Toastmasters timer
Run a speech timer the speaker can see. The timer keeps Host or Operator controls. Display stays read-only through Table Topics, prepared speeches, and evaluations.
Real club situations
A Toastmasters timer is not only a stopwatch. It is the signal between the timer, the speaker, and the room.
Paper cards work in a small room if the speaker looks over. They disappear on a hybrid camera. A phone timer stays in the timer's hand. A laptop app shared into Zoom often shows Host buttons the speaker should never touch.
Remaining-time cues
PresentationTimer colors are remaining-time states. Green is safe time. Yellow and Red are thresholds you set. Overtime begins at 0:00 and stays on screen.
Paper cards are elapsed-time signals: on a 5-7 minute speech, green is often shown at 5:00, yellow at 6:00, and red at 7:00. PresentationTimer changes color by time remaining. Set duration to the maximum, then set Yellow to the first cue the speaker must notice, usually the green-card moment.
Confirm times with your club. The examples below are common 1-2, 5-7, and 2-3 minute windows, not a substitute for club guidelines.
Keep sound on the timer's device. Use Display or Speaker view for the visual signal so a chime does not play through the meeting microphone.
Example remaining times
| Segment | Common club window | Timer duration | Yellow remaining | Red remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table Topics | 1-2 minutes | 2:00 | 1:00 remaining | 0:30 remaining |
| Prepared speech | 5-7 minutes | 7:00 | 2:00 remaining | 1:00 remaining |
| Evaluation | 2-3 minutes | 3:00 | 1:00 remaining | 0:30 remaining |
On a 7:00 prepared speech, Yellow at 2:00 remaining is the usual green-card moment, so the display turns yellow when clubs would raise green. Red at 1:00 remaining is the usual yellow-card moment. Overtime at 0:00 is the red card and the grace window. A new timer defaults to Yellow at 2:00 remaining and Red at 0:30 remaining; change those values to match the speech you are timing.
Why PresentationTimer
The speaker should not manage the clock while speaking.
The timer should not have to wave cards the camera cannot see, or share a laptop that also shows Start, Pause, and settings.
PresentationTimer splits those jobs: Host or Operator for control, Display or Speaker view for the signal.
Paper cards only work if the speaker looks at the timer. A read-only Display or Speaker view can sit on a lectern screen, projector, second laptop, or phone so the speaker follows remaining time without holding the clock.
Host and Operator start, pause, reset, and switch speeches. Display and Speaker views stay read-only, so a speaker never gets the Host link and never sees editing controls.
Set Yellow and Red remaining-time thresholds on each speech. When the timer reaches 0:00, overtime stays visible through the grace window instead of disappearing into a blank stopwatch.
How it works
Create the room, set the three speeches, share a read-only display, and start each speaker from Host or Operator.
Leave Linked Start off unless the next item should start by itself when the previous timer hits 0:00.
Open PresentationTimer and create a free room. Keep the Host link with the timer. Operator View can run live start, pause, and switch from a phone or tablet.
A Free room holds three timers. Set each duration to the maximum time for that segment, then set Yellow and Red remaining times to the points your club uses for wrap-up and the final stretch.
Put Display or Speaker view on the lectern, projector, or the speaker's phone. In an online meeting, share only that read-only view. Do not screen-share Host.
The timer starts the next speaker. Use Linked Start only when the next item should start automatically at 0:00. Leave it off when the next speaker still needs a manual cue.
Agenda in one room
A Free room holds three timers. That matches a typical club block: Table Topics, one prepared speech, and evaluation.
Start the next speech yourself. Linked Start is for a handoff that should run automatically, not for a whole meeting where each speaker still needs a cue from the timer or Toastmaster.
Need a wider speaking workflow outside a club meeting? Use the speech timer page.
Role views
The timer needs controls. The speaker needs a cue. The room needs a readable clock. Those are different links from the same room.
Creates the room, sets durations and remaining-time cues, and keeps the Host link private. This is the workspace for editing the agenda.
Starts, pauses, resets, and switches the live speech from a phone or tablet without opening Host's full workspace.
Sees the current speech, remaining time, color state, and the next segment on a personal read-only view. There are no start or edit controls.
Shows a clean countdown on a lectern, projector, second laptop, or meeting screen share. The audience can see time without seeing Host controls.
Comparison
Paper cards
Clear in a small room if the speaker looks at the timer. Easy to miss on camera, in a hybrid meeting, or when the speaker faces the audience.
Phone stopwatch
Private to the timer. The speaker cannot see remaining time, and overtime disappears the moment the timer stops the clock.
Local timer app
Useful on one laptop, but it usually mixes controls and display. Screen-sharing that window shows buttons the speaker should never touch.
PresentationTimer
A speech timer with private Host or Operator control, a read-only speaker display, remaining-time color cues, visible overtime, and three agenda timers in one room.
Ready to time a club speech?
Set Table Topics, a prepared speech, and evaluation. Open Display where the speaker can see it. Start each speech from Host or Operator.
Overtime stays visible through the grace window, so the timer report is not a guess.
FAQ
Yes. Open Display on a lectern screen, projector, second laptop, or meeting screen share, or send Speaker view to the speaker's phone. Those views are read-only. Keep the Host link with the timer.
PresentationTimer uses remaining-time states, not paper cards. On a 5-7 minute speech, clubs often raise green at 5:00 elapsed, yellow at 6:00, and red at 7:00. Set duration to 7:00, Yellow to 2:00 remaining for the green-card moment, and Red to 1:00 remaining for the yellow-card moment. Overtime at 0:00 is the red card and the grace window.
Yes. A Free room can hold three timers, which is enough for Table Topics, one prepared speech, and evaluation. Start the next speech from Host or Operator. Do not turn on Linked Start for the whole meeting unless the next item should start automatically at 0:00.
No. Host can start, pause, edit, and change the room. Speakers should open Display or Speaker view only. Operator View is for the timer on a phone or tablet, not for the speaker.
Share the Display link in the meeting window, or ask the speaker to open Speaker view on a second device. Do not share the Host window. Keep sound cues on the timer's device so a chime does not blast through the meeting microphone.
Yes. After 0:00 the timer keeps running in overtime instead of going blank. The timer can still see how far past the limit the speech ran when writing the timer report. Confirm grace rules with your club.
Not if you share Display. Display shows the active countdown, warning colors, and optional message. Host controls, settings, and editing stay on the timer's private page.
Yes. You can create a free speech timer room in the browser. Free rooms include three timers and five connected devices, which is enough for a timer plus Display, Speaker, and Operator views.
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