TDLR Toastmasters Meeting Roles Checklist

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PREPARING FOR THE ROLE OF THE INVOCATION & PLEDGE Delivering the Invocation The invocation is a prayer or inspirational thought delivered at the beginning of the meeting. It is followed by the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Because Toastmasters is a worldwide organization that includes people from many different religious groups, a non-sectarian approach is required, and the speaker should be sensitive to the diversity of cultures and religions in the audience. If you are new to Toastmasters and you are nervous about the thought of speaking in front of people, you can use this role to build confidence while serving a small but essential function for the club. Before the Meeting Prepare a brief invocation, no more than one minute in length. In your invocation, do not refer to a particular religious philosophy; make your reference universal. Treat it as you would any other speech. Craft it carefully, memorize it and practice delivering it before the meeting. During a virtual meeting, if you have a picture or slide to share with everyone, it will definitely enhance the impact of the Invocation speech. Prepare a picture of the US Flag to show during the Pledge of Allegiance. A copy of the US flag should be available in our Toastmasters Team Site (US_Flag). Download the file and be prepared to show it at the beginning of the Pledge of Allegiance. However, the Presiding Officer may already include the flag in his/her slide deck. So, you can contact the Presiding Officer to check and ask him/her to include that US Flag slide and bring it up for you during the meeting. Doing so will reduce time in having to share and un-share the file during the TEAMS meeting. During the Meeting When called upon by the Toastmaster Presiding Officer, deliver your invocation to the group. After the invocation, ask everyone to stand up (if the meeting is being held in person), face the flag and join you in the pledge. You can share a picture of the US Flag in TEAMS (or ask the Presiding Officer to share the US Flag slide if he/she has it in his/her slide deck). Begin the pledge and let everyone join you. After the Pledge, transfer meeting control back to the Presiding Officer.

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TDLR Toastmasters Meeting Roles Checklist by Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation - Issuu