doing you a favor. In turn, you must do your friend a favor when they need it.
When should you say yes to a friend's request? **Most of the time.** Prioritize their need, even if it is inconvenient. Anybody can say no, but if you are able to say yes, you will find a world open up to you. Put simply, when you help your friends, your friends will help you.
When should you say no to a friend's request? If their request can get you in trouble with your career or have non-trivial impact on your health and schedule, **it's okay to say no**. However, even there, help your friend by connecting them to someone else who might help.
The more you connect and help people, the more people will appreciate you and help you when you need it.
If you do ever need help, remember that all you can do is ask. Don't expect people to help you - you might be disappointed, but always ask if you need it. Someone might just surprise you.
### 5. Maintaining Relationships Long Term
'*Absence makes the heart grow fonder*' is no longer a relevant lesson today. To maintain relationships, you should see each other and catch up at least once every few months. The more intimate the relationship, the more you need to see each other to maintain it.
This is HARD. It's something I still struggle with.
One strategy that can work is having a **common activity** to discuss or a **long-term project** you're working on together. In fact, that's the entire premise behind how relationships are started in the Playstation game **Persona 5** (one of my favorites) - you as the protagonist get pulled into an agreement with someone, which manifests as a relationship or a "social contract".
Even if you don't have something you're working on together, it makes a world of difference to **remember what your friend has been doing in their own lives**. People appreciate those that make them feel important, and remembering details about someone's life is the best way to show them that you genuinely care. (This is where I struggle.)
It's an inexact science to maintain friendships. I'd even call it an inexact art. But the bottom line is this: give people a reason to keep you around. Be friendly, be fun, be reliable, and be considerate. It'll make a huge difference to how you approach people and how you form your own network of friends, partners, and acquaintances.
# DTM - The Highest Education Award
The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award represents the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters. The award is the equivalent of the organization saying, "we believe this person is a very good speaker and leader."
## Is Every Distinguished Toastmaster supposed to be an amazing speaker?
No. While you can expect an above-average skill level from every DTM because of the amount of practice they've had, the DTM award represents a member's persistence more than their skill.
There are a lot of tasks you have to complete to win the DTM award. Completing them all requires patience, effort, and determination. Think of it like completing a marathon - whether you finish it in 3 hours or 9 hours, it is still a big achievement. Similarly, there are people who finish their DTM in 12 years, and there are those who finish it in 2. The Toastmasters education program is self-paced, and we don't push artificial time limits.
However, in the process of achieving this award, you get to sample most of the offerings under the Toastmasters banner. You get to experience many different types of speaking and many different types of leadership. You may discover that you actually have proficiency in skills that you didn't even know existed.
Going through the DTM journey helps you discover your true strength and determination, while also giving you plenty of opportunity to practise several different skills, and discover your leadership style.
It is less about the award and more about the valuable experience you gain completing it. By the end, you may be a completely different person than when you started.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that you earn several certifications along the way.
## Why Aim for DTM?
The DTM recognition is the highest education award provided by Toastmasters. Aiming for this gives you a long-term goal and a north star to proceed towards.
By pursuing all the different challenges under the DTM program, you will find your personal affinities and skills, and truly earn the self-improvement that you signed up for when you joined Toastmasters.
## Pathways
In Pathways, you earn the DTM award by successfully completing two paths, and a number of leadership roles. After completing every preliminary requirement, you create a DTM project of your own design, of a significant scale.
The following image shows all the requirements, with a recommended order of completion.
Resources for each goal:
* Pathways: [Pathways for Individuals](/self/pathways) | [Official Toastmasters Resource](https://www.toastmasters.org/pathways-overview)
* Club Officers: [So You've Decided to Become a Club Officer](/club/club-officer) |
* Club Mentor, Coach, and Sponsor: [Step out with Club Support Roles](broken://pages/-LqFnc5cKxGDjcy_lTIa) |
* YLP: [The Youth Leadership Program](broken://pages/-LqFnUIkkFlJqTSihEtn) |
* Speechcraft: [The Speechcraft Program](broken://pages/-LqFnQLnuPEt_Wv16yYa) |
* District Officer: [Wait, there's a Hierarchy?](broken://pages/-LoVO4qPqE5iQyDV_n50) |
## Traditional Education Program
In the traditional education program, you earn the DTM award by completing two modules: The Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG), and the Advanced Leader Silver (ALS).
