Timer

Hello friends,

Today's blogpost is about being a timekeeper of a club meeting (specifically Toastmasters Club meeting). I am in no way an expert in it, I just wanted to share my experience on it.

I took up the role of time because the committee felt that for the first meeting, the role-players should be the committee member's themselves so the other members could watch and learn first. Admittedly, I was afraid to take up the role as it involved giving a report  at the end of the meeting and I dread talking (which is why I joined this club, to learn how to speak with ease and grace). 

The first thing I did after given the role was research. Here's what I found:

The purpose of a timer if to keep accurate track of time and ensure that the meeting is conducted according to the given time. Basically you'd have to time each person's speech or session and you'd have to alert them of the time left for their speech.

I was given a green light, an ember light and a red light.
It goes like this:

• If the session is 2 minutes long
• G: 1 min E: 1 1/2 mins R: 2 mins
• If the session is 3 minutes long
• G: 1 min E: 2 mins R: 3 mins
• If the session is 5 minutes long (also applicable for above 5 minutes)
• G: 2 mins left E: 1 min left R: time up

If the person keeps on speaking after 30 seconds after time up, you're required to ring the bell.

I had to do that the whole meeting and let me tell you, it was not easy. Time management is hard and confusing but without the timer, the meeting could end too soon or too late. 

After the evaluation of prepared speeches, the grammarian, ah counter, timer and general evaluator need to voice out their reports. 

The timer report goes like this:

Dear guests and fellow members,

• The meeting started at _:_ _ am/pm
• The president's welcoming address by ____ ____ took _ mins and _ seconds. Time given was 3 minutes
• etc

I think I did a really good job, the toastmaster guests were whooping so I hope they thought I did well ^^

Anyways at the end of the meeting, we had to choose who gets to do the prepared speech for the next meeting. I was one of them along with my friend, Julia. This will be my first prepared speech in Toastmasters, so I'd have to do the first speech module which is the Ice Breaker. I'd have to talk about myself, basically. But that is a blogpost for another day.

Till then

Ainna.

Categories: Timekeeper, Timer, Toastmasters