Meeting Format

The general meeting format and job descriptions of the Dixie Tub Thumpers Club is set forth below; however, each meeting is guided by one of our members who has been assigned to be the Toastmaster for the day, and he or she may vary from the general format as circumstances or desires dictate. But, generally speaking, the format of our meetings follows this general outline.

This brief overview of our club meetings and job assignments will explain some of the things you will see and hear when you attend a Toastmasters meeting. If you have any questions, please ask any member and they will be happy to answer them for you, or send us an e-mail inquiry to dixietubs@sginet.com

At the conclusion of each meeting, we always ask our guests what they thought of our meeting. Your comments will be most welcome. We hope you enjoy your visit to Dixie Tub Thumpers and will eventually decide to join us or another club in the area where you live and work. The cost of breakfast depends upon what you order. There is no minimum charge but there is an automatic 20% tip which will be added to your bill.

Please keep in mind that the primary purpose of our Toastmasters Club is to develop communications skills. These skills include speaking, listening and thinking. Secondary benefits include increased self-confidence, information from speeches that may be useful in your life and the camaraderie of being around the other members of Dixie Tub Thumpers who want to improve their communication skills and help you to improve yours as well.

Presiding Officer

The Dixie Tub Thumpers Toastmasters Club is usually called-to-order by the President. In his or her absence, the meeting will be opened by one of the other officers. The Invocation is given by one of the members, guests are introduced, general announcements are made and, finally, the Toastmaster for the day is introduced to begin the real substantive portion of the meeting program. You will note that each time a presenter is introduced, the members applaud and when he or she finishes, the members applaud again. This is a part of our formal training as well. It also makes speakers feel good about what speaking.

Invocator

The Invocator begins the meeting with a thought for the day to get the meeting started on a positive note. He or she will also lead the members in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Toastmaster

The Toastmaster acts as master of ceremonies and maintains the flow of the meeting. He or she also provides a theme for the meeting and contacts in advance the members who are to fulfill roles on the meeting program. He or she is responsible for introducing each speaker which should contain the following information: name, which speech project will be given, goals of the speech, speech title and time, as well as personal information about the speaker which may enhance the introduction.

The Toastmaster will also award colored ribbons to the best impromptu speaker, best prepared speaker and best evaluator at the end of the meeting. In addition, the "Ah" award will be given to the member who said the prohibitied word, or it's equivalent, the most times during the meeting. An audible horn will sound each time an "ah" is made, so don't let that unnerve you. You'll get used to it and it really is fun.

Jokemaster

The Jokemaster simply tells a joke at the beginning of the meeting to get the meeting off to a good start. Hopefully, it will be funny and the members will laugh.

Grammarian

The Grammarian is the Club's wordsmith for the day. The primary obligation of the Grammarian is to introduce a "word of the day" by writing the word and its definition on a poster to be displayed on the lectern. He or she will also give the derivation of the word, all uses of it which will be acceptable usage, and will give examples of how the word is used and pronounced correctly. All Club members should try to use the word correctly during their oral presentations. Failure to do so - if you had a chance to speak thereafter - results in a ten cent fine which goes into our educational fund for the purpose of buying future club supplies. It also serves as a reminder to use the word of the day at each club meeting. The Grammarian will report on the word's usage at the end of the meeting as well as review members' grammatical mistakes which the Grammarian noted during the meeting.

Table Topics Master

The Table Topics Master handles the impromptu portion of the meeting. He or she gives a brief introduction of what is to be anticipated and then begins calling on those members who are not scheduled to speak, and then on those having less difficult positions on the schedule to respond. Generally speaking, the questions are on a subject based on the meeting's theme. The goal of each person called on is to speak with conviction on the spur of the moment. The Topics Master should not call on the Toastmaster, the prepared speakers, the General Evaluator or the speakers' evaluators, if at all possible.

The Table Topics Master will also give a 30-second Book Report to the members on a book he or she has read or would like to read. It is briefly reviewed by the Table Topics Master, and a copy of the book is passed around for members' review and notes.