Both of those come at the end of their respective tracks.
The ACG is the 4th speaking module, and it requires you to give your 31st to 40th prepared speech, along with a few requirements such as mentoring a new member and giving a presentation. [More about Advanced Communication](https://www.toastmasters.org/Education/Communication-Track/Advanced-Communication).
The ALS is the 3rd leadership module, and it requires you to be a district officer for 12 months, be a club coach or club mentor, and a club sponsor, among other things. By the end of this module, you experience most leadership opportunities that Toastmasters International provides. [More on Advanced Leadership](https://www.toastmasters.org/Education/Leadership-Track/advanced-leadership).
# Club Meeting Flow
A meeting is the crux of a Toastmasters Club. Many people who attend a Toastmasters meeting for the first time are highly impressed by the strict educational agenda we follow. This is in direct contrast to other organizations where a structured agenda may not be the norm.
Therefore, if a club wants to do well, it needs to make sure that it conducts good, high-quality meetings.
Most club meetings in District 92 and 121 follow this agenda:
## Start of the Meeting
1. The **Sergeant-at-arms** briefs the club about meeting etiquette.
2. The **Presiding Officer** welcomes guests and conducts any formal club business. They also talk about the meeting theme.
3. The **Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD)** sets the meeting agenda and talks about the theme. They also introduce every speaker afterwards. More on the TMOD role below.
4. The **General Evaluator (GE)** briefs the club about their role and allows their team to introduce themselves - the **Timer**, **Ah-counter**, **Grammarian** (TAG) roles. (**Speech evaluators** are introduced later.)
5. The TMOD begins the Prepared Speeches Section.
## Prepared Speeches Section
1. The TMOD introduces the evaluator of the first speaker.
2. The **Evaluator** informs the club about the speaker's objectives, as well as any additional information the speaker has shared beforehand.
3. The TMOD introduces the speaker and the title of their speech.
4. The **Prepared Speaker** delivers their speech.
5. The TMOD repeats Steps 1-4 for each prepared speaker.
6. The TMOD then introduces the **Table Topics Master** (AKA Topicsmaster or TTM).
## Table Topics Section
1. The TTM introduces the purpose and structure of the section.
2. The TTM selects a person from the audience to attempt a table topic, and reads the topic to them twice.
3. The Table Topic Speaker attempts the table topic.
4. The TTM repeats steps 2 and 3 until they run out of topics or until the designated time for the section is completed, whichever is earlier.
5. The TTM hands control of the stage to the TMOD.
## Evaluation Section
1. The TMOD hands control of the stage to the GE.
2. The GE requests the evaluators of prepared speeches to provide their report in order.
3. The evaluator provides feedback to their target speaker.
4. The GE offers feedback to the evaluator on their performance.\*
5. The GE repeats steps 2-4 for each evaluator.
6. The GE asks their auxiliary team to present their report.
7. The Timer presents their report.
8. The Ah-counter presents their report.
9. The Grammarian presents their report.
10. The GE provides any other feedback they may have, and hands the stage back to the TMOD.
## End of the Meeting
{% hint style="info" %}
Some clubs prefer the TMOD to end the meeting, some prefer the Presiding Officer, and some allow both to give closing remarks. This section assumes the latter.
{% endhint %}
1. The TMOD makes any closing remarks they may have, and requests the audience to vote for the best performers of the meeting.
2. The Presiding Officer:
* makes any announcements,
* conducts any last business,
* collects guest feedback,
* invites guests to join the club or attend again as guests,
* announces the results of the vote for best performers, and
* closes the meeting.
#### Also see:
{% content-ref url="/pages/-MMdUiKaBs2Jke-XsDnN" %}
[Common Club Meeting Roles](/club/common-club-meeting-roles)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/-LqForOVNMtauZfV6JY\_" %}
[Broken mention](broken://pages/-LqForOVNMtauZfV6JY_)
{% endcontent-ref %}
###
# Common Club Meeting Roles
## Roles in a Club Meeting
* **Sergeant at Arms:** welcomes everybody to the meeting. Talks about the ground rules of the club. Maintains control of the door or the video conferencing tool.
