The Timer assists the TME (Toastmaster of the evening) and those members speaking in their various roles in order to help maintain the correct flow of the evening. Time Management is part of your Leadership journey and forms a vital part in educating all members to comply with the allocated time for their role. Whilst there is a degree of flexibility at club level, timing is taken very seriously at Contest level resulting in disqualification if speakers over run their time. The meeting agenda shows a detailed grid of the times permitted for each of the speaking roles and indicates how the timing lights should be used.
When evaluators introduce a speaker, they should always confirm the time permitted for the project being undertaken. Examples below:
| Green | Amber | RED | Bell | Green | Amber | RED | Bell | |||
| Table Topics | 1:00 | 1:30 | 2:00 | 2:30 | Icebreaker Speech | 4:00 | 5:00 | 6:00 | 6:30 | |
| Topics Evaluator | 3:00 | 3:30 | 4:00 | 4:30 | Normal Speeches | 5:00 | 6:00 | 7:00 | 7:30 | |
| Speech Evaluator | 2:00 | 2:30 | 3:00 | 3:30 | Other Speeches | See agenda | ||||
Before the meeting
Familiarize yourself with the stop watch and ensure that the lights are working and visible to the stage area. You will need some paper and a pen to record the times.
During the meeting
Before the speakers begin, the TME will ask you to give a brief description of your role and demonstrate how the lights work. You are allocated 1 minute to convey this information to the audience.
You will then record the time of each speaker from the moment they say the first word of their speech. Speakers are permitted time to set the stage and settle into a comfortable position before they speak.
When the prepared speakers have finished their speech the TME will ask you to indicate 60 seconds in order that the audience can complete their feedback slips.
At the end of the prepared speaking section, table topic speaking section and evaluation section the TME will ask you to announce the recorded timings and ask the audience to vote for the best speaker, most improved speaker, best table topic speaker and best evaluator.
Where speakers have exceeded their permitted time the TME will decide if they are eligible for voting or not.
At the end of the meeting
You must ensure that the stop watch and lights are safely packed away.
The Timer’s role helps members to gain greater organizational skills, to listen and also improves time management abilities.
Please ensure that you have your first pathways level completed when you undertake this role.
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