A.R.T.S. Committee — Always Ready to Speak

The A.R.T.S. Committee encourages members to be ready to help when a meeting has an unexpected opening. A member might give a speech when a scheduled speaker cancels, lead Table Topics, or fill another meeting role. Having willing members ready helps the club keep its meetings lively and gives those members more opportunities to practice.

You do not need to prepare an entire meeting in advance. Keep a notebook and pen with a few ready-to-use items, and review it now and then. When you volunteer at the last minute, confirm what the meeting needs and adjust your material to fit.

How to get ready for each role

• Speaker: Review a Pathways project completely, including its purpose and evaluation criteria. Keep an outline for a speech that fits the project, with an opening, key points, and a closing. Before presenting it, confirm that the speech fits the available time.

• Table Topics Master: Keep one or two sets of five to seven questions in your notebook. Choose topics that members and guests can answer without special knowledge. Have a brief introduction and closing ready so you can lead the session smoothly. Call on members who hold minor roles (timer, grammarian, ah-counter) before inviting a guest to tackle one. Other ideas for topics: one, two, three, four.

• General Evaluator: Review your club’s meeting format and the duties of the role. Keep a short checklist for introducing the evaluation team, observing how the meeting runs, and giving a helpful report. When you step in, check who is serving in the other evaluation roles.

• Evaluator: Carry a pen and paper, and save or print Toastmasters’ Generic Evaluation Resource. It can be used for a speech within or outside Pathways. Ask the speaker which project they are presenting and what feedback they especially want. Listen for specific strengths and one or two useful suggestions.

• Grammarian and Word of the Day: Keep several useful words in your notebook, along with each word’s definition and an example sentence. If you need a fresh choice, check Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day. Choose a word that speakers can work naturally into the meeting, then note its use and any language observations for your report.

• Timer: Have a stopwatch or a timer ready on your phone or computer. Options include the Toastmasters Speech Timer and the Toastmusters Timer, which also offers a Zoom option. Know how to set the times, show the green, yellow, and red signals, and record each speaker’s time for your report.

A few minutes of preparation can turn “Could someone fill in?” into an easy “I can.”