* **Presiding Officer**: opens the meeting, welcomes guests, conducts club business and makes announcements. Talks about the theme of the meeting.
* **Toastmaster of the Day**: otherwise known as the host or the Master of Ceremonies. Maintains control of the meeting and engages the audience. Introduces everybody else in the meeting and talks about the themes.
* **General Evaluator**: provides feedback to everybody at the meeting and oversees a team of speech evaluators and auxiliary evaluators.
* **Speech Evaluators**: evaluate a single target speaker based on their Pathways project objectives.
* **Prepared Speakers**: prepare speeches beforehand according to their Pathways projects.
* **Topicsmaster (TTM)**: prepares thematic topics beforehand and conducts the table topics section.
* **Timer**: times everybody in the meeting and indicates their time thresholds.
* **Ah-counter**: notes uses of filler words and phrases for everyone who takes the stage. Presents a report in the evaluation section and after the meeting.
* **Grammarian**: notes praiseworthy use of language and areas of improvement. Presents a report in the evaluation section and after the meeting.
### Sergeant at Arms (SAA)
The Sergeant at Arms is a club officer who begins the meeting by reminding the audience of any club rules and etiquette to be followed, such as putting their phones on Silent Mode.
{% hint style="warning" %}
There is no rule in Toastmasters that prevents speakers from talking about sex, religion, and politics. This is a widely believed but false adage in our community.
A club may choose to have this rule regardless. Toastmasters is a safe space for people learning how to express themselves, and we try not to offend each other.
However, my recommendation is to allow these topics so that speakers can discover their opinions on matters of importance. Teach your club members how to approach these topics with nuance and grace.
{% endhint %}
Some clubs may opt to have the SAA deliver a short speech on the theme of the meeting. This is especially true of clubs that meet for 90 or 120 minutes. It is a good practice to allow the SAA to get repeated speaking practice over the course of their officer term.
### Presiding Officer
The Presiding Officer, usually the President, is an important role that sets the tone of the meeting. The Presiding Officer has the following responsibilities:
1. Formally declare the meeting open with the club gavel.
2. Conduct any club business, such as announcements of renewals, upcoming events, officer elections, polling club members for important decisions.
3. As a best practice, you may also have the Club Secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting.
4. Welcome guests to the meeting.
5. Introduce the theme of the meeting, and briefly talk about it.
6. Introduce the Toastmaster of the Day.
The Presiding Officer may also conduct closing business. See "Round 5" in the TMOD section.
### Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD)
The main objective of the TMOD is to maintain the flow of the meeting. As TMOD, you are responsible for making sure that the audience is engaged, and excited to listen to the next speaker on stage.
The TMOD takes the stage in between every other speaker. As such, the TMOD is the person who is on the stage the most. To organize the role of the TMOD, consider each appearance as a "round".
#### Responsibilities
**Round 1:** Talk about the theme of the meeting to educate and entertain the audience. In case the presiding officer didn't ask guests to introduce themselves, do so. Set the agenda of the meeting i.e. tell the audience that the meeting will contain prepared speeches, table topics, and evaluation. In case the meeting has a special agenda, this is where you inform the general audience. Finally, introduce the General Evaluator.
{% hint style="info" %}
A club may have either the GE or the TMOD call upon the auxiliary evaluators. Work with the club officers to understand their standard operating procedure.
{% endhint %}
**Round 2**: Thank the GE. Move into the first agenda item, usually the prepared speeches section, or on occasion, a guest speaker's session.
Introduce the next speaker’s evaluator. After that, introduce the speaker, and declare their speech title.
{% hint style="success" %}
In Toastmasters, we recommend using the "speaker name, speech title, pause, speech title, Speaker name" format. For example, if I'm attempting a speech with the title "A Helpful Handbook" I would be introduced as:
**"Vaibhav Gupta, *****A Helpful Handbook*****. *****A Helpful Handbook*****, Vaibhav Gupta"**\
or\
**"DTM Vaibhav, *****A Helpful Handbook*****. *****A Helpful Handbook*****, DTM Vaibhav"**
{% endhint %}
**Round 3:** Thank the final speaker, introduce the table topic section and the Topicsmaster.
**Round 4:** Thank the TTM, and call back the GE on stage (no introduction).
**Round 5:** Thank the GE, ask for guest feedback, check with officers for any announcements, and declare the results of the meeting. Close the meeting with the gavel.
