Roles
At every Federal Toastmasters meeting, some members are assigned a scheduled meeting duty. Possible duties include serving as Presiding Officer, Inspirational Opener, Toastmaster of the Day, Speaker, Table Topics Master, Master Evaluator, Evaluator, Timer, Grammarian and Ah-Counter. Sergeant of Arms is not a scheduled meeting duty because it is an elected officer position. One hundred percent member participation is the key to a successful Federal Toastmasters meeting. If a member is unable to fulfill an assignment, the member is expected to find a replacement ASAP and inform the Toastmaster of the Day of the change.

Presiding Officer
The Presiding Officer (President, Vice President of Education, Vice President of Public Affairs, Vice President of Membership, Treasurer/Secretary or Sergeant of Arms) kicks-off the meeting by giving opening remarks and introducing the theme of the day. The Presiding Officer also ask guests to introduce themselves and introduces the Inspirational Opener. At the end of the meeting, the Presiding Officer gives closing remarks, makes any announcements and gives the awards.

Key Points

• Ask guests to introduce themselves

• Introduces Inspirational Opener and Toastmaster of the Day by giving their first and last name

• Signs the Best Speaker, Best Table Topics and Best Evaluator awards and gives them to the winners

• Remains standing until the Inspirational Opener and Toastmaster of the Day arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

• Leads applause before and after the Inspirational Opener and the Toastmaster of the Day

Inspirational Opener
The Inspirational Opener gives inspirational remarks (2 to 3 minutes) about the theme of the day. The remarks shall be brief, motivating and inspiring.

Key Points

• Gives brief remarks, not a speech

• Remains standing until the Presiding Officer arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

Toastmaster of the Day
The Toastmaster of the Day serves as the Master of Ceremonies and is the most important meeting duty. The Toastmaster of the Day acts as a genial host and runs the entire meeting. The Toastmaster of the Day introduces speakers, transitions between speakers and leads applause. If the Toastmaster of the Day does not perform the duties well, the entire meeting can be jeopardized. Therefore, the duty is generally assigned to a member who is familiar with club procedures.

Key Points

• Gives every member and guest the opportunity to speak

• Contacts all schedule participants at least one week in advance and confirm their participation

• Prepares and makes copies of the meeting agenda

• Asks each speaker how many minutes they are going to speak

• Assigns an evaluator to each speaker

• Introduces each speaker, Table Topics Master and the Master Evaluator by giving their first and last name and brief personal background

• Gives the speech title and speaking time for each speaker

• Transitions between speakers by saying a few brief remarks related to the previous speaker's speech

• Gives members adequate time to prepare written speaker evaluations after each speaker and to cast votes for the Best Speaker, Best Table Topics and Best Evaluator

• Watches the clock and make any necessary adjustments such as informing the Table Topics Masters to reduce or increase the number of questions based on the number of speaker presentation

• Remains standing until each Speaker, Table Topics Master and Master Evaluator arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

• Leads applause before and after each Speaker, Table Topics Master and Master Evaluator

Speaker
Each speaker gives a manual or non-manual speech. Manual speeches are preferred. Speeches can be prepared or impromptu. Giving a speech related to the theme of the day is encouraged, but not required. Typically, speeches are five to seven minutes in length.

Key Points

• Informs the evaluator about the speech emphasis

• Provides the evaluator with the manual for making written remarks

• Fulfills impromptu speech requests because they are an excellent learning experience

• Remains standing until the Toastmaster of the Day arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

Table Topics Master
This is the impromptu portion of the meeting. The Table Topics Master asks 3 to 4 members, depending on the amount of time, a question related to the theme of the day. Each member has 1 to 2 minutes to respond.

Key Points

• Asks guests if they are interested in participating

• Asks questions that are easy to respond and noncontroversial

• Transitions between Table Topics participants

• Remains standing until the Toastmaster of the Day arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

Master Evaluator
The Master Evaluator critics anything and everything that took place throughout the meeting. This includes greeting of guests, providing time to write comments and vote, meeting start and finish time, time management, room setup and other items. The Master Evaluator is also responsible for coordinating the evaluations.

Key Points

• Asks each evaluator to contact their assigned speaker in advance of the meeting

• Reminds evaluators to collect each speaker's manuals in order to provide them with written comments

• Introduces evaluators by giving their first and last name and the name of the speaker that they are evaluating

• Remains standing until the Toastmaster of the Day arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

• Leads applause before and after each Evaluator, Timer, Grammarian and Ah-Counter

Evaluator
Each Evaluator is assigned to evaluate a speaker. The evaluator gives constructive criticism on speech organization, gestures, vocal variety, eye contact and any other items. If the speaker gives a manual speech, the evaluator shall focus their comments on that particular item.

Key Points

• Be positive and supportive

• Listens carefully

• Confers with the speaker before the speech

• Recommends alternative actions

• Suggests positive directions for growth

• Remains standing until the Master Evaluator arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

Timer
The Timer measures the speaking times (minutes and seconds) of the Presiding Officer, Inspirational Opener, Speakers, Table Topics Participants, Master Evaluator and Evaluators and gives the Timers Report. The Timer may also be asked to assume the duties of the Grammarian and Ah-Counter. The Timer collects and sorts the written comments and counts the votes.

Speakers (5 to 7 minutes, 6 to 8 minutes, 7 to 9 minutes or 8 to 10 minutes)
Green - Two minutes left
Yellow - One minute left
Red - No time left

Table Topics Participants (1 to 2 minutes)
Green - One minute left
Yellow - Thirty seconds left
Red - No time left

Evaluators (2 to 3 minutes)
Green - One minute left
Yellow - Thirty seconds left
Red - No time left

Key Points

• Familiarize yourself with the stopwatch

• Place the signal cards in a timely manner

• Remains standing until the Master Evaluator arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

Grammarian
The Grammarian has an important and difficult job. Throughout the meeting, the Grammarian listens for grammatical errors, awkward sentence structures, word choice, pronunciation and other items. The Grammarian also helps the Timer collects and sorts the written comments and counts the votes.

Key Points

• Listens carefully

• Makes positive comments and provides alternatives

• Remains standing until the Master Evaluator arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake

Ah-Counter
The Ah-Counter keeps tracks and calls attention to each speaker's use of Ahs, Ums, "double" words (the the) and other items throughout the meeting. The Ah-Counter also helps the Timer collects and sorts the written comments and counts the votes.

Key Points

• Listens carefully

• Stops counting if a speaker's total gets excessive

• Remains standing until the Master Evaluator arrives at lectern and greets the person with a handshake