Speaking the language of Toastmasters

Toastmasters has a lot of unique vocabulary, roles, and acronyms. Use this quick reference to decipher who does what during our meetings.

Roles at a glance

Every meeting is run by members taking on these rotating responsibilities:

For how-to guides and when to take each role, see Meeting roles.

Role	What they do
Toastmaster of the Day	The master of ceremonies or host of the meeting. They introduce speakers and keep energy high.
Timer	Operates the timing cards and tracks how long each speaker stays on time—ideally with the built-in Timer on the meeting agenda. Gives a brief report when the Toastmaster calls for it.
Ah Counter	Listens for filler words and sounds like um, ah, so, and like. Gives a brief report when called upon.
Grammarian	Introduces the Word of the Day and encourages members to use it during the meeting. Gives a brief report on excellent grammar and vocabulary usage as well as areas for improvement.
Joke Master	Shares a short joke to add humor and energy to the meeting.
Speaker	A member giving a prepared speech from their Pathways curriculum (usually 5 to 7 minutes).
Table Topics Master	The person who hosts the impromptu speaking game. They ask questions to help members practice speaking off-the-cuff.
General Evaluator	The quality-control officer of the meeting. They evaluate the evaluators and give feedback on how well the overall meeting ran.
Evaluator	A member assigned to provide constructive oral and written feedback (2 to 3 minutes) to a specific speaker.

These are the elected members who run Woodland Hills Toastmasters behind the scenes. Come to them whenever you have questions.

President: Leads club operations and ensures the club meets its community and educational goals.
Vice President of Education: The schedule master. This is your most important contact. They approve your speech completions in Pathways, assign mentors, and manage the meeting schedule.
Vice President Membership: The welcoming committee. They help guests join and manage member onboarding.
Vice President Public Relations: The storyteller. Manages social media, flyers, and this website.
Secretary: The record-keeper. Takes minutes at board meetings.
Treasurer: The numbers officer. Collects club dues.
Sergeant at Arms: The logistics chief. Sets up the physical room, gets the flags and timers ready, and kicks off the meeting.

Pathways: Toastmasters’ educational program — a step-by-step online curriculum for public speaking and leadership. Members work through paths, levels, and speech projects at their own pace.
Base Camp: The online portal where you manage your Pathways progress.
Table Topics: The portion of the meeting dedicated to impromptu 1-to-2-minute speeches. Anyone, including guests, can be called on.
DCP (Distinguished Club Program): A performance scoreboard for clubs. When you complete levels in Pathways, our club earns points. It is a win-win.
DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster): Toastmasters’ highest educational honor. Members earn it by completing two Pathways learning paths, serving in club and district leadership roles, and finishing the DTM project.