The Timer keeps the meeting on schedule and ensures that it ends on time. The Toastmaster will ask you to describe your duties near the start of the meeting. Provide a brief but clear description of the equipment and procedures involved. It is especially important to discuss the Table Topics timing as club guests may participate. The Timer’s tools include a box with three coloured lights, a stopwatch, and a bell. If you haven’t used the equipment before, arrive at the meeting early and ask an experienced member to demonstrate.

Table Topics:

Each speaker has 2 minutes, with 30 seconds overtime. Turn on the:

• Green light at 1 minute;
• Amber light at 1 ½ minutes;
• Red light at 2 minutes; and
• Bell at 2 ½ minutes, at which time the timer and Table Topics Master will lead the applause and the speaker will need to sit down.

Speeches:

Check with each individual speaker at the beginning of the meeting to confirm their speech length and if they require any variations in how you will notify them of the time. Ensure that each of you know how long the speech should take and when the signals will appear. Most speeches are 5-7 minutes long, but advanced speeches can take 10-12 minutes or longer. The rule of thumb for timing speeches is:

• Green light when 2 minutes remain;
• Amber light when 1 minute remains;
• Red light when time is up; and
• Bell and applause at 30 seconds overtime.

Belling a speaker is very unpleasant but can be necessary. While the speaker has gone to all the effort of writing and practicing the speech, he or she should also be learning to judge their delivery time. DO NOT bell any Icebreaker speech or a guest Table Topics speaker except in extreme cases.

Evaluations:

Adjust the timing sequence to fit the position, e.g.:

• Table Topic and Speech Evaluators (3 min) Green at 2, Amber at 2 ½ , Red at 3;
• Timer (2 min) Green at 1, Amber at 1 ½, Red at 2; and
• General Evaluator (8 min) Green at 6, Amber at 7, Red at 8.

Near the end of the meeting, the General Evaluator will ask for speech times. Only mention the times requested and the actual time used by each speaker. For example, “John asked for 5-7 minutes and spoke for 6 minutes.” Later, you will be asked for all the other times. Give the Table Topics speakers and the evaluators with their times. It is also your duty to let the participants know where the timing fell off schedule.