Role briefs
Meeting roles — the rhythm of a meeting.
Six roles that keep a Toastmasters meeting moving. Scripts, timing rules, and the small habits that make each role land. Tap any role to expand the full brief.
06 roles · tap to expand
Sourced from Toastmasters International educational materials.
01/
Toastmaster of the Day
Host & director
Acts as the host and director of the Toastmasters meeting. After being introduced by the President, the Toastmaster of the Day formally opens the main segment of the meeting, introduces the various participants — including the speakers — and guides the flow from prepared speeches through to the evaluation segment. The role concludes when control is returned to the President.
Responsibilities
Before the meeting
- Contact speakers: confirm participation and obtain the titles of their speeches.
- Assign roles: ensure all meeting roles are assigned and that members are aware of their specific duties.
At the meeting (before speeches)
- Brief role players: confirm the Timer, Grammarian, Vote Counter, and Ah-Counter understand their duties.
- Liaise with the General Evaluator: check they have assigned individual evaluators and have a list of all assigned participants.
- Collect speaker information: acquire a Speaker Introduction Form from every prepared speaker.
When introduced by the President
- Acknowledge and recognise: acknowledge the President's introduction and address the audience.
- Introduce key roles: Timer, Grammarian, Vote Counter, and Ah-Counter.
- Introduce speakers: ensure all prepared speakers are introduced properly before their speeches.
After the speeches
- Call for reports: Timer first, then Ah-Counter and Grammarian after the evaluation section.
- Manage voting: instruct ballots to be passed to the Vote Counter; later call on them to present results.
- Introduce the General Evaluator to lead the evaluation portion of the meeting.
- Return control: formally hand the meeting and gavel back to the President.
02/
General Evaluator
Evaluates the whole meeting
Evaluates everything that occurs during the Toastmasters meeting. Observes the entire meeting, taking notes on what happens and what does not — assessing each participant on preparation, organisation, delivery, enthusiasm, observation, and performance of duties. Presents a comprehensive report at the end of the meeting.
Responsibilities
Before the meeting
- Check if the room and equipment were set up on time.
- Observe whether guests were welcomed upon arrival.
- Ensure guests were informed about Toastmasters and the format of the meeting.
Meeting opening
- Evaluate if the presiding officer was prepared and organised.
- Note whether the meeting started on time.
- Check if everyone was properly introduced — and that the Toastmaster was properly introduced.
Toastmaster evaluation
- Verify if the Toastmaster filled all roles before the meeting began.
- Note if the Toastmaster introduced and explained the theme of the meeting.
- Confirm if the Toastmaster properly introduced the General Evaluator and the Topicsmaster.
Evaluation session management
- Properly introduce the Grammarian, Timer, and Ah-Counter.
- Assess if the Grammarian was prepared, introduced their role within time, and properly introduced the Word of the Day.
- Evaluate if the Word of the Day was challenging, appropriate, and suited the meeting's theme.
- Check if the Timer was prepared and introduced their role within the specified time.
- Ensure the Ah-Counter was prepared and explained their role within the allocated time.
- Deliver the General Evaluator's own report.
Topicsmaster evaluation
- Check if the purpose and timing of Table Topics were clearly explained.
- Evaluate if the chosen topic was appropriate and aligned with the meeting theme.
- Observe whether the Topicsmaster prioritised calling on people without a meeting role first.
- Note if guests were invited to participate in Table Topics.
- Assess if the Topicsmaster managed time effectively to keep the meeting on schedule.
- Confirm that control was properly returned to the Toastmaster.
03/
Topicsmaster
Impromptu speaking
Facilitates the Table Topics session of the meeting — providing both guests and members an opportunity to practise impromptu speaking by introducing a topic and calling on individuals to speak on that subject for a designated amount of time.
Responsibilities
Facilitating Table Topics
- Explain the session: when introduced, explain that the purpose is to practise impromptu speaking.
- Set the rules: inform participants that you will introduce a topic and they will have two minutes to speak on it.
- Prepare topics: aligned with the meeting's theme where possible.
- Call on speakers: various members and guests.
- Keep a log: maintain a record of who spoke and on which topic.
04/
Grammarian
Language watch & Word of the Day
Monitors language usage during the meeting — paying close attention to all speakers, noting both incorrect grammar and exemplary uses of language. Introduces a Word of the Day to the group, encouraging its use throughout the meeting, and presents a comprehensive report when called upon.
Responsibilities
During the meeting
- Monitor language: pay close attention to all speakers and listen carefully to their language usage.
- Note improper language: keep a log of any improper grammatical uses and provide suggestions for improvement.
- Note outstanding language: take note of any outstanding words, quotes, sayings, or thoughts you hear.
- Introduce the Word of the Day: give its definition and use it in an example sentence. Display the word visually at the front of the room.
- Encourage word usage: encourage every speaker to use the Word of the Day.
Reporting
- Track Word of the Day usage: keep a log of all individuals who use the Word of the Day.
- Deliver the Grammarian's report: cover observations on language usage, plus a separate report on the usage of the Word of the Day.
05/
Ah-Counter
Filler word counter
Observes and notes words and sounds used as a "crutch" or "pause filler" by anyone who speaks during the meeting. At the end of the meeting, provides a report on the number of times each speaker used these filler expressions.
Responsibilities
During the meeting
- Explain the role: when introduced, state the purpose of the role to the audience.
- Listen for filler words: overused words like and, well, but, so, you know.
- Listen for filler sounds: ah, um, er.
- Note repetitions: when a speaker repeats a word or phrase (e.g. "I, I" or "This means, this means").
- Log observations: mark down filler words and sounds per speaker. Columns include Ah, Um, Er, Well, So, Like, But, Repeats, Other.
Reporting
- Report findings: when called upon, report the number of times each speaker used these expressions, referencing your log.
06/
Timer
Green · yellow · red
Times the key segments of the meeting — including Table Topics speakers, formal speeches, and evaluations. Alerts each speaker about time remaining via green, yellow, and red cards, and keeps a log of times for each participant.
Responsibilities
Explaining the role & timing rules
- When introduced, explain your duties — timing Table Topics, formal speeches, and evaluations.
- Explain the signalling system: green, yellow, and red cards.
- Table Topics (2 min max): green at 1:00 · yellow at 1:30 · red at 2:00.
- Ice Breaker (4–6 min): green at 4:00 · yellow at 5:00 · red at 6:00.
- Most other speeches (5–7 min): green at 5:00 · yellow at 6:00 · red at 7:00.
- Evaluations (2–3 min): green at 2:00 · yellow at 2:30 · red at 3:00.
Record keeping
- Timer Log: maintain a Timer Log throughout the meeting.
- Record times: for each speaker in Table Topics, Prepared Speeches, and Evaluations, record name and time taken.
- Note compliance: mark whether each speaker was within their allotted time (Y/N). For prepared speeches, record the specific time requirement.
Extra resources
Additional Downloads
Supporting materials that pertain to the meeting roles above.