Creative Club Meetings

Most Toastmasters club meetings follow the same general format, but conducting an identical meeting week after week is boring and predictable.

It is the role of the meeting's Toastmaster-of-the-Day to ensure the meeting is interesting and lively by using variety and creativity. By keeping basic meeting structure and tasks and using variations on the traditional, we keep out of the proverbial rut. Within this structure the only limits are the imagination of the Toastmaster or the meeting planner. Most meetings can include the normal activities of evaluations, table topics, timer, ah counter, grammarian, etc. without dampening the interest.

As Toastmaster, your first task is to set the meeting theme. The theme is the common thread that ties the entire meeting together. Running a meeting is analogous to crafting a speech. The main difference is that you’re incorporating actual people into your narrative.

To pick a good theme, first identify who your speakers will be. Ask the speakers what they will be speaking about. Your theme could be an idea or concept that is explored or exemplified by the speeches. You may have a favorite sporting event or holiday on which the theme can be based. You don’t have to stick to literal interpretations. Blue is a color, but it is also a mood and a musical style. Engage your associative memories. Be creative!

There are plenty of resources online for meeting theme ideas:

• Search for 'toastmasters meeting theme' for lots of great theme ideas from Toastmasters everywhere.

• Search for 'wacky holidays' for some unique holidays on specific days of the year.

Don't feel bound by our regular meeting style. Contact our Vice President Education to discuss your meeting or theme ideas if you want to modify the meeting approach. You can also view past agendas to see what other themes have been used in previous West Hollywood Toastmasters meetings.

Once your theme is set, share it with your meeting team and make sure their activities are aligned with the theme.

The Humorist/Inspirer should decide if they want to begin the meeting with something funny or something to inspire the club. Either way, the topic should relate to the meeting theme that you've chosen.

Your Rafflemaster may want to (but is not required to) donate a raffle prize that relates to the theme.

The Table Topicsmaster should prepare questions that also relate to your meeting theme. For example, for the theme of “Energy”, the Table Topics might be a debate about Solar power vs. Nuclear power. For “Memories”, the questions might involve a favorite or worst vacation/childhood/work/marriage experience.

The General Evaluator should encourage the Grammarian to select a Word of the Day based upon your chosen theme.