{% hint style="info" %}
A club may have either the Presiding Officer or the TMOD conduct Round 5.
{% endhint %}
You can use the sample script provided here.
{% content-ref url="/pages/-MBNEvn23eKMyvnXWRKI" %}
[Sample Script: TMOD](/club/common-club-meeting-roles/tmod-script)
{% endcontent-ref %}
### General Evaluator
The main objective of the GE is to encourage everybody to speak again. As GE, you are responsible for making sure that everybody who takes the stage is made aware of their strengths and areas of improvement. A good GE gives feedback that makes a Toastmaster learn more about themselves and shows them a path of improvement.
The GE takes the stage twice - once to introduce their team and once to give their report.
**Round 1 - Introduction:** Tell the audience what the GE does. Call on the timer, ah-counter, grammarian, and any other auxiliary evaluator (such as listener) to introduce their roles. Wish everybody all the best.
{% hint style="info" %}
A club may have either the GE or the TMOD call upon the auxiliary evaluators. Work with the club officers to understand their standard operating procedure.
{% endhint %}
**Round 2 - Evaluation:**
1. Call on each speech evaluator to deliver their reports.
2. Provide feedback to speech evaluators after they're done.
3. (Optional) If there is a glaring oversight by the speech evaluator or if you have a strong difference of opinion, state it to the speaker.
4. Encourage each speaker after their evaluators are done speaking.
5. Call on the auxiliary evaluators to deliver their reports.
6. (Optional) If the club votes by ballot or poll for best performers, remind the audience to vote.
7. Provide your own feedback to the TMOD, the TTM, the table topic speakers, and any other role-takers.
{% hint style="danger" %}
Advice: Relegate any harsh opinions for after the meeting. **Do not publicly ask people to repeat their speeches.** Indicate your dissatisfaction with performances if any, but be kind, not cruel. Speakers improve from repeated practice. Extremely critical evaluation or cruel words only prevent speakers from speaking again.
{% endhint %}
### Speech Evaluator
A speech evaluator is assigned to a particular prepared speaker. As an evaluator, you may be looking for the following:
{% content-ref url="/pages/-Lok7AZK4JzpkaEhU1ub" %}
[The (He)art of Evaluation](/self/evaluation)
{% endcontent-ref %}
That page contains all my tips and etiquette for being an incredible speech evaluator.
### Prepared Speaker
A prepared speaker is one who attempts a project speech. As a prepared speaker, you may be looking for any of the following:
{% content-ref url="/pages/-Lok6ocEzjdZWx87Iadv" %}
[Choose Speech Topics Easily](/self/choose-speech-topics-easily)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/-Lok6xVMv8ezA-I\_yIrA" %}
[How to Structure Speeches](/self/how-to-structure-speeches)
{% endcontent-ref %}
**General tips and etiquette:**
1. Always attempt a Toastmasters-sanctioned project.
2. Plan your speech to fit within the time limits of the project. Overextending may take away time from other members in the meeting.
3. Don't argue with or explain yourself to your evaluator or the GE after they evaluate you.
4. Prepare questions and talk to your evaluator after the meeting.
5. Provide a brief introduction and your speech title to the TMOD.
### Topicsmaster (TTM)
The Topicsmaster or Table Topics Master is responsible for conducting the table topics section of the day. As a TTM, prepare short prompts before the meeting.
When you are given your turn to speak, briefly introduce the concept of Table Topics and maintain a friendly demeanor to put the audience at ease. Select audience members to attempt a table topic, and give them their prompt. Repeat until your allotted time is complete.
**General tips and etiquette:**
1. Opt for topics that lend themselves to open interpretation.
2. Keep your topics short and simple. Overly complex or long topics confuse speakers.
3. Make speakers comfortable and assure them that they can speak on the given topic.
4. Keep some topics in reserve in case there is time for additional speakers.
5. Keep a mix of themed and general topics. The theme of the meeting is a great prompt to create topics.
6. If there are no volunteers, do not hesitate to select people for Table Topics.
### Timer
The main objective of the timer is to indicate to every speaker, evaluator, and table topic speaker their speech times. Each speaking role has a qualifying time (green card), a warning time (yellow or amber card), and a stop time (red card). Keep a stopwatch or the Toastmasters app handy to time each speaker.
