Schedules

SPEAKERS LEAGUE SCHEDULING PROCESS

If you read nothing else - read this!
You are responsible for knowing your scheduled role and arriving prepared to do it. Bookmark this link and check it often. If, for any reason, you cannot perform a scheduled role or speech, it is customary for YOU to notify your club's group email if you need a replacement.

At the end of each meeting, we review the schedule for the next meeting. Changes are usually posted within a day. Make a note of your next assignment before you leave the meeting!

Members should bookmark this schedule link and check it obsessively. It’s up to you to check the schedule in advance and arrive prepared!

If you see something strange on a schedule (e.g., you are scheduled for Timekeeper two meetings in a row, or you are scheduled to evaluate yourself), or your assigned speech topic is one you already passed, please contact your Club Chairperson. Errors are inevitable when manually scheduling so many people. Sometimes the assignments are intentional - perhaps a member is close to elevating to a new level and only needs one last role, so they may have two roles while you have none. Sometimes, it’s a mistake and changes can be made, but only if you speak up. Don’t assume the schedule is set in stone. It’s a working, fluid document!

If you have a question about the schedule, contact your Chairperson IN ADVANCE. Don't wait until the meeting starts, as it may cause delays for everyone else.

The rest of this provides more details about "how the sausage is made"…

HOW IS THE SCHEDULE DETERMINED? 

The scheduling process is fluid, extremely manual, and mostly random — therefore, it is very, very imperfect. Every time the club size changes, it may affect the schedule and the number of scheduled speeches at a meeting.

Schedules are created using several matrices, depending on club size. When a club grows or shrinks, we may need to switch to a different matrix, which affects all future assignments.

Each matrix is designed to rotate the members through the meeting roles - MC, Humorist, Impromptu Master, Poet Laureate, Timekeeper, Wordmaster, and Vote Counter (or Meeting Manager for online meetings in clubs that have no club officers). Speaker and Evaluator spots are assigned to try to give everyone in the club the same number over the course of the year.

We aim to assign speaker spots as randomly as possible throughout the year, avoiding conflicting roles. Sometimes a member may have multiple roles in one meeting. For example, if a scheduled speaker is also Wordmaster, they will hand off her duties during their speech to another member, who will count their filler words for them. Some roles conflict in a way that makes it difficult to do both well - e.g., Timekeeper and Wordmaster. In this case, someone else will be chosen to perform the other role.

There are times when one student may be an evaluator for two meetings in a row, or they may have no assigned role for one or two meetings. Members are welcome to request changes, but they are not guaranteed a role at every meeting.

IT LOOKS LIKE I'M SCHEDULED TO DO A SPEECH CATEGORY THAT I ALREADY PASSED. WHAT'S UP?

First, check your email to make sure you actually did submit a self-evaluation and that you did indeed pass that speech, and that you weren't asked to do another one or that it wasn't counted toward another category. If you have an an Exec Eval from your Chairperson saying you passed, it's probably a typo on the schedule.

You may do speeches in any order, but be sure to notify your Chairperson if you want to do a different category than what appears on the schedule.

IF I DON'T PASS A SPEECH, CAN I WORK ON IT AND GIVE THE SAME SPEECH AGAIN?

Sometimes. At the Chairperson's discretion, you may be asked to create an entirely new speech in the same category. Exceptions will only be made with advance approval from the Chairperson.

CAN I VOLUNTEER TO DO MORE ROLES OR MORE SPEECHES?

Yes! 

In general, we discourage members from doing speeches in back-to-back meetings. It is best to have time to evaluate your last speech and to receive feedback from your Chairperson and other upper level members so that you can incorporate those suggestions into future speeches. Exceptions will be determined by Chairperson.

If there are spots on a schedule containing a number, those are reserved for new members. Unassigned numbered spots will be filled at the end of the previous meeting. Spots that are completely blank are, in general, up for grabs. Chairperson will make final decisions.

Open roles are offered first to members who have no other assigned role for that meeting. At times, an open role may be awarded to a member who needs that one last role to fulfill a level requirement. Then, open roles will be filled by members who have no conflicting roles.

Evaluator roles are the most fluid - not everyone will have the same number of evaluator spots. 

ALTERNATE SPEAKER SPOTS

Alternate Speaker slots are the best way to deliver extra speeches during the year. Another way to get extra speeches in is to arrange a visit to any other Speakers League club to give a speech, subject to availability.

Alternate Speaker slots may be requested for up to two meetings in advance. An alternate speaker arrives ready to give a speech in case a spot opens up due to absence or an unprepared speaker. If you give an alternate speech, it won't normally affect your pre-scheduled speaker spots. If you are an alternate speaker, and you are not prepared to give your speech, you may lose the right to reserve alternate speaker spots in the future. For the most part, Alternate Speaker spots are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

WHAT IF I CAN’T BE AT A MEETING, OR IF I ARRIVE UNPREPARED?

If, for any reason, you cannot perform a scheduled role or speech, it is customary for YOU to find your own replacement. This may be done through the Membership Directory in groups.io -- contacting someone directly IN ADVANCE to propose a switch -- or by posting a general message through groups.io to your club. No one is obligated to switch when requested. It's up to you to negotiate trades - but be sure the role you're switching into won’t conflict with another role for which you are scheduled and that you notify the Chairperson to update the schedule.

Members who consistently arrive unaware of, or unprepared for, their assigned roles may be removed from the schedule and only allowed to fill open roles as needed. They will be added to the schedule at the discretion of the Chairperson.

WHERE CAN I LEARN HOW TO PERFORM MY ROLE?

Your Member Handbook has a detailed description for how to perform each role. Additionally, Speakers League and Junior Speakers League both have multiple training videos at these links.

Occasionally, a very new member may be assigned a more advanced role - such as MC or Evaluator. Use the tools available to study up on your role in advance (your handbook, or check for training videos) - remember, everyone else has been in this situation, and the best way to learn a role is by doing it! If you get stuck, someone should be able to help you through it! We're all part of this team, so we will help you to succeed! 

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE, AND NOTIFY CHAIRPERSON:

Siblings may not evaluate siblings. Usually these roles can be easily switched.

Speech type: Keep record of speeches you have passed - if you’re assigned a speech you think you passed, check your email. You may not have passed, either because you failed to send a Self-Evaluation or you did not meet the goal of the speech. Or, it may be an error and the schedule shows the wrong speech. SPEAK UP, so that the Chairperson may adjust the schedule and so your Evaluator knows what criteria to use to evaluate you.

Always, if you see something wonky, let your Chairperson know. We rarely notice the following, and we may or may not be able to change it:

- Speaking order (for example, if you happen to always be assigned as Speaker #1).

- Speakers are scheduled along with the same other Speakers. This is harder to fix, unless you notice it far in advance.

- Siblings "compete" against each other (this may be very hard to adjust!).

- Speaker combinations in one meeting - sometimes, a very advanced member may be speaking on the same day as someone giving a Getting To Know You speech. Sometimes, several speakers will be giving the same type of speech. You're welcome to request changes, or change your speech type to a different one you haven't yet passed, but remember that sometimes it's just the luck of the draw.

The Chairperson reserves the right to make the final call on all schedule changes - but it never hurts to ask!