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Nervous about being a “newbie?” Don’t be! The one thing you CANNOT do in Toastmasters is embarrass yourself. Every single person in the room has been where you are now (or will be sooner or later). You are among people who have taken a pledge of mutual support, dedicated to helping each other.
Very few Toastmaster clubs run their meetings strictly according to Robert's Rules of Order. Protocol is intended mostly to keep the meeting moving smoothly along. Long experience has taught us that sticking to a schedule and established format enables us to get quite a bit done in a fairly limited amount of time (as anyone who has sat through one of those several-hour meetings where people keep saying the same thing appreciate! One thing Toastmasters teaches is how to unobtrusively but firmly keep other meetings on track when people start repeating themselves.)
Addressing members by their title for the meeting is just a small sign of respect for the time and effort they took to do that task. These sessions wouldn't get anywhere without those who volunteer to undertake a job, and hold up their end of things.
SUGGESTED WAYS OF ADDRESSING VARIOUS PEOPLE AT A TOASTMASTER MEETING
All Members Toastmaster (last name) or (first and last name)
Club President Mr. President or Madam President
Any other Club Officer Mr. (officer title) or Madam (officer title)
Master of Ceremonies for Mr. Toastmaster or Madam Toastmaster
Educational Program
(Toastmaster of the Day)
Table Topics Master Mr. or Madam Topic Master or Table Topic Master
General Evaluator Mr. or Madam General Evaluator
Opening to Speak: address the presiding member who gave you “permission to speak,” or who introduced you, i.e., "Mr. President" in the business meeting, or if giving a speech, table topic, or evaluation, "Madam Toastmaster, Mr. Topic Master," etc. as appropriate.
Follow up with "Fellow Toastmasters and most welcome guests," or other similar greeting, so as to include everyone present.
Notes on traditions for new Toastmasters:
When you’re giving a speech, please provide the Toastmaster of the Day with a brief note beforehand that tells the name of your speech, which number in the manual it is, and a short line about the objectives. That way, we know what you’re working toward.
Another tradition is that we never leave the lectern unattended – wait for the next person to arrive and shake your hand. Staying at the lectern until the next person arrives to shake your hand is a smooth way to "turn over control" of the meeting, and keeps the audience's attention focused up front.
Since (almost) everyone comes to a Toastmaster meeting to practice speaking, we should always try to make sure everyone who wants to speak gets a chance to. For example, in Table Topics, we should try to give those people a chance at a topic who are not fulfilling any other duties (especially speaking or evaluating). The General Evaluator may also call upon those who did not get a chance to speak and ask them if they specifically have any comments.
One pervasive problem is that new Toastmasters get discouraged after two or three speeches, believing that they're not making enough progress or that "this really isn't for them." Hang in there! Long experience has shown that it usually takes 5 or 6 speeches before you notice the difference yourself. Remember that the first 10 manual speeches are just the Basic course. The first level of certification is the "Competent Toastmaster." You'll earn your wings, but you don't really get to start stretching them until you get into the Advanced Manuals.
Keeping to a pre-planned schedule of speakers is difficult everywhere, but probably nowhere more than a working launch center! Don't worry; every instructor who comes here understands that sometimes work gets in the way of training. Still, whenever the temptation comes along to "let something slide," remember that Toastmasters is ONLY one hour a week. And like any other class, it's much easier to prepare your "assignment" over the whole month or two than to wait until the last minute to cram. You can work on your speech while doing household chores. Leave a big notecard and pen out in a central location and scribble on it as you go by, or keep a small tape recorder at hand to save ideas and phrases.
More experienced Toastmasters have learned the value of keeping a speech "in your pocket," i.e. preparing one even without an assigned speaking date. That way, if someone else is called away for a last-minute emergency, you have one all ready to step in with and meet an objective early.
When you're using notes, making them up in the old grade-school outline form -- maybe even using different color pens -- is an easy way to jog your memory, and lets your eye find its place quickly.
When you're the Timer, please turn off the previous light when you turn on the next light, and remember to turn them all off when the speech is finished.
Traditionally, Toastmasters don't end their speech with "thank you" -- it's the audience who thanks the speakers for taking the time to prepare a speech and share it with us. The simplest way to indicate that you're finished is simply to turn to the one who will be taking your place at the lectern and saying, "Mr. / Madame Toastmaster." (Although one contestant got a little more dramatic, falling on his knees and screaming to finish off his speech.)
Applause is a form of encouragement, and lets people know that their efforts are appreciated. It helps unite the members in a more buoyant mood and establishes the supportive atmosphere.
The Grammarian position is, believe it or not, an important part of training. Critical listening is a woefully undeveloped skill -- just look at how many people fall for scams and sound-bites. It's not meant to be critical of the SPEAKER, except to point out a careless habit of which a speaker may be unaware (a grammarian once pointed out to me that I had a distracting habit of pushing back my hair, which I had never realized). But focusing on "ums" and "uhs" and other fillers and false starts will sharpen your awareness. More than one Toastmaster has commented on how many they now catch when listening to professional speakers on news and talk shows!
Evaluation is also as much a learning experience as Speaking and Table Topics. The Evaluator is forced to listen more closely, to consider facets of the speaker's performance in light of the objectives in the manual. Again, manual speeches are intended to develop specific skills, one at a time, much like learning a new athletic skill. (For example, your 9th speech involves actually reading from a fully-prepared speech, which obviously is different from a speech in which you focus on using natural but effective body language, or when you're trying to paint word-pictures.) Your Toastmasters manual provides guidelines on Evaluating, both in general and for each speech. It is important to note strengths and provide encouragement without white-washing -- we have actually had members leave because "the evaluations didn't tell me anything I needed to improve."
General feedback is also welcome, of course, and encouraged whenever there is time. And nothing prevents you from asking for or giving feedback after the meeting. When you have a specific presentation that you need to rehearse, the audience will focus more on its overall effectivity; when you are following the training plan, the idea is to master a certain range of skills at a time without trying to do it all at once every time.
Speaking on a regular basis may seem like a challenge, but one a month is not really all that difficult. (Now, those of our more enthusiastic members who were doing one a WEEK are a little harder to keep up with!) Remember, you're not doing these speeches for a paying dinner audience -- you don't have to sweat every little detail. The idea is to become used to speaking so that it feels natural and comfortable. And even if you never feel entirely comfortable, you're in good company -- people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year doing nothing but speaking will candidly admit to getting the jitters too.
Toastmasters practices have been developed by trial and error over the decades, and certain protocols have proven to work. We are not, however, trying to run for Parliament here, so don't feel you have to be entirely formal, and don't worry about addressing everyone exactly according to rote. Think of it as a training class, where you do what you can out of respect for other members, and out of a desire to learn more yourself. As always, feel free to ask questions at any time of anyone. As Toastmaster Jack Jamba is fond of saying, "Practice doesn't make perfect if you keep practicing it the wrong way every time" -- and that goes double for those of us who seem to THINK we know what we're doing!!! | 