The timer takes the stage twice - once to introduce themselves and once to give their report.
**Round 1 - Introduction:** The GE or TMOD will call on you to introduce yourself. Tell the audience what the timer does. You can use the following script:
> As the timer, my role is to remind all speakers how much time they spent on their speech, so that we will run this meeting on time.
>
> For prepared speaker, the project time is 5-7 minutes. I will raise the green card at 5 minutes, yellow card at 6 minutes, and red card at 7 minutes. For table topics, the time is 1-2 minutes - green at 1 minute, yellow at 1 and a half minutes, red at 2 minutes. For evaluators, the time is 2-3 minutes - green at 2 minutes, yellow at 2 and a half minutes, and red at 3 minutes.
>
> All speakers will be granted 30 seconds of grace time after the red card to end their speech. If they continue beyond that, they will be disqualified from voting at the end of the meeting. I will present my report when called upon by the General Evaluator.
**Round 2: Report:** Present your timing report for each member who spoke. Indicate whether they've successfully met their timing brackets or not.
### Ah-Counter
The main objective of the ah-counter is to help members reduce their dependence on filler words and filler sounds.
The ah-counter takes the stage twice - once to introduce themselves and once to give their report.
**Round 1 - Introduction:** The GE or TMOD will call on you to introduce yourself. Tell the audience what the ah-counter does. You can use the following script:
> The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note words and sounds that are used as a “crutch” or “filler” by anyone who speaks. During the meeting, I will listen for overused words, including *and*, *well*, *but*, *so*, and *you know*. I will also listen for filler sounds, including *ah*, *um*, and *er*. I will also note when a speaker repeats a word or phrase, such as “I, I” or “This means, this means.” At the end of the meeting, I will report the number of times that each speaker used these expressions.
**Round 2: Report:** Present your ah-count report for each member who spoke. Indicate their most common crutch words.
### Grammarian
The grammarian is an intimidating role for many Indian Toastmasters because they believe their English skills aren't strong enough. Remember that you are only expected to do your best, not meet a defined standard. Try this role often - you will only improve the more you do it.
The main objective of the grammarian is to encourage good and clever use of language. As grammarian, you are responsible for noting down good and not-so-good use of grammar. You are also responsible for the word of the day.
{% hint style="success" %}
For the word of the day, opt to find a descriptive yet easy word. You want to find words that people can actually use in the course of their speech. Don't recommend impractical words like *floccinaucinihilipilification, grandiloquent*, or *circumlocutory*. They add nothing to the meeting and they make you look insufferable.
A good tip is to recommend descriptive adjectives instead of nouns, since people can add them to their speeches. Consider words from the adjective wheel below.
{% endhint %}
The grammarian takes the stage twice - once to introduce themselves and once to give their report.
**Round 1 - Introduction:** The GE or TMOD will call on you to introduce yourself. Tell the audience what the grammarian does. You can use the following script:
> “As Grammarian, it is my responsibility to pay close attention to all speakers, listening carefully to their language usage. I’ll take note of any misuses of the English language, as well as any outstanding words, quotes, sayings, or thoughts. As Grammarian, it is also my duty to introduce the Word of the Day. The Word of the Day is \_\_\_*, and it means \_\_\_. A sample sentence is* \_\_\_."
**Round 2 - Report:** The GE will call on you to present your report. Present interesting sections of the report. You can also compile your report into a document or image to share with your club after the meeting is concluded.
#### How to take notes as Grammarian:
If anything catches your attention, note it down. Positives may include a descriptive word or phrase, a joke, a pun, a clever turn of phrase, or more. Areas of improvement may be a complex sentence that could be broken down or simplified. You can also note anything that doesn't sound right to you. If your grammar isn't strong, you can quickly verify the incorrect-sounding phrase on Google.
Over time, aim to improve your understanding of prepositions and tenses. These are where people struggle the most, and you'll be appreciated if you can help with those.
