What happens at a meeting?
Harbord Diggers Toastmasters meetings run for between 2 and 2 ½ hours, with a 15 min break mid-way.
What happens at a typical meeting?
Each meeting consists of speeches, mini-speaking opportunities as well as organisational roles - the variation in roles each meeting helps our members develop a range of communication, leadership and management skills in a supportive environment at their own pace.
What’s the meeting tone?
We learn much quicker when we’re having fun and enjoying ourselves - and this is at the heart of every meeting. While the focus is on continual improvement - our meetings are always full of laughter and camaraderie. As a visitor we want you to feel comfortable and relaxed, so you won’t be given any formal roles. However, there will be opportunities to contribute in the impromptu speaking session - but only if you are interested in taking part.
What roles do you do in a meeting?
A typical meeting may consist of :
- Prepared speeches (typically 5 to 7 minutes) and evaluations of these speeches,
- Smaller roles such as delivering a welcome, toast or a joke,
- Leadership roles which may include chairing the meeting or running the speech session,
- Management roles such as timing the meeting,
- Impromptu speaking opportunities,
- Targeted training delivered by some of our more experienced members.
How are meetings structured?
To mirror real-world meetings and make sure we keep to time, each meeting runs to a formal agenda. The agenda might seem a little daunting at first, but this is because we want to include plenty of roles to ensure each member has an opportunity to speak. As you settle in and start enjoying yourself, the formality of the agenda blends into the background!
How are roles assigned?
New members are only assigned small roles to begin with - you can gradually build up to more complex roles as you become more comfortable. You’ll probably find that within a few months you’re presenting your first speech. Each role comes with a detailed description of how to deliver it, and you will be assigned a personal mentor who is on hand to answer questions and support you through your first 6 months.