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Where are meeting timing lights and signal lights useful?
- Toastmasters speech and public communication meetings
- Toastmasters contests at every level: club, area, division, and district
- High school, college, and university speech classes
- High school, college, and university speech competitions
- Nonprofit meetings
- City council meetings
- County public hearings
- Corporate and foundation board meetings
- Organization meetings
- Business conferences
- Training seminars
- Debates and discussions
- Classroom projects and tests
- …and many more.
Education
The use of timing or signal lights in speech training schools and Toastmasters meetings helps the trainee balance his or her speeches with a good opening, body, and conclusion in a timely fashion. The trainee learns to respect the speaking schedule and set time limits. Respect of the agenda and the audience becomes ingrained as a matter of life function.
In most training instances, time limits are secondary to the delivery of speeches and are not usually enforced. The trainees will be coached to work within the time limits as they develop their public speaking skills.
However, during contests, every speaker is subject to a disqualification for extending his or her speech past the allotted time. Imagine working on a speech, winning a series of contests and progressing to a higher level of competition just to be disqualified by speaking too long and losing the championship honor by talking too much.
The Long-Winded Speaker
Often, long-winded people try to monopolize public hearing for their own cause. Some persons purposely bully other speakers by taking over their portion of the meeting’s agenda with long winded speeches by rudely ignoring time constraints. The proper use of a meeting timing light or signal light (see instructions below) will help keep such people in line and keep the meeting friendly and on schedule.
Volunteers who give their precious time often attend organization meetings. By keeping time limits on speeches and discussions event organizers honor these people and make the experience more fruitful and rewarding. Meeting timing lights can be a valuable key to organizational success.
Debates
Sometimes public debates are necessary, especially in political and public policy settings. A meeting timing or signal light is a useful to keep the meeting moving forward while being fair to all participants.
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Classroom Usage
Educators can consider using timing lights in classrooms. This will help students with their work and exams. The students will be better equipped for the demands of adult life by being respectful of time schedules, agendas, and other participants.
What good is a speech timing light or signal light if the speaker ignores the “times up” light?
To ignore the time limit set for a speech or discussion is rude and should not be tolerated. Other speakers want time limits respected. The audience wants the speech process to move right along. Therefore, enforcement can be easily handled by following these two simple rules:
- Before anyone begins speaking, announce to the speakers and the audience that time limits will be strictly observed; and tell them that the time keeper will begin clapping at the end of the allotted time. The audience should be invited to join in the applause.
- When the red light comes on, clap those hands and enforce the rule. It works!
Summary
Our society operates with a tight, heavily-loaded schedule. It is important to for us to schedule events and to keep to the schedule. When a speaker takes up too much time, he will inconvenience the others attending. It will become necessary to either lengthen the meeting time or to bump another speaker already scheduled. Both are not desirable. Every speaker needs to be kept to his or her allotted time in order to keep the meeting on track with the meeting’s agenda. The meeting timing or signal lights help accomplish this enforcement.
Decision to Buy
These timing lights are hand assembled with many parts custom cut, soldered, glued, and drilled. The price is modest especially since the manufacturer has great confidence in the quality of the timing lights and guarantees them for three years. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I want fatigue free time sequencing indicators?
- Do I want compact size?
- Do I want cordless, safe operation?
- Am I willing to spend a modest amount of funds for a device that will serve my needs?
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If so, click
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to purchase a timing light.
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