“The Toastmasters meeting is cancelled due to low expected attendance.”

Heartbreaking.

By the way, how few people are too few for a Toastmasters meeting to make sense?

Let’s assume you want to get better at public speaking – and you have 90 minutes booked for getting better at it. How many people do you need to be able to work on it?

Let’s agree 6 people is already enough for a (small and cozy) Toastmasters meeting. But what if you expect less? Here’s what you can do:

5 people

“Meeting Light”

• 1 person is the Toastmaster of the (small) meeting.
• 1 person gives a prepared speech (can practice “speaking off the cuff”).
• 1 person gives him an evaluation.
• 1 leads a Table Topic session (everyone else participates).
• 1 person is the timer.

4 people

“Double Table Topic Session”

• 1 Table Topics Master.
• 3 Table Topics Speakers.
• Everyone takes 2 rounds (or 3).
• In the end, voting for “Best Table Topic”.

3 people

“Prepare Speech in 10 minutes”

• 1 person picks a theme.
• Starts the timer.
• All three start preparing a speech.
• Once time is up: The first one gives a speech, others take notes.
• Once the speech finishes, the other two give feedback.
• The second one gives a speech – and so on.
• If there’s enough time, all three can give the 2nd version of their speech in the end.

2 people

“Table Topic Ping-Pong”

• 1 person gives the Table Topic question.
• The other answers it with a Table Topic.
• Switch.
• Repeat 5 times

1 person

“Camera-Drill”

• Set-up a camer
• Give a speech (prepared or unprepared)
• Watch the speech
• Work on improving it
• Give the speech again
• Compare differences

0 people

Okay, here you can cancel the meeting, if you must. But what would have to happen so that you have zero people who can attend your meeting at its regular scheduled meeting time?

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This post summarized in 9 words:

Where there is a will, there is a way.

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Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash