Sargeant At Arms

Advance Preparation

• Planning ahead is the key to a successful Toastmaster meeting.
• The SAA is in charge of making sure the room setup is correct, and starting both halves of the meeting.
• While all the activities below are the responsibility of the SAA, all members of the club chip in to help complete these activities.

Pre-Meeting Activities

• Set up Lectern, timing light and any special equipment requested.
• Lay out education materials, name cards, brochures, etc.
• Distribute agendas and any other handouts provided.
• Hang up Club banner.
• Lay out trophies on table in front of lectern and gavel on top of lectern.

When Members and Guests Arrive

• Greet all meeting attendees and make them feel welcome
• Provide temporary name cards for the guests
• Ensure members pick up their name tags
• Assign a member host to each non-Toastmaster guest for the duration of the meeting.

To Start The Meeting – First Half

• Ensure the meeting starts on time.  If there is a delay in the meeting start – announce it to club members from the lecturn
• Bang the gavel and welcome all members and guests to the Glen Abbey Toastmasters Club #8644 meeting
• Introduce the Chairperson.  It is helpful to know something about the Chairperson so you can make a proper introduction – eg – time with club, roles held, other pertinent and interesting information
• Ensure any late arrivals are taken care of easily and quickly without disturbing the rest of the meeting

During the Meeting

• Collect ballots for Table Topics, Speakers, and Evaluators as they come around the room and tally votes.
• Complete awards certificates, and provide to Chairperson

Second Half of Meeting

• Call the meeting to order on time
• Introduce the Toastmaster in this manner:
• Now, to start our Prepared Speeches portion, I would like to present to you a very fine Toastmaster who will be hosting this part of the meeting.  This person …………………………………………………………………………………
• Ladies & gentlemen, please help me welcome our toastmaster for this evening, Toastmaster ………………… [Lead applause, pass the gavel to the Toastmaster and take a seat.]

After The Meeting

• Help clean up the meeting room with the help of other members. Keep any reusable materials such as extra ballot forms, handouts, educational material, etc.
• Pack all items neatly in the boxes in the same manner they were packed at the start of the meeting. Check if anything requires a refill for the next meeting.
• Ensure all materials are complete and packed away properly.
• Make a final quick tour of the premises to ensure nothing is left behind, and that the room is clean and neat. You or your delegate should be last person out of the room.