Getting started
Meeting roles
Every meeting runs on members stepping into rotating roles. Start with the easier ones, then stretch into hosting and evaluation. Use these guides when you sign up — or before the meeting — to know what to prepare, what to say, and what to report.
Great first roles
Little preparation, a short report, and a chance to stand up without giving a full speech.
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.
A good fit when: you want little prep and a brief end-of-meeting report — ideal for your first couple of meetings.
Ah-Counter
Listens for filler words and sounds like um, ah, so, and like. Gives a brief report when called upon.
A good fit when: you’re ready to listen throughout the meeting and give a short report — a great early speaking role.
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.
A good fit when: you’re still early in the club and can pick a Word of the Day ahead of time, then listen and report.
Ah & Grammarian Monitor
This role only appears when Ah-Counter and Grammarian are combined into one agenda slot. You cover both duties: tracking filler words and sounds, introducing the Word of the Day, and giving both reports when called upon.
A good fit when: the club combines Ah-Counter and Grammarian for that meeting — still early-friendly if you’re ready to track a bit more.
Next step
A bit more preparation or speaking time — strong once you have a few meetings under your belt.
Speaker
A member giving a prepared speech from their Pathways curriculum (usually 5 to 7 minutes).
A good fit when: you’ve done a couple of small roles — aim for your Ice Breaker about 3 to 4 weeks after joining, then keep taking speech projects from your path.
Joke Master
Shares a short joke to add humor and energy to the meeting.
A good fit when: you want a low-pressure next step after a listening role — prepare one short, club-appropriate joke.
Evaluator
A member assigned to provide constructive oral and written feedback (2 to 3 minutes) to a specific speaker.
A good fit when: you’ve finished your Ice Breaker and reached Level 1’s Evaluation and Feedback project — serving as an evaluator is a required part of that project.
Table Topics Master
The person who hosts the impromptu speaking game. They ask questions to help members practice speaking off-the-cuff.
A good fit when: you can prepare questions or a theme ahead of time and host a lively mid-meeting segment.
Stretch roles
You host or quality-check a larger part of the meeting. Take these after you are comfortable with smaller roles.
Toastmaster of the Day
The master of ceremonies or host of the meeting. They introduce speakers and keep energy high.
A good fit when: you’re comfortable with smaller roles and ready to host the full meeting.
General Evaluator
The quality-control officer of the meeting. They evaluate the evaluators and give feedback on how well the overall meeting ran.
A good fit when: you know how a meeting should flow and can quality-check the whole evaluation portion.