The emcee

 

The Toastmaster is a director and host of the first part of the meeting. 

Time: no special time limits, but you should plan your session according to the Toastmaster general time interval from the agenda.


Begin preparing for your role several days in advance. First of all, you need to know who will fill the other meeting roles and check an up-to-date meeting agenda. Get this information either here or from the Secretary.

Then you need to choose a way you hold the session. You can either hold it as a sequential introduction of the roles with some personal information about them or choose a meeting theme and involve all the roles accordingly. In the latter case pay attention that according to the Toastbusters club rules we do not discuss any themes which can result in polemics or debates among the club members and guests either during the meeting or after it. That is why please, choose a theme which is not related to:

  • politics or any critical political issues at the moment,
  • religion or any critical religious issues at the moment,
  • gender discrimination,
  • LGBT social movements.

As the Toastmaster, you’ll introduce the Joke Master, Grammarian & Word Master, Ah-counter, Timer, and each Speaker.

If you chose a meeting theme, you create introductions of the roles according to this theme. For example, if you compare a meeting with a living organism or any system, then while describing its parts, you compare each role with these parts and mention their importance and meaning. You can contact the Joke Master, Grammarian & Word Master, Ah-counter, Timer in order to ask them to make their roles match your theme. For example, if a Grammarian & Word Master knows which part of the system his/her role is matched to, he/she can create a word of the day and introduce himself accordingly.

To introduce each role you may need some personal information about them. Besides to introduce the speakers you will need the following details about the projects:

  • Speech topic and title,
  • Manual and project title,
  • Assignment objectives,
  • Speaker’s personal objectives,
  • Delivery time,
  • Some personal information as well.

To get both personal information and project details you need to contact the participants. You will get all the necessary emails from the special Toastmaster reference email from the Secretary 2-3 days before the meeting. Or if you need these emails beforehand, please, contact the Secretary with this request yourself. You can learn his/her email here.

There are no special time limits for every introduction, but you should plan your session according to the Toastmaster general time interval from the agenda.

Of course, you want to avoid awkward interruptions or gaps in meeting flow, so your last preparation step before the meeting is to plan remarks you can use to make smooth transitions from one portion of the program to another. You may not need them, but you should be prepared for the possibility of awkward periods of silence.

The Big Show

On the meeting day show up a bit earlier. Check with each speaker as they arrive to see if they have made any last-minute changes to their speeches – such as changing the title or any special requests for the introduction of them.

When it’s time to start the program, the club president calls the meeting to order. He/she will make necessary announcements, introduce guests or conduct other club business before introducing you.

When you’re introduced, the president will wait until you arrive at the stage before being seated. That is why it is better for you to sit in the first desks. Besides, it will be convenient for you to get seated at the first desk quickly after introducing each speaker and then quickly get back to the stage when the speaker is finished. 

Pay attention to the time. You are responsible for beginning and ending the first part of the meeting on time. You may have to adjust the schedule during the meeting to accomplish this. If time allows, you can make some brief remarks about Toastmasters’ educational program for the benefit of guests and new members before you move forward with the introductions.

Remain standing at the stage after your introduction until he/she has reached the stage, then be seated. After the Table Topics session you return to the stage last time, make some conclusion if you want and pass the reigns of power to the General Evaluator, who holds the third part of the meeting.


Serving as Toastmaster is an excellent way to practice many valuable skills as you strive to make the meeting one of the club’s best. Preparation is key to your success.