## Going Beyond Your Role
The suggestions provided in this page are common and best practices. However, they are not the be-all and end-all of these roles. As I've said many times in this handbook, speaking is an art form, and the scope for doing more is always there.
Think about how you can make your role better. As a TMOD, think about how to keep your audience engaged. As a GE, think about how to make a member more self-aware. As a Topicsmaster, think of how to balance comfort and discomfort for your speakers.
This is especially true of the auxiliary roles - Timer, Ah-counter, Grammarian. I strongly believe that these roles need an overhaul in Toastmasters, because they're often an afterthought.
**Some ideas to consider:**
* A timer at ORA\*TORS Club Bangalore once won Best Role-player because he took the initiative to create happy (in green), meh (in yellow), and angry (in red) emoji faces with a handle, and those permanently became the timer cards for the club.
* I've seen many timers provide timing information for everybody, including the TTM and the cumulative time for the TMOD!
* As Ah-counter, I once won an award because I did a dissection of why we have fillers, including the difference between stutters and stammers, and why some people use sounds (ah, um, er) and some lean on words (right, you know) and how to tackle both.
* As ah-counter, you can create a living document of people's ah-counts so they can collect data over time.
* As grammarian, you could compile the common missteps within the club and create small written or image lessons for your club to learn.
The possibilities are endless. Think of how you can add value to your club, because that is how you become good yourself, that is how you help people, and that is how you attract the appreciation of your club members.
# Sample Script: TMOD
## Instructions
This script follows the agenda laid out in[ Club Meeting Flow and Common Roles](/club/meeting-flow). **You are encouraged to modify this basic script.**
1. "Rounds" are each instance when the TMOD takes the stage.
2. Replace all items in square brackets \[\_] with information relevant to your meeting.
3. Items with **\[x, y, z]** are **time suggestions** depending on whether your entire meeting is 60, 90, or 120 minutes. For example, if your meeting is 90 minutes long, use the **y** suggestion.
4. Be mindful of time. If the session is running late, opt to cut out sections with **\[x, y, z]** or other optional content. The TMOD's main task is to maintain session flow.
## Sample Script
### Round 1
Thank you \[Presiding Officer] for the introduction. \[Salutation], \[Club name]! It is my pleasure to serve as your Toastmaster of the day.
\[If the Presiding Officer has not asked guests to introduce themselves, TMOD should do it here.]
\[Short talk on the theme of the day] **\[2, 5, 5]**
Now let me explain the agenda of today's meeting. We're following the standard agenda of a Toastmasters meeting today with 3 sections.
The first section is **Prepared Speeches**, where speakers deliver speeches from their Pathways projects. These speeches have set objectives and an individual evaluator. The second section is **Table Topics**, where a **Topicsmaster** gives anybody the chance to speak impromptu on a provided topic. And the last section is **Evaluation**, where the **General Evaluator** and their team provide feedback to everybody who speaks through the meeting.
Our General Evaluator today is \[Introduction for the GE]. \[Handover stage to the GE]
### Round 2 (Prepared Speeches)
Let's dive into the Prepared Speeches section.
\[Follow the steps below for each prepared speaker.]
1. Our 1st speaker is being evaluated by \[evaluator name]. I request the evaluator to set the objectives for our speaker. \[Evaluator speaks]
2. \[Introduction for the speaker]. Please welcome for their speech, **\[name]\[title]\[pause]\[title]\[name]**. \[Speaker takes the stage]
3. Thank you for your speech, \[name]. Please give them a warm round of applause!
4. \[short observation about the speaker's speech] **\[15s, 15s, 30s]**
5. \[Short anecdote about the theme] **\[0, 2, 2]**
### Round 3 (Table Topics)
That concludes the prepared speeches section! \[engage or energize the section]. Now it's time for the Table Topics section! To conduct the table topics, please welcome our Topicsmaster. \[introduction for the TTM] \[TTM takes over the session].
### Round 4 (Evaluation)
Thank you Topicsmaster and thank you all for participating in the Table Topics section!
\[Anecdote on the theme] **\[2, 5, 5]**
Now we move into the final segment of today's meeting, the evaluation section. To conduct the evaluations, please welcome back to the stage, our General Evaluator, \[name]. \[GE takes over the session].
