Toastmasters

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The General Evaluator role is very manageable, but it does require paying close attention once your portion of the meeting begins. You will be getting up to introduce someone, sitting back down, and then standing again multiple times, and that back-and-forth can feel surprisingly busy if you are not prepared for it.

Small logistics help more than you might expect. Sitting at the end of a row makes it easier to stand quickly, and starting to move as the previous person is wrapping up allows you to meet them for a quick handshake and keep transitions smooth.

I stepped into the General Evaluator role for the first time and realized something fast. The job itself is not hard, but it is easy to forget the sequence in the moment. If you have ever thought, “Who do I introduce next and when do I speak again?” this post lays out the exact flow and wording that helped me stay calm and keep the meeting moving.

This is written for real meetings, not perfect ones. If your club runs the agenda a little differently, the core idea still applies. Keep transitions clear, keep the order simple, and always know who you are handing control to next.

What the General Evaluator actually does

The General Evaluator leads the evaluation portion of the meeting. You introduce the speech evaluators, manage the handoffs between evaluators and reports, and then give a short report on what the group did well and what the group can improve. You are evaluating the meeting experience and flow, not “grading” people.

The simplest version of the flow

Here is the core sequence I plan for.

1. Table Topics ends and control is handed to you.

2. You open the evaluation portion and introduce Evaluator 1.

3. Evaluator 1 delivers their evaluation and returns control to you.

4. You thank Evaluator 1 and introduce Evaluator 2.

5. Evaluator 2 delivers their evaluation and returns control to you.

6. You call for reports (Timer to vote on best speech evaluator, Ah Counter, and Listener/Grammarian).

7. You give your General Evaluator report.

8. You return control to the Toastmaster.

Word-for-word script you can use

If you want something you can read without sounding robotic, this is a safe version.

“From here, we move into the evaluation portion of our meeting.

As General Evaluator, I’ll be introducing our speech evaluators and then calling for all evaluation reports.”

“Our first evaluator is FirstName, evaluating our first speaker, FirstName.

FirstName, I turn the time over to you.”

(Evaluator 1 speaks and returns control to you.)

“Thank you, FirstName.

Our second evaluator is FirstName, evaluating our second speaker, FirstName.

FirstName, I turn the time over to you.”

(Evaluator 2 speaks and returns control to you.)

“Thank you, FirstName.

I will now call for all evaluation reports.”

“Timer, may we have your report? You may pass your votes to FirstName.”

“Ah Master, may we have your report?”

“Listener/Grammarian, may we have your report?”

(Consider any other role reports your club includes.)

“And now my General Evaluator report.”

“Toastmaster, I return control of the meeting to you.”

Backup lines for real-life hiccups

Meetings are not always clean. These lines cover almost anything.

If someone forgets to return control to you: “Thank you. I’ll continue with the agenda.”

If someone speaks out of order: “Thank you. We’ll take that report in just a moment.”

If you lose your place: “Thank you. Let’s continue with our next report.”

If time is running long: “In the interest of time, we’ll move to the next report.”

If you blank completely: “Thank you. According to our agenda, our next step is…”

A short and gentle General Evaluator report

This is a safe structure that stays positive and still adds value.

1. Overall meeting impression in one sentence.

2. One thing the group did well.

3. One improvement opportunity framed as “we” and “continue.”

Here is a 10-second version you can borrow.

“Overall, today’s meeting was well-paced and supportive. One thing we did especially well was clear role ownership and smooth participation. One area we can continue to improve is tightening handoffs so transitions feel even more polished. Thank you to everyone who contributed today.”

Reading Time: 4 minutes

After my Toastmasters icebreaker speech, the next project in the Pathways program is Write a Speech with Purpose. That is the speech you will find below. While the formal purpose of this project is to inform, the talk also reflects my ongoing effort to become more comfortable speaking when I do not have everything perfectly planned or memorized.

One of my biggest public speaking challenges is poor working memory. I often pause while searching for the right word or thought, which makes speaking without notes especially difficult. For this speech, I allowed myself to use my phone as a reference rather than forcing full memorization. During the writing and practice process, I also experimented with using AI-generated images and a grid-style layout to break the speech into visual cues. This structure helped prompt my memory, reduce cognitive load, and ultimately reduce a bit of my nervousness.