Speakers

Each of three speakers presents a prepared speech based on one of several Toastmaster manuals. For example, the beginning manual has ten speeches emphasizing gestures, vocal variety, organization, word selection, etc.. You are to stress the particular manual requirement in selecting your subject and in giving your speech. Most speeches have a time requirement of 5 to 7 minutes.

There are approximately 15 Advanced manuals containing five speeches each which focus on single objectives, such as humor, overhead projector usage, appearing on television, debates, speaking on the radio, speaking from prepared texts, etc. These are selected by more experienced speakers as they advance through the various manuals, and as their own desires dictate. While most speeches require 5 to 7 minutes, several Advanced manual requirements require 8 to 10 minutes, and occasionally 10 to 12 minutes. Some involving panel discussion require 20 to 30 minutes.

General Evaluator

The General Evaluator conducts the evaluation of the three prepared speakers by introducing three Evaluators and allowing them to individually address the strong points of the speech and areas where the speaker may improve. He also gives an overall evaluation of the meeting, including the business portion, general quality of speeches and evaluations, the presiding officer, the Toastmaster, the Table Topics Master, the other positions, if necessary, and comments on whatever aspects he or she desires to emphasize in an effort to make our meetings better. Suggestions for improvement are also part of this position.

Evaluators

The Evaluator evaluates the speaker he or she is assigned to evaluate, including accomplishment of the speech objective, aspects of the presentation that the speaker did well on and suggestions for improvement. This is not intended to be either a "whitewash" affair or a "scathing critique." It is designed to compliment the speaker on what they did right, and recommend ways that the evaluator thinks could help them to improve. Evaluations are between two and three minutes long. In addition, the assigned Evaluator will complete a written evaluation of the speech which is contained in the manual, and the other club members will also prepare notes on small sheets of paper which will be given to the speaker at the conclusion of the meeting as well. Toastmasters is the only place in the world where you can get honest and helpful feedback on your public speaking abilities from people who really do want to make you a better speaker, and who have the expertise necessary to spot areas where you can improve. This is one of the most important parts of Toastmaster meetings.

Ah Counter

The Ah Counter, who is sometimes referred to as the "Wizard of Ah's," records the use of the non-word "ah" - or similar audible pauses - by the use of a horn which you will hear periodically throughout our meeting. The champion violator is awarded the "Ah Award" at the end of the meeting when the other, more coveted awards are given out.

Timer

The Timer keeps the times of the impromptu and prepared speakers, as well as the times of the evaluators. He uses a stop watch and a green/yellow/red devise to assist him in doing so. Our club uses the following time limits as a general rule:

                   Table Topics    Speeches    Evaluations
GREEN (to qualify)   1.0 min.       5 min.      2.0 min.
YELLOW (to warn)     1.5 min.       6 min.      2.5 min.
RED (to conclude)    2.0 min.       7 min.      3.0 min.

We allow +/- 15 seconds for Table Topics and +/- 30 seconds for speeches and evaluations to qualify for a vote. (Note: Timing for advanced speeches varies and will be announced as required).

Story Teller

The Story Teller tells a brief story which contains a message that has some specific application to everyday life. While it is commonly humorous in nature, the story given need not be. The purpous of it is to convey a message, theme, or goal by telling a story--real or imagined--or a combination of both.

Vote Counter

The Vote Counter tallies votes for the best Table Topics response, best Speaker and best Evaluator, and announces the results at the end of the meeting when called upon by the Toastmaster to do so. Best presenter colored ribbons are presented to each of the three weekly winners. The "Ah Award" follows the presentation of the three ribbons.

Presiding Officer

Once the Toastmaster relinquishes control of the meeting back to the Presiding Officer, the latter will ask the guests for their comments, make other announcements concerning Club activities, conduct any last-minute business of the Club and adjourn the meeting promptly at 8:15 a.m.

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