|
|
| Meeting Procedures A Typical Meeting Our meetings follow an agenda which is distributed to all members electronically prior to the meeting, and on paper at the start of the meeting. The standard layout of the agenda is as follows: OPENING CEREMONIES - Call to order by the Sergeant-at-Arms. The Sergeant-at-Arms announces the beginning of the meeting and introduces the chairperson in an upbeat manner to get the meeting off to a dynamic start. WELCOME BY THE PRESIDENT - The Chairperson/President welcomes members and guests to the meeting in a lively enthusiastic manner. He/she speaks for 2 to 3 minutes on some facet of toastmastering such as Toastmaster history, an excerpt from The Toastmaster Magazine or a personal anecdote that he/she feels exemplifies the Toastmaster spirit. The President then introduces guests and invites them to say a few words. The INVOCATION or THOUGHT OF THE DAY/PLEDGE/JOKE--OF-THE-DAY is next on the agenda followed by the BUSINESS MEETING (approx.10 minutes). TOASTMASTER is introduced by the President. He/she may have a few short comments, then introduces the Master Evaluator. MASTER EVALUATOR introduces the TAG team (Timer and Ah Counter/Gramarian) asking them to briefly outline their duties. TABLE TOPICS MASTER is next. He/she will ask his/her questions - preferably of members who have no assigned roles. TOASTMASTER then introduces the speakers who will do their timed presentations. Following the speeches, the Toastmaster then brings in the Master Evaluator. MASTER EVALUATOR introduces each of the evaluators who will give their impressions of the speeches... what they particularly liked and suggestions for improvement. Once the evaluations are completed, Master Evaluator then offers suggestions to improve future meetings and comment on what worked well e.g. noticed that guests were greeted, started meeting a little late, etc... TOASTMASTER then calls the V.P. of Education up to fill in role assignments for the next meeting and to make any announcements relative to his/her area of responsibility i.e. educational programs, training, etc... PRESIDENT then presents awards for Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations. Brief final comments are made and guests are asked about their impressions. Meeting is then closed. Introducing a Speaker Speakers should provide a detailed introduction that should be read very carefully and slowly just as written. With that said, it is the responsibility of the introducer to be sure that the speaker provides said introduction in a format that will be easily read and meets the time frame for the introduction. Introductions are best kept at 30 seconds to one minute in length; exceptions can be made if, for some reason, additional information is required to establish the credentials for the speaker. The introduction should tell the audience about the expertise of the speaker and give relevant background information. You should set the mood of the audience for this particular speech - an especially challenging task if there is a marked change from the mood of the preceding talk. Your comments should not give away any of the speaker's speech. You can allude to the topic and arouse interest without taking away from the speaker's impact. Through pauses and voice inflection, build expectation and end your introduction when interest peaks. A good introduction should tell about the speaker and end with his or her name. e.g. "Now please help me welcome Tom Jones with his speech "Staying Alive all of your Life". Above all, don't overdo it. Say what needs to be said, look at him/her as they approach the platform, step back and lead the applause, welcome the speaker, wait for acknowledgment from the speaker, then sit down. After you've made the introduction, you must have a plan for giving control of the lectern to the speaker. Note your surroundings and determine how you'll make room for the speaker and how you'll leave the speaking area gracefully. It looks awkward when an introducer and a speaker stumble over each other because no one has prepared for the exchange of positions. At the conclusion of the presentation, stand and lead the applause. Return to the lectern, shake the speaker's hand, and continue leading the applause as he/she leaves the lectern. Mention a few words of thanks on behalf of the audience and compliment the talk. Lectern Etiquette There are accepted conventions of meeting protocol which are a part of a well-run meeting. While these conventions may seem overly formal, their usage contributes greatly toward a professionally conducted meeting. Try NOT to leave the lectern unattended. Always wait at the lectern until the next speaker arrives. Shake his/her right hand and say a few words of greeting before walking away. Control of the Meeting Each portion of the meeting is under the control of one of the key officials: Chairperson/President, Toastmaster, Table Topics Master and General Evaluator. This control is symbolized by the possession of the gavel. Control of a meeting is passed from one official to another by handing over the gavel whenever each key meeting official arrives at the lectern. This is called "passing control of the meeting". Thus, the Chairperson/President passes control to the Toastmaster who later, passes it to the Table Topics Master, then to the General Evaluator. When the gavel is handed back to each key meeting official in turn i.e. from General Evaluator to Toastmaster to Chairperson/President, this is called "returning control of the meeting" for the person in control to offer the gavel with the left hand (with the hands extended) while shaking the receiver's right hand. Acknowledging the Chairperson/President Whenever you take control of the meeting, you acknowledge the person who yielded control to you. This can be done by a simple thank you. If you are the person yielding control, you do not sit until you have been acknowledged. e.g. The Toastmaster, Lucy, introduces the prepared speaker, Richard. Lucy waits at the lectern until Richard arrives. She shakes Richard's right hand and wishes him well. However, Lucy does not sit but remains standing or waits off to the side until Richard acknowledges her by saying "Thank you, Mme. Toastmaster". Only then should she sit. Applause Whenever anyone is called to come to the lectern, applaud that person from the moment he/she rises from his/her seat until he/she reaches the lectern. If you are the person in control, lead the applause. This helps create a welcoming environment for anyone coming up to the lectern. | |
|