Have You Got the Time?

Our theme at Cottonwood Toastmasters today was "Time" and the word of the day was "Integrity".  As the General Evaluator for the day I had an amazing team of helpers. I witnessed many people taking the time to fill dual assignments with willingness and excellence. There was the Grammarian, Ah Counter, Timer and Speech Evaluator. Their leadership titles seem self explanatory, however, maybe a little more information is necessary for the "Ah Counter". This can be a fun job at our Cottonwood Toastmasters for you get to ring a bell whenever you hear the words "ah" or "um". For a more detailed description as to the role of the "Ah Counter" I have taken the following information from Toastmasters International:

Helping members off their crutches

"The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note any word or sound used as a crutch by anyone who speaks during the meeting. Words may be inappropriate interjections, such as and, well, but, so and you know. Sounds may be ah, um or er. You should also note when a speaker repeats a word or phrase such as “I, I” or “This means, this means.” These words and sounds can be annoying to listeners. The Ah-Counter role is an excellent opportunity to practice your listening skills."

"Throughout the meeting, listen to everyone for sounds and long pauses used as fillers and not as a necessary part of sentence structure. Write down how many filler sounds or words each person used during all portions of the meeting. When you’re called on by the general evaluator during the evaluation segment, stand by your chair and give your report"

*Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 928-634-6540