Speech Timer User’s Guide

Speech Timer iPhone Screen

The Timer tab shows the timer display along with the green, yellow, and red time markers. Above the numeric time display shows at what times the green, yellow, and red lights will turn on. Just below that display shows a progress bar which ranges from time zero up to after the time in which the red light turns on – at this time the lights will blink indicating that the speech have overtimed beyond the hard maximum speech time limit.

Setting Up The Timer

Speech type orator selection

Pressing the grey button displays speech setup screen.  The speech type is used to determine at what times the appropriate colored lights will turn on.  You can also enter the person who is making the speech (orator name).  While you type, Speech Timer will provide suggestions based on the names available in your address book – just tap on the suggested name to choose it.  When you have entered the orator name and choose a speech type, tap on Done.

Speech Timer comes with an initial set of speech types that may be modified and re-arranged, or even deleted. Changing a speech type’s timing will only change future time measurements based on that speech type – the currently running timer and timings recorded in the History tab does not change.

While the timer is running, the iPhone will vibrate (or will sound a short beep for iPod touch) when the timing lights change. This is to alert you as time progresses. The Green button will also changes from Start to Pause which allows you to suspend timekeeping temporarily.

Flagging the Speaker

If you hold your device straight up while the timer is running, the entire screen will turn to green/yellow/red as according to the timer lights. But when the time haven’t reached green, the screen will turn white instead. This is so that the iPhone may be used as both timer and color flag. The speech light changes and the corresponding flag modes are shown in the screenshots below.

Speech Timer Flags

Both the sound and the timer flag features may be turned off in the Settings application.

Speech Types

The Speech Types tab displays the various speech types available for selection. Each speech type determines at what times does the various lights turn on. Tapping on the Edit button in the upper-right allows adding, removing or editing entries in this list as well as re-arranging it.

3 5in Portrait Speech Types

 

There are five time marks that may be configured for each speech type. Each time mark represents increasing points in time in which a speech progresses:

  • Green – This indicates that the speech has passed the minimum time required.
  • Yellow – Indicates that the speaker should be completing his or her speech shortly.
  • Red – Indicates that the speaker should stop immediately.
  • Blink – Indicates that the speaker has seriously overtimed and should be pulled off the stage.
  • Stop – The timer will automatically stop when time reaches this point.

Timer’s Report

The History tab shows all speech timings grouped by day. The most recent day will be shown on top and within each group the speeches are ordered by starting time. Each history entry contains:

  • Starting time
  • Speech type name
  • Time elapsed
  • Green/Yellow/Red timing that was effective when that speech type was used.

This History tab is most useful for the Timer’s report in a Toastmasters chapter meeting session. You can simply read off the speech history and say “The first speech took xx minutes and xx seconds, the second speech took xx minutes and xx seconds, etc.”

3 5in Portrait Speech History 3

Furthermore you can send the speech history via e-mail as a human-readable HTML table or a computer-readable CSV text for further processing/editing by spreadsheet applications.

Tap the Trash button at the upper-left corner to remove all history entries.

Status Board

If you connect your device to a projector or television – either using a cable or wirelessly via AirPlay – you will see a status board on the big screen showing the current time, orator name, and speech type. You can use this display either for the presenter to keep an eye on or show it to the participants to let them know how the speech is progressing.

Speech timing full screen