The Toastmaster is the host of the day and conducts the meeting (with the exception of the business portion). "Talk of the Town" has the tradition that the Toastmaster reminds everyone of their speeches and duties in advance, and arranges for any substitutes. The Toastmaster may also provide "goodies".
For more information on the Toastmaster, click here.

The Grammarian introduces the "Word of the Day", giving the definition and an example, and makes note of how many members use it in their presentations. This person should also make note of any grammar usage's that need to be discussed.
For more information on the Grammarian, click here.

The Jokemaster provides the "Joke of the Day", or an amusing story to add a bit of levity to the meeting. Typically, the Grammarian is also the Jokemaster and provides the "joke of the Day" immediately after the "Word of the Day'. Naturally, all material should be kept in good taste.

The Table Topics Master conducts Table Topics, calling on members not scheduled on the program, to give us practice with speaking spontaneously. The two primary objectives are to: 1) The speaker presents ideas worth listening to without prior preparation, and 2) The speaker communicates true feelings on a subject with skill and conviction. The length these "impromptu" speeches should be two minutes. The skills gained in Table Topics will be useful in all kinds of situations where you must "think on your feet", including interviews, discussions, and seminars. As Table Topic Master, you should make the subjects realistic and useful to the participants. Controversial subjects are fine, as they must be discussed somewhere, and the friendly atmosphere of your club is a good place to air various opinions.
For more information on the Table Topics Master, click here.

The Prepared Speeches are part of a system designed to develop speaking skills one step at a time. Each successive speech building upon what has been learned in the preceding speeches. Although the skills are assigned in the lesson, the speaker is free to choose the topic. The speeches are usually 6 minutes in length.
For more information on the Speaker, click here.

The General Evaluator assumes control of the meeting after the last prepared speech has been presented, and conducts the evaluation portion of the meeting. The General Evaluator calls on reports from the Speech Evaluators, Timer, Grammarian, and "Ah" Counter. The General Evaluator then evaluates the meeting, summarizes the topics and content of Table Topics, evaluates the effectiveness of the business meeting, the quality of the prepared speeches and evaluations, and the general conduct of the entire meeting.
For more information on the General Evaluator, click here.

The  Speech Evaluator for each speech discusses one or two areas of potential improvement for each speaker and explains ow these can be accomplished. There is also a written evaluation form that the Speech Evaluator fills out each prepared speech. These forms are part of the basic speech manual, and each evaluation form is tailored to that speech.
For more information on the Speech Evaluator, click here.

The "Ah" Counter counts the number of times each speaker uses "ahs", "mmm", "uh", etc., in an effort to help us reduce the use of these irritating fillers. Once we become conscious of these speech detractors, we notice how often they are used even by politicians and other public speakers.
For more information on the "Ah" Counter, click here.

The Timer keeps track of our usage of time. The following lights are used to notify the speaker of their progress:

        Table Topics and Evaluators: 2 minutes

                Green Light at 1:45
                Yellow Light at 2:00
                Red Light at 2:15

        Prepared Speeches (Lengths vary, 6 minutes average)

                Green Light at 5:30
                Yellow Light at 6:00
                Red Light at 6:30

For more information on the Timer, click here.
 

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