Timekeeper

TIMEKEEPER TOP TIPS

• Revise the role description one-pager at the meeting.
• Communicate with Toastmaster to keep the meeting on time.
• Everything is timed!
• Switch your phone autolock screen off to have stopwatch always on.
• Use the bell 30s after the red light.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

The timekeeper role is very important and your responsibility is to ensure that the meeting runs on time. It is consequently a very good role to practice and refine time management skills; helping everyone in the meeting track their speech times efficiently.

DURING THE MEETING

Aim to arrive at the meeting 15 mins early so that you have sufficient time to prepare and ask any questions you may have.

The equipment you will have at your disposal is as follows:

• Timing lights
• Timing cards (if needed)

You will need to use your phone as stopwatch and write the timings for prepared speeches, evaluations and Table Topics. You will also time every segment which you can follow on the agenda.

Consider the introduction of your role as a mini-speech and as an opportunity to gain speaking experience. Perhaps you could personalise it with quotes on time? Or an occasion when time really mattered to yourself? Or a quick joke about time travel?

The three main meeting segments to time are the prepared speeches, the evaluations and the Table Topics. You will be giving a report at the end of each of these segments. Your report should be sharp and to the point, consider structuring them as follows:

1. Name of the Speaker OR Evaluator OR Table Topics speaker
2. Speech title OR Evaluee OR Table Topics title
3. Time taken

Examples:

• “Victoria Brown speaking on ‘Industry in the Victorian Age’, 7 minutes and 21 seconds”
• “John Lynch evaluating Marcel’s speech, 3 minutes and 8 seconds”
• “Alana Iron with ‘Imagine you are an alien invading Earth’, 1 minutes and 1 second”

While you will only report the times taken by the speakers, evaluators and Table Topics speakers. Remember that Everyone should be timed including the President during his/her introduction and the functionaries as they introduce their roles.

When the Toastmasters asks for one minute on the clock, signal its end by using the bell.

If the meeting is running late with actual start times of agenda segments differing from the start times on the agenda. Signal the Toastmaster and Table Topics Master for the table topics session to finish early. You can also discuss this with the Toastmaster during the break.

WHEN DO I NEED TO SHOW THE LIGHTS?

The GREEN light must be switched on when a speaker reaches the minimum time on the agenda, referred to Green below.

The AMBER light is switched on to signal speakers that they are coming towards the end of their speech, referred to Amber below.

The RED light is switched on when a speaker should finish their speech according to the agenda, referred to Red below.

Thirty seconds (30s) after the RED light, ring the bell as the speaker should promptly leave the stage! Do not hesitate to ring the bell, no matter how senior the speaker is!

Show the lights when functionaries such as the Grammarian, Toastmaster or General Evaluator are speaking. Check their times in the relevant column of the agenda!

It is important to note that some speeches are shorter or longer than 5/6/7 minutes. Which is why you should always pay particular attention to the right side of agenda to know when each light should be displayed.

If unsure about anything please ask more experienced Club members any questions.