The speakers are the stars for the meeting. They have the responsibility for entertaining, informing, persuading, or convincing the audience of some point of value. For themselves, the speakers have that golden opportunity to improve their speaking ability one-step-at-a-time; Speakers select their own topic and choose the amount of time they wish to speak. Speech times should be given in definite numbers of minutes (6 1/2 minutes, for example, not 5 to 7 minutes). The manuals have suggested times for each speech outlined which should serve as a guide.

Speakers can plan their speeches weeks or even months in advance when they receive the quarterly program schedule. A good speech does take some planning, preparation, and practice for even the most advanced speaker. When the Toastmaster-of-the-Meeting calls (a week prior to the scheduled speech), provide the title, manual speech number, and the time required for your speech. To be eligible for best speaker-of-the-meeting, the speech must be from one of the Communication and Leadership Program Manuals.

Should you be scheduled for a speech, but unable to attend, try to trade dates with a speaker scheduled for a later meeting. Contact either the Vice President of Education or the Toastmaster-of-the-Meeting as soon as possible and inform them of your swap or of your dilemma. If the latter, ask for assistance in finding a replacement.

FILL-IN SPEECHES:

If you would like to speak more frequently than scheduled in the regular rotation, please contact your Vice President of Education and ask to be placed on the fill-in speaker list. Fill-in speakers may have less than a week prior to a meeting notification, so have an extra speech ready when called.

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