Frequently Asked Questions

7. What happens at a meeting?

The format varies slightly from club to club, but the basics include:

The business meeting (usually very brief).

Introduction of the Toastmaster of the Meeting, who presides over the program that day and explains the meeting as it goes along.

Prepared speeches from members (of which more in the following FAQs).

Impromptu speeches from members (also known as Table Topics, of which more in the following FAQs).

Oral evaluations of the prepared speeches (of which more in the following FAQs).

Reports from other evaluation personnel, such as speech timer, grammarian, "ah" counter, wordmaster, and master evaluator.

Meetings last anywhere from one hour (especially at lunch or breakfast) to three hours (if the club meets infrequently or has long-winded speakers).