A Typical Meeting

Our meetings at Central Toastmasters follow protocols and guidelines that have evolved since 1956. The President of the club gavels the meeting to order at 7 pm. The President recites the mission statement of the club. An invocation, thought of the day, and a joke are then presented by individual Toastmasters. After these presentations, a brief business meeting is held. At this time, guests are introduced. At the conclusion of the business meeting, the Toastmaster is introduced to lead the meeting for the night. The Toastmaster speaks for 2 to 3 minutes in a mini keynote address. This is known as the “audience warm-up. It sets the tone for the meeting. The Toastmaster then explains the overall structure of the meeting; the first half is the impromptu speech portion, led by a Topics Master. In this segment, guests may participate if they wish to. The second half of the meeting is the Prepared Speakers component of the meeting. Here, 2 or 3 members deliver speeches that they have prepared based on the Toastmasters curriculum. Each prepared speaker has an evaluator to provide feedback on the speech. The Toastmaster then introduces the role players for the meeting and they briefly explain what their function is for the night. After this, the Toastmaster introduces the Topics Master.

Typically, our meetings run for two hours. Members vote for Best Impromptu Speaker, Best Prepared Speaker, and Best Evaluator. Prior to adjournment, guests are asked to comment on their observations as to how the meeting went.

Here is a bulletin which shows a typical meeting at Central Club.