I have also included a link to the PDF version showing the table-style layout I used while practicing and delivering this Toastmasters speech.

Introduction
With reckless abandon for self-preservation, Dave made a pinky promise that somehow turned into today’s purposeful Toastmasters speech.
He brings decades of digital-marketing experience, and he’s currently navigating unemployment and the unexpected plot twists that followed a major heart attack.
Dave is powered by an amazing, supportive wife, the three best daughters a dad could ask for, and—this year—his favorite title ever: Grandpa.

It was April 19, 2023. My mom’s birthday, and about a year and a half since she passed away from a heart attack.

I had just climbed two flights of stairs and was getting ready for bed when I felt pressure and uneasiness in my chest. My thought was that it might be difficult to fall asleep. My wife’s thought was that we should go to the ER.

She convinced me when she said that if I started feeling better on the way there, we could come back.

So, a quick ER tip. If you want immediate help and avoid waiting in lines, mention that you think you’re having a heart attack. A medical NASCAR pit crew is immediately in action.

I learned that there is an enzyme protein called troponin that is released into the bloodstream when there’s a cardiac event. Less than 0.04 is normal, meaning no heart attack. My troponin levels were 337. Several doctors commented that they had never seen levels that high.

I also learned that what I had is called a widow maker heart attack. Only 12% of people who experience this type of heart attack outside of a hospital survive. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was also about to pay $250 for my ambulance ride from American Fork to Provo.

After being wheeled out of the ambulance, the next thing I remember is being barely awake in a spacious operating room. I could hear doctors talking, and one of them mentioned four stents. I looked down my shirt and didn’t see anything, which confused me. I could feel that my right arm was in some kind of clamp, and I couldn’t move it.

Overall, for something that seemed like such a big deal, it didn’t feel like it. There was nearly no pain, nothing like what you see on TV, and I can no longer even find the tiny incision that was on my wrist.

But wait — there’s more.

That year, I went to the ER four more times. Twice because I was convinced I was having another heart attack. It turned out my troponin levels were still coming down from the original event.

The other two visits were because of nosebleeds.

Let me explain that adventure.

After the heart attack, I was on two blood thinners. The nosebleeds would start out of nowhere and just gush.

I might be the only guy who has sent his wife to the store for tampons, has a size preference, and knows the frustration of bleeding through one. I had these stashed everywhere. And yes, I cut the string off to salvage what little dignity I had left.

Eventually, they put a rhino rocket in one nostril, which is a special kind of hell I have vowed to never experience again. A rhino rocket is what happens when a tampon and a torpedo have a baby.

Then came cauterization.

One nostril didn’t hurt at all, which completely blindsided me. When I later had the other nostril cauterized, it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Not all cauterizations are created equal.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I also had three cellulitis flare-ups. Warm to the touch, swollen, and potentially dangerous if not treated quickly. These burning skin infections can flare up from even tiny injuries. It was one of many reminders that although the heart attack hit one organ, my entire body was impacted.

As the months passed, I learned that a quarter of my heart was dead. Not two sizes too small like the Grinch. Dead. That explained my decreased energy and increased sensitivity to stress.

I’m still very much in the middle of this story. And while I’ve received small moments of clarity along the way, I’m still trying to answer the bigger questions. What comes next? How do I support my family now? And what am I supposed to do with this second chance?

There’s no happily-ever-after I can give you yet. But as I pause here, there are two lessons worth sharing.

Lesson One: Share Your Experience

My mother-in-law started retaining water, and because of what I’d gone through, we recognized it as a cardiac warning before her doctor did. It likely saved her life. Sometimes the experience you’d never choose becomes the knowledge someone else desperately needs.

Lesson Two: Let Your Body Vote

After losing the job I’d held for 27 years, and with my new health limits, I wasn’t sure what to do next. I’d always felt like I should continue my education, but at 50, an MBA felt too late and not particularly helpful.

My therapist asked, “When you think about that decision, does your body lean forward or backward?”

I leaned forward. It’s been a life hack ever since.

During 2023, I even started writing my own version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I lived through:

1. one widow maker heart attack
2. two nose cauterizations
3. three bouts of cellulitis
4. four stents
5. five trips to the ER

And I still didn’t find clarity — at least not the big kind I keep hoping for.

