Toastmasters “Ah” Counter

The purpose of the ah counter is to note words and sounds used as a “crutch” or “pause filler” by anyone who speaks during the meeting.

Examples are:

1. Words may be inappropriate interjections such as “and, well, but, so, you know.”

2. Sounds may be “ah, um, er.”

3. Repetitive word or phrase such as “I,I” or “This means, this means.” Or “you
know, you know”.

4. “Pause fillers” such as lip-smacking. Note: pauses in between sentences are not considered as “pause fillers”. It is up to the individual speakers to use “pauses” effectively in their speech.

PRIOR TO THE MEETING

Prepare a brief explanation of the duties of the ah counter for the benefit of guests.

UPON ARRIVAL AT THE MEETING

Get a pen and blank piece of paper on which to make notes, or get a blank copy of the
ah counter’s log from the Sergeant at Arms.

DURING THE MEETING

When introduced by the Toastmaster of the Evening, stand up and briefly explain the role of the ah counter. Throughout the meeting, listen to everyone for “crutch” sounds and long (use your  discretion, some pauses are appropriate for dramatic effect, while some are obvious fillers where the speaker is simply buying time) pauses used as fillers and not as a necessary part of sentence structure.

Write down how many crutch sounds or words each person used during all portions of the meeting. When called on by the general evaluator during the evaluation segment, stand by your chair and give your report.

AFTER THE MEETING

Tally the levies for each speaker that you have noted, and collect the fines from them. Give your completed report & the fines collected to the Treasurer for record.

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