Toastmasters meetings are planned to maximize opportunities for communication using all different roles. The timer helps ensure that discussions stay anchored to the plan’s timeline, so we end the session on time.

Timing Signals for Speeches:

For a 5-7 minute speech:

1. The green light at 5 min
2. Yellow light at 6 min
3. Red light at 7 min
4. The timer raises a hand at 7:30 seconds; at that time speaker stops
5. Thirty seconds of grace period to qualify for the voting. If the speaker’s speech time is between 4.5 min and 7.5 min, they would be eligible for the vote.

If a speech is 8-10 minutes long, the green light at 8 min, the yellow light at 9 min, red light at 10 min. The grace period would still be 30 seconds. So, if the speaker’s speech is between 7.5 and 10.5 minutes, they qualify for the vote.

If a speech is 6-8 minutes long, the green light at 6  min, the yellow light at 7  min, and the red light at 8  min. The grace period would still be 30 seconds. So, if the speaker’s speech is between 5.5 min and 8.5 minutes, they would qualify for the vote.

Timing Signals for Table Topics:

1. The green light at 1 min
2. Yellow light at 1.5 min
3. Red light at 2 min
4. Fifteen seconds of grace time. So, the speaker qualifies for the vote if the table topic is between 45 seconds and 2 min, 15 seconds.

Timing Signals for Evaluation:

1. The green light at 2 min
2. Yellow light at 2.5 min
3. Red light at 3 min
4. Fifteen seconds of grace time. So, if the evaluation is between 1 min, 45 seconds, 3 min, and 15 seconds, the speaker (evaluator) qualifies for the vote.