The Ah Counter plays a vital role in helping members improve their communication skills. It’s common to receive feedback on aspects like language, content and delivery. However, filler words are something that the speaker uses involuntarily and most people overlook even though it reduces the effectiveness of the speech. Therefore, the Ah Counter plays a crucial role by throwing light on the same.
In an earlier blog, we discussed how to do the role of an Ah Counter. Find it here.
Here, we will take a deep dive to understand how to present the Ah Counter report effectively.
Here are the key points to keep in mind when presenting an Ah Counter’s report.
1) Just like other TAG roles, it is important to be crisp and quick when presenting your Ah counter report without compromising on the quality of feedback.
2) Spell out the name of the Toastmaster, the specific filler words used and the number of times they were used by them distinctly.
3) If a member uses a particular filler word too many times, don’t embarrass them by giving a count of the number of times it was used. Rather, just mention “TM Name you used umm several times. You may want to check that”
4) Ah counter is all about being a keen listener. So keep an ear out for specific trends in a particular member’s speech and let them know about it. For example “TM Name. I noticed that when you speak impromptu, you have a tendency to begin your sentences with Ah. Hence you used Ah 5 times apart from two You know.”
5) Pauses in a speech can be for dramatic purpose as well. Point out pauses only if the speaker actually paused mid speech to collect his thoughts or find suitable words.
6) For members who use no filler word, you may congratulate them separately towards the end with applause. For example “TM A, B and C you were flawless with zero filler words today. A big round of applause for them”
Here is an example of a sample report presentation from the Ah Counter.
Hello everyone. I am back with my report. Here are the filler words used in today’s meeting.
TM A used Ah twice and umm thrice.
TM B used Ah thrice
TM D used You Know several times and Ah once
TM E used Ah once and had a pause.
TM F I noticed you have a tendency to stitch together multiple sentences by using And repeatedly. As a result you used And four times and Ah once.
TM H used Ah once and basically once.
I am really happy to announce that TM C, G and I had zero filler words in their speeches today. A big round of applause for them.
That’s all from my side. Thank You
To check out script ideas to introduce your role as an Ah Counter, click here.
My Meeting Roles 