Sub-item loops (speaker rounds)
Some agenda items aren’t a single timed block — they’re a round: several prepared speeches in a row, a series of Table Topics answers, one evaluation per speaker. In OpenSpeak, any item can host such a round via its sub-item loop.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”Give the item a sub-item label (say, Speaker) and the sub-item’s own min / expected / max times. During the meeting:
- The item’s own slot runs first, on the item’s own thresholds — for example, the Toastmaster’s introduction to the “Prepared speeches” section.
- Then the controller starts Speaker 1. When they finish, Speaker 2, and so on — each round is a fresh timer with the sub-item’s thresholds, its own colors, its own max-time beep, and its own row in the report.
- The round is open-ended: OpenSpeak never decides the round is over. When the last speaker is done, the controller taps Finish agenda item to close the loop and move on to the next agenda item.
If the agenda has participants, the control screen shows a dropdown during each round so you can record who Speaker 2 actually was — the name lands in the report next to their actual time.
Setting it up
Section titled “Setting it up”In the item’s edit dialog, fill in the Sub-item section:
- Label — what one slot is called: “Speaker”, “Participant”, “Evaluator”… (defaults to “Sub-item” if left blank).
- Min / Expected / Max — the per-slot time limits.
The loop is active only when the sub-item’s Expected time is set. Clearing that Expected time turns the loop off and wipes its label, min, and max.
Example: a Toastmasters meeting
Section titled “Example: a Toastmasters meeting”The built-in Toastmasters template uses sub-item loops for exactly the sections you’d expect:
| Item (own time) | Sub-item loop (per-slot time) |
|---|---|
| Helpers introductions (3/4/5) | Helper — 1 / 1.5 / 2 min each |
| Prepared speeches (2/3/4 intro) | Speaker — 5 / 6 / 7 min each |
| Table Topics (3/5/7 intro) | Participant — 1 / 1.5 / 2 min each |
| Speech evaluations (1/2/3 intro) | Evaluator — 2 / 2.5 / 3 min each |
One planning caveat
Section titled “One planning caveat”Because a round can have any number of slots, the planned schedule on the display screen counts only the item’s own expected time — it can’t know how many speakers will show up. Expect the real schedule to drift once a big round starts; the display always shows the next item’s planned start so the room can see the drift.