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Requesting a Speaking Spot

Ask to give a speech on a specific upcoming meeting date instead of waiting for the normal rotation to reach you.

Before You Begin

  • Your club must have turned on Speaking Requests. If you don't see Request a Speaking Spot in your menu, your club hasn't enabled it.
  • Speaking Requests are only available in clubs that use Algorithm Mode for scheduling. Clubs using Volunteer Signup Mode don't have this feature (see Volunteering for Meeting Roles instead).
  • You can have only one open request at a time.

How It Works

  1. You pick a meeting date that isn't on a schedule yet and send a request.
  2. Your VP Education (or another officer your VP Education has authorized) approves or declines it.
  3. When the schedule covering that date is created, approved requesters are placed in a Speaker slot before the rest of the schedule is filled.
  4. Once the schedule is published, your request is marked Scheduled.

Approval doesn't put you on a schedule by itself. You're placed only when the schedule for your date is created, and only if you're still eligible to speak that day (see Why a Request Gets Cancelled).

Step 1: Open the Request Page

Use either of these:

  • In the main menu, click Request a Speaking Spot (just below My Absences).
  • On a schedule page, click Want to speak on a later date? Request a speaking spot.

Step 2: Choose a Date and Send the Request

  1. Under Choose a date, select a meeting date. Each date shows how many request spots are open, for example "1 of 1 open." A date marked full can't be selected.
  2. Optionally, add a Note for the VP Education (up to 200 characters), for example the Pathways project you plan to give.
  3. Click Send request.

You'll see "Your speaking request was sent to the VP Education." The request now appears under Your current request with a Pending badge.

Which dates are offered

Only dates that meet all of these appear in the list:

  • The date is after today and within the number of weeks ahead your club allows.
  • It's a date your club's next schedule would create a meeting on.
  • It isn't already part of a draft or published schedule. Once a schedule covering a date exists, that date can no longer be requested.
  • It isn't a holiday.

If the list is empty, you'll see "No dates are open for requests right now." Check back after the next schedule is created.

Step 3: Wait for a Decision

You get an email when your request is approved, declined, or cancelled.

  • Approved: The badge on Your current request changes to Approved. You'll be placed as a speaker when the schedule for that date is created.
  • Declined: The request moves to Past requests. If the officer gave a reason, it appears in the email and in the Details column.

An officer can also revoke an approval later. A revoked request shows as Declined, with the reason if one was given.

Step 4: Confirm Your Speaker Assignment

When the schedule is created and you're placed, you get a Speaker assignment just like any other role. After the schedule is published, you receive the normal schedule notification and confirm or decline the assignment as usual (see Managing Your Role Assignments). You don't get a separate email about the placement.

At publish, your request changes to Scheduled and moves to Past requests. You can then request another date.

Cancelling Your Request

While your request is Pending or Approved:

  1. Open Request a Speaking Spot.
  2. Under Your current request, click Cancel request.

You can't change the date of an open request. To pick a different date, cancel it and send a new one.

Why a Request Gets Cancelled

The system cancels a request when it can't be honoured, and emails you the reason along with a link to request again. The reason also appears in the Details column under Past requests:

Reason shown What it means
The schedule was created before this request was approved The schedule for your date was created while your request was still pending.
Already assigned another role that day You already hold a different role at that meeting.
Marked absent that day You have an absence covering that date.
Membership ends before that date Your membership expires before the meeting.
Not permitted to take the Speaker role You're opted out of the Speaker role.
Speaker prerequisites not met Your club requires other roles to be completed before speaking.
Too close to another major role You hold another major role too close to that date.
Speaker role restricted Your club restricts who can take the Speaker role.
That date became a holiday The club marked that date as a holiday.
That meeting is a Special Event The meeting on that date became a Special Event.
No meeting was scheduled on that date The schedule didn't include a meeting on that date.
No speaker slot was available Every Speaker slot at that meeting was already taken.
Removed from the schedule before it was published An officer took you off the draft schedule before publishing.
The date has passed The date went by before you could be placed.
The club turned off speaking requests The club turned the feature off, or switched to Volunteer Signup Mode.
Member is no longer active Your membership is no longer active.
Could not be placed Something unexpected prevented placement. Ask your VP Education.

Tips

  • Request early. A request still pending when its schedule is created is cancelled, so give your VP Education time to decide.
  • Before requesting, check that you aren't marked absent on that date and don't already hold a major role close to it.
  • Use the note to tell your VP Education which speech or project you plan to give.

Troubleshooting

I don't see "Request a Speaking Spot" in my menu Your club hasn't turned on Speaking Requests, or it uses Volunteer Signup Mode. Ask your VP Education.

The date I want isn't in the list It's already on a draft or published schedule, it's a holiday, it's further ahead than your club allows, or it isn't a regular meeting date. Pick another date, or ask your VP Education about that meeting directly.

I see "You already have an open speaking request." You can only have one open request. Cancel your current one first if you want a different date.

I see "That date has no open request spots." The officers approved enough requests for that date to fill it while you were choosing. Pick a different date.

My request was approved, but I'm not on the schedule The schedule for that date hasn't been created yet. If it has been created, check Past requests for a cancellation reason.