### Round 5 (Closing)
{% hint style="info" %}
Depending on your club practices, this section may be conducted by either the TMOD or the Presiding Officer or both.
{% endhint %}
Thank you General Evaluator and the team for all your observations and feedback. Did you all enjoy the session? \[engage the audience]
1. \[Poll the audience for best performers of the meeting, and encourage them to use ballots to provide feedback to the meeting performers.]
2. \[Ask for guest feedback and remind them to share their contact details.]
3. \[Make any announcements that the club officers may have provided.]
4. \[Ask for a group photo.]
Thank you all for attending \[club name] meeting \[number]. We will see you again next week in meeting \[number + 1]. I declare this session closed!
# \*So You've Decided to Become a Club Officer
Hello. You've clicked on this essay, most probably for 1 of 2 reasons:
* You're thinking about becoming a club officer and you're a little nervous about taking on your first leadership role.
* You're already a club officer and are beginning to unravel at the seams, trying to figure out how to manage all of this.
*(or you're simply reviewing material. I don't know.)*
The Club Officer responsibility is the first exposure to leadership that most people have in Toastmasters. For some people, it is their first exposure to leadership in their life, and the burden can be quite shocking.
Leadership is, at its core, a very simple skill. It boils to three skills, the ability to make a decision, the ability to face consequences, and the ability to communicate. Yet, there is a distinct shortage of good leadership in the world. The average "leader" is usually lacking one of the three skills, whether it is the nervous middle manager who is too scared of losing his job to make a decision, or a cruel boss who blames everything on his team.
I can't make an exhaustive guide for the club officer role, simply because leadership cannot be cleanly flattened into a list of activities. Leadership requires you to deal with unexpected situations and sometimes take hits to the chin. However, in this essay, I will outline some simple guidelines so that you're better prepared to discover your own leadership skills.
Let's dive in.
## General Advice for Officers
### Advice for Self
1. Balance - notoriously burning out. First foray into leadership. Exhausting. See what you can do for yourself.
2. Goals - not trying to do everything
3. Teamwork - assist each other.
### Advice for Planning
1. Calendar
2. Backup Plans
3. Engagement and Self-Sufficiency
4. Associates - I like the 3 month - 3 month approach.
## Sergeant-at-Arms
**In 1 word: Logistics**
body
### Normal Responsibilities
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### Above and Beyond
body
## Treasurer
**In 1 word: Money**
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### Normal Responsibilities
body
### Above and Beyond
body
## Secretary
**In 1 word: Records**
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### Normal Responsibilities
body
### Above and Beyond
body
## Vice President - Public Relations
**In 1 word: Marketing**
body
### Normal Responsibilities
body
### Above and Beyond
body
## Vice President - Membership
**In 1 word: Happiness**
body
### Normal Responsibilities
body
### Above and Beyond
body
## Vice President - Education
**In 1 word: Progression**
body
### Normal Responsibilities
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### Above and Beyond
body
## President
**In 1 word: Team**
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### Normal Responsibilities
body
### Above and Beyond
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## Immediate Past President
**In 1 word: Guidance**
body
### Normal Responsibilities
body
### Above and Beyond
Don't
## Image Credits
The graphics used on this page were used with the consent of Vanitha Rangarajan, DTM, the District 121 Program Quality Director 2020-21. Thank you to her and her team for creating these helpful resources.
**Contributors:**
* **Karthik Nellutla, DTM** - Training coordinator, Bangalore & Mysore
* **Veera Katpitia, DTM** - Training coordinator, Mangalore
* **Mini Mohan, DTM** - Training coordinator, Kerala
* **Beena Vas, DTM** - Pathways Coordinator
* **Girish Nagpal, DTM** - District Chief Judge
* **Arjun Sundar Raj, DTM** - Contest Coordinator
* **Rohan Ravindra, DTM** - Educational Institution Coordinator
* **Azharnaveed Khairdi** - Webinar Coordinator
* **Naina Jairaj, DTM** - Youth Leadership Program Counselor
* **TM Tirth Savla** - Awards Coordinator
* **TM Sindhuja Nanduri**
* **C S Ninan, DTM**