Toast of the Town follows the Toastmasters program proven in more than 75 years of experience. Our typical meetings include Table Topics, Prepared Speeches, and most importantly, Evaluations.
Table Topics is where we practice thinking on our feet. One member, the Table Topics Master, introduces a series of questions, which are each in turned assigned to those in attendance to give a 1-to-2 minute response. Questions typically range from current events to fantasy make-believe. Not unlike what might happen to you in a staff meeting or a meeting with a prospective client, you might be called upon discuss the latest governmental program, or what you might do in King Arthur's court. Table Topics tends to be both fun, and a neat way to get to know our fellow members.
During the Prepared Speeches part of our meeting, members typically work from one of our self-paced manuals on speeches to expand their communication skills. We have a "Basic" manual with ten (10) speeches which covers a wide range of 5-7 minute speeches, from introducing yourself to a group, to using gestures, to eventually inspiring an audience. Generally it takes a year to 18 months to finish the "Basic" manual. There are also a series of 16 "Advanced" manuals, each with 5 specific speech challenges. Advanced manual speeches are usually longer (from 8-10 minutes or more), and are more focused on a theme, such as Public Relations, or Selling, or Technical Presentations, or Storytelling.
Evaluations are the critical component of the Toastmasters program. Each presentation is given a 2-3 minute evaluation, which is actually a speech in and of itself. [It is important to note that Evaluations are just the opinion of the Evaluator, and discuss the presentation, not the presenter.] Effective evaluations note both what works, and what could be done differently. When we see and give Evaluations, we are learning effective communication techniques about what works and has impact with others.
Toast of the Town also employs a good number of other meeting positions, which rotate and change every week.
Timer: Punctuality is important, and we pride ourselves in running a tight meeting. Our Timer helps us to do just that.
Grammarian: We expand our vocabulary by using a "Word of the Day" (WOD). Our Grammarian presents the WOD, and then tracks the use of that word, reporting on who successfully and correctly used the word during the meeting. The Grammarian also note uses of both good and poor grammar, offering suggestions for improvement. "Ah's", "Um's", and other verbal pauses detract from our effectiveness. The "Ah" Counter keeps track of such verbal pauses, and gives a report.
General Evaluator: Our evaluation session is coordinated by the Master Evaluator. In addition to introducing the individual Evaluators, the Master Evaluator also comments on the general performance of the meeting in general.