Tag: Table Topics

Toastmasters Open House

TimeHorse October 3, 2024 No Comments

Tonight, I served as Toastmaster of the evening as well as gave a Helpful Hint in terms of standing to deliver your speech. I almost gave the Table Topics too, but fortunately someone stepped in to ask the questions. Believe me, I was running around like a rabbit on steroids trying to get this meeting off the ground.

Toastmaster of the Evening: Me
Toastmaster of the Evening: Me

Also, as the Vice-President of Public Relations (VPPR), I had to take a lot of photos of the meeting. This is one I took of myself on the 100% Zoom meeting because the our normal meeting room at the Leesburg Town Hall was unavailable. What’s more, as VPPR, I was trying to promote our Open House meeting, which was supposed to go on today. So, while I’m gathering folks for roles, trying to confirm everyone, I was also having to scramble to get new fliers ready to announce our moving the meeting to Thursday, 17 October.

Loudoun Toastmasters Open House
Loudoun Toastmasters Open House

Now, I just have to get the photos from our last two meetings onto Facebook and LinkedIn…

The Green Card

A Timer Most Colourful

TimeHorse April 16, 2020 No Comments

Today, I will be the official Timer for tonight’s Loudoun Toastmasters. Last time, I was on hold to do an Evaluation but the speech maker was ill so instead I was instead without a role. On the upside, it gave me time to consider using my Zoom background to enhance the effect of the Timer role. I was therefore anxious to try it out as soon as possible.

Originally, my dear friend Capt. Laura Savino was planning to be Timer, but, since SARS-CoV-2 she’s been busy hanging out with her wonderful boys as she’s hunkered down, sheltered in place. Hope to see her again after Covidapolis is over. But, in the mean time, for tonight, I’ll be stepping into her role.

The role of the timer is to time how long speeches are and to indicate when time is running out to the speaker. Each speech has a minimum time. When that time is hit, I indicate success with a green background.

The Green Card
The Yellow Card in Toastmasters means you’re met the minimum time requirement

Next, when a speaker is half-way through her or his allotted time, I flash the yellow background.

The Yellow Card
The Yellow Card in Toastmasters means you’re half-way through your allotted, acceptable time

Finally, when the speaker is out of time, I flash the red background. At this point, the speaker has thirty seconds to wrap up or be disqualified because his or her speech ran too long.

The Red Card
The Red Card in Toastmasters means you’re out of time

I time all speeches, which range from 5–7 minutes for a standard speech, 4–6 minutes for an Ice Breaker speech, 1–2 minutes for a Table Topic speech, and 2–3 minutes for Evaluations.

It all happens tonight. Stand up straight and deliver my friends!