I gave this lecture to the CGG Speech Club on February 21, 2026.
Acting as Toastmaster
INTRODUCTION If I were to guess, I would say acting as Toastmaster is the most phoned-in of all assignments, perhaps running neck and neck with picking out a tongue-twister at the last minute for Vocal Exercises. But we should not treat being a Toastmaster so cavalierly. It is an important part of the program, not to mention that it teaches a vital lesson in leadership, preparation, and confident, outward focus on others.
SPS We will consider this assignment for the next few minutes. It is an important task, one that can make or break the speech portion of the program—it can be pleasantly memorable or boringly forgettable. How well the Toastmaster does his job sets the tone for the entire second half of the meeting.
A Toastmaster’s preparation begins with a mindset: He is the Master of Ceremonies, and the speech portion of the evening is his to fashion as he will. Think of the assignment as being asked to host a variety show, an evening of TEDx speeches, or an awards show before a live audience of thousands. He controls the mood, pace, and overall enjoyment of the evening by facilitating the flow from one speech to the next.
While the Toastmaster has this central position, his goal is to focus the club’s attention on the five speakers (and the five evaluators—don’t forget them!). He not only wants to introduce/present each speaker and his speech clearly, but also to provide smooth transitions by relaying interesting, relatable information about the speaker that makes the audience want to hear what he has to say.
The Manual instructs the Toastmaster to be brief: “Ten to thirty seconds will usually be enough for the actual presentation [of each speaker] . . . never over a minute!” Ten seconds is a little more than barebones: “For our next presentation, giving a Number Four, ‘Add Color!’ speech, titled ‘The Cincinnati Redstockings,’ please welcome the pride of Upper Millstone, Ohio, Mr. Joe Blow!”
The minimum information a Toastmaster should provide is: 1) The speaker’s name, 2) his speech number and kind, and 3) his speech title. But the bare minimum is boring. Take a little more time to give the audience something extra!
So, be creative! Use variety! Be enthusiastic! Remember, the Toastmaster’s job is to focus attention on the speaker and his upcoming speech. Make the audience want to hear what this man has to say! So, build him up! Provide them with something to consider that makes him qualified to speak about his subject. Or, tell them a brief fact that shows he has had interesting experiences (he traveled to X, participated in Y, or taught himself to do Z). Give them some tidbit to make them sit up and listen.
Many Toastmasters center their presentations on a theme: favorite ice cream flavor, car, movie, book, football team, breakfast food, etc. Those can work fine, but they tend to become stale when overdone.
A better one is to gather the necessary information about the roster of speakers (or their topics) for the evening and find a common thread among them. Say, all were born in river towns, so the theme becomes a journey down a river, winding through each speaker. Or, all the speeches touch on American history, so the Toastmaster arranges them in chronological order. Or, the Toastmaster briefly describes how he met each man from the oldest to youngest or vice-versa. Or, they all graduated from colleges in the SEC.
This is what I mean about being creative—do not settle for “normal” or “bare minimum.” Spice it up a little so that the last half of the program becomes a cohesive whole, all tied together by a winsome Master of Ceremonies!
A few words on presentation: A good Master of Ceremonies is alert, outgoing, and interested in what is going on. He smiles and tries to infect the audience with anticipation for what is coming next. So he must stand tall, make good eye contact, use vocal variety, and, again, smile as he presents the speakers. Make sure to read the instructions in the Manual to get the technical details of the job right, too.
CONCLUSION Remember, acting as Toastmaster is an exercise in leadership! Lead the audience to experience an informative and stimulating speaking session!