Role update starting November 2011
At our club, the member who accepts the Reserve Speaker role at a meeting must be prepared to speak at that meeting if another prepared speech is cancelled – even at the last minute. Show up at the meeting in good time, and be prepared to speak!
The purpose of this role is to avoid wasting speech slots due to last-minute cancellations. In our club, where the speech slots are currently fully booked many weeks in advance, the Reserve Speaker is important. It is also great practice dealing with last-minute changes and unknown situations – something many of us struggle with.
Understandably, some people are not comfortable with these conditions. Some of us find it frustrating to be prepared to speak at a meeting but then have to wait until another time. If that’s you, then please do not accept a Reserve Speaker role.
What happens if you are Reserve Speaker and do not get to speak?
If you do not get to speak, then you are first in line in case of a pre-meeting cancellation at an upcoming meeting. (Of course you will be notified/asked by email.) You are not automatically assigned to the Reserve Speaker role at the following meeting, and you do not have any other obligations.
Example:
You are Reserve Speaker for meeting number 100. But all of the speakers show up and you do not get to speak.
If a member contacts the VPE and cancels their speech for meeting 101 with some notice, the VPE will immediately email you and offer that spot to you first (before the Reserve Speaker that is scheduled for meeting 101, if any).
If a speaker cancels at the last minute or simply fails to show up for meeting number 101, it will instead go to the scheduled Reserve Speaker for that meeting.
If no one cancels ahead of time for meeting 101, but someone cancels for meeting 102, the VPE will offer you that spot. (In other words, you stay at the top of the list.)
So:
- Last-minute cancellations always go to the Reserve Speaker.
- Pre-meeting cancellations (with some notice) are offered first to previous Reserve Speakers who did not get to speak.
- After the specific meeting for which you accept the Reserve Speaker role, your obligation ends.
Related topic: Instructions for speakers