Meeting
Role: Grammarian
Contributed by Brad Weyers and Jesse Black
Purpose:
The Grammarian listens for good and poor usage of language and
reports at the end of the meeting. This helps the speakers -- and
the audience -- improve their speaking abilities.
Before the meeting:
- Check with the Toastmaster to find out the theme of the meeting.
- Choose a word of the day that fits in with the theme of the meeting.
- Prepare to present the word and its definition.
During the meeting:
- When called upon, explain the role of the Grammarian and introduce the word of the day.
- Keep track of exceptionally good and poor use of language
- If
you are also serving as Ah Counter, keep track of distractions
such as ah, um, repeated words, etc. If the club uses auditory
feedback (bell, squeaker, etc.), do not use it during prepared speaches
unless specifically agreed with the speaker.
- When called upon, report your findings.
Recommendations:
- Be generous with positive feedback, be judicious with negative
feedback. Remember the objective is to help speakers and the
audience improve, not simply to point out flaws.