But here’s what I did find.

You don’t wait for clarity to show up.
You show up, and clarity meets you along the way.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s been many years since I first learned about Toastmasters. I think it was from a Manager Tools podcast. My takeaway was that it was like an AA meeting but focused on allowing anyone to give speeches to improve their public speaking skills. For a time, I was seeing a therapist who told me it was a non-negotiable requirement that I attend and so I did. Minus heights and snakes, I think all of my fears are front and center in these meetings.

The first speech that you give is called the Icebreaker. It’s a four to six minute speech that allows you to introduce yourself to the group and explain why you are attending Toastmasters so they can be supportive of your goals. My previous goal with any public speech was just to survive – I know, a bit dramatic. The bar is miles above that as I watch others speak with no notes, looking the audience in the eye and not going blank, and not hiding beyond a podium. My biggest speaking fears include profuse sweating, dry mouth, either going blank or my brain not recalling what to say next quick enough, and since my heart attack, needing to pace to avoid blacking out from my light headedness.

Well, on October 22, 2024 I gave my icebreaker speech. I have never practiced so hard for a speech and in the end, have five different talks written. I forgot to record the talk but I thought I would share the written version of it below. I struggled finding examples of Icebreaker talks before giving mine so perhaps this is helpful for someone.

With this being my icebreaker speech, I picked four topics to share more about who I am to finally introduce myself to this group.

TOPIC #1: Growing Up

1. Construction: Starting at the age of 14, I spent my summers working with my dad doing construction. This was the starting point of me enjoying school more than summer vacations.
2. Camaro: I love muscle cars. During my high school years, I owned a partially restored 1969 RS SS Camaro that was painted hugger orange. If this doesn’t mean anything, the best comparison I can think of is the Dukes of Hazzard car for comparison. My cool was much cooler. Fast off the line and slow to stop, this car was too light to be safe on the snow and ice. I ultimately sold the car and have missed it ever since.
3. Mission: I served an LDS mission in New Zealand; If I am feeling nerdy, I will tell people I served in middle earth; I love the people, I love the food, and I love watching an All Blacks rugby game when possible.
   

TOPIC #2: Calculus

1. I took calculus three times at three different colleges:
   1. First at UVSC (now called Utah Valley University).
   1. Second at BYU.
   1. Third at the University of Utah.
2. Between a good enough calculus grade and a requirement to take the GMAT, I didn’t bother pursuing an MBA when I was younger.
3. My oldest daughter found out that I could pursue an online MBA at Southern Utah University.
4. They didn’t require a GMAT or care what my calculus grade was.
5. My daughter registered me for class and I am now attending my fourth college as a 49 year-old student.
   

TOPIC #3 Divorce

1. Married for 13 years and had three girls.
2. After the divorce I drove to St. George twice a month for 10+ years to see them.
3. My new wife and my ex-wife had high school choir together. My ex has a scrapbook photo of them at a Seattle McDonald’s while on choir tour with a caption that says “new friends”. Yes, my worlds collided that day.
4. Exchanging the girls
   1. Early in the divorce, we were exchanging the girls and they had gotten in my car.
   1. As I was also getting in the car, I looked over my hood and could see my ex and her new husband smiling and waving at me.
   1. With no thought I reacted by flipping them off.
   1. I think they were as surprised as I was. Their smiles vanished and their waving slowed to a stop.
   1. Fast forward to today, and my current wife and I have stayed many nights at their place with the girls for Christmas and other family events. It’s amazing what can change with enough time.
      

TOPIC #4 Heart Attack

1. My mom passed away from a heart attack in August 2021. She was literally on the go until her final breath.
2. 599 days later on April 19, 2023, on my mom’s birthday, I had a widow maker heart attack.
3. Only 12% who have this type of a heart attack outside of a hospital survive. I am truly blessed to still be here.
4. A quarter of my heart is no longer working resulting in my decreased energy and a factor in my current unemployment.

Overall, I am not too sure what my future holds.

I don’t enjoy public speaking, struggle with social activities, and seem to get more introverted as I grow older.

Despite all of my awkwardness and fear, I feel motivated to be here and improve.

Thank you all for making me feel welcome and being so supportive.