Invocation & Pledge

Delivering the Invocation

The invocation is a prayer or inspirational thought delivered at the beginning of the meeting. It is followed by the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Because Toastmasters is a worldwide organization that includes people from many different religious groups, a non-sectarian approach is required, and the speaker should be sensitive to the diversity of cultures and religions in the audience.

If you are new to Toastmasters and you are nervous about the thought of speaking in front of people, you can use this role to build confidence while serving a small but essential function for the club.

Before the Meeting

Prepare a brief invocation, no more than one minute in length. In your invocation, do not refer to a particular religious philosophy; make your reference universal. Treat it as you would any other speech. Craft it carefully, memorize it and practice delivering it before the meeting. During a virtual meeting, if you have a picture or slide to share with everyone, it will definitely enhance the impact of the Invocation speech.

Prepare a picture of the US Flag to show during the Pledge of Allegiance. A copy of the US flag should be available in our Toastmasters Team Site (US_Flag). Download the file and be prepared to show it at the beginning of the Pledge of Allegiance. However, the Presiding Officer may already include the flag in his/her slide deck. So, you can contact the Presiding Officer to check and ask him/her to include that US Flag slide and bring it up for you during the meeting. Doing so will reduce time in having to share and un-share the file during the TEAMS meeting.

During the Meeting

When called upon by the Toastmaster Presiding Officer, deliver your invocation to the group. After the invocation, ask everyone to stand up (if the meeting is being held in person), face the flag and join you in the pledge. You can share a picture of the US Flag in TEAMS (or ask the Presiding Officer to share the US Flag slide if he/she has it in his/her slide deck). Begin the pledge and let everyone join you.

After the Pledge, transfer meeting control back to the Presiding Officer.

Invocations and Pledges

Invocations and pledges are popular ways to open club meetings with an inspirational message. They are usually one or two minutes in length, are delivered by a designated club member, and are entirely optional.

If your club chooses to open a meeting with an invocation or pledge, always take care to respect the diversity of club members and visitors.

The decision to open a club meeting with an invocation or pledge is made by majority vote at a club’s business meeting when a majority of active members is present. Club leaders are responsible for arranging and abiding by this vote.

Controversial Speech Topics

Members often hear “through the grapevine” that speeches concerning politics, religion and sex are forbidden by Toastmasters International because “such controversial subjects are not appropriate.”

This is not true. Toastmasters International does not prohibit any speech topic, content or language.

Toastmasters International recognizes that club members may learn much about the world around them from listening to others’ speeches on a variety of subjects. This variety can add interest to club meetings and stimulate thoughts and ideas. For these reasons, Toastmasters International does not place restrictions on topics, content or language in any speech.

Toastmasters International also recognizes that a club comprises a diverse group of people and recommends that members be mindful of this diversity, using good taste and sensitivity when selecting speech topics, content and language.

While Toastmasters International has no organizational restrictions along these lines, each individual club does have the right to limit speech subjects, content and/or language, with the consensus of its members. Club leaders should guide their members on how to observe good taste and sensitivity in the context of that particular club.

Club websites are useful vehicles clubs can use to advise members and guests of any policies that have been decided. Presenting information on a club website helps maintain consistency as leadership changes. Additionally, it allows transparency and clarity for club members so they can periodically review the established practices of their club.