Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping people develop communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.
History
The organization grew out of a single club founded by Ralph C. Smedley on October 22, 1924, at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, United States. It originated as a set of classes with the aim of improving the communication skills of the young men under his charge. Toastmasters International was incorporated under Californian law on December 19, 1932.
The first international chapter was established in Vancouver, Canada, in 1932. The organization began admitting women in 1973.
Throughout its history, Toastmasters has served over four million people, and today the organization serves over 364,000 members in 145 countries, through its 16,200 member clubs. Toastmasters membership increased rapidly around the turn of the century, nearing 16,000 clubs worldwide by 2016.
Toastmasters club structure
Toastmasters International uses a local club-based structure, with an average club size of around 22 members. Meetings are held every week or every other week and usually in the evening, although some clubs meet in the morning or afternoon. Each club operates as a separate entity with a set of requirements leading to chartered status for them to be recognised as official Toastmasters clubs. The chartered status allows clubs to use the names, promotional material and program of Toastmasters International.
Every meeting is based on a set of organized speeches. Speakers are given feedback, often by a more experienced member, who then gives an impromptu speech with constructive feedback based on their performance.
Part of the meetings is devoted to Table Topics, which are impromptu speeches that are assigned on the spot by a Topicsmaster. The goal of this is to think on one's feet with minimal preparation. In some clubs, attendees are then asked to vote on whom they thought gave the best speech.
Toastmasters International places a large emphasis on building the public speaking and leadership skills of its members. The current education system consists of eleven differing paths suited to their needs and requirements, based around Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Management, Strategic Leadership, and Confidence. Each path consists of 14 projects. Content consists of online and print materials, it being the first time in the organization’s history to provide modern technology in its programme. Content is available in English.
Public speaking championship
Toastmasters runs an international public speaking championship formally known as the Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking, which is held annually at its International Convention in August. It started in 1938 and involves over 33,000 participants in 141 countries, making it the world's largest oratory contest. There is a six-month process of elimination to reach the semifinals; in 2018, there were 106 participants who made it that far. There are ten places in the final, and speeches are judged on content, gestures, organization, and style.
See also
Association of Speakers Clubs
Communications training
Dale Carnegie
List of recreational organizations
Public speaking
Tim Allen
Everett Alvarez Jr. Bill Bennett Robert Blakeley James Brady Nancy Brinker Susan Cain Joe Conley Pete Coors Ben Couch Philip B. Crosby Carl Dixon Mark Eaton Debbi Fields Steve Fraser Arthur Gorrie James Patrick Hickey Napoleon Hill Tara Dawn Holland K. C. Jones Billie Jean King Richard Lamm David Lin Linda Lingle Jim Lovell Harvey Mackay Leona Marlin-Romeo Chris Matthews Terrence McCann Robert D. McTeer Robert D. Nesen Todd Newton Leonard Nimoy Sam Nunn Ayan Pal Anita Perez Ferguson Tom Peters Geoff Regan Pat Roberts Wally Schirra Bikram Singh (general) Ralph C. Smedley Tom Tait John V. Tunney Manoj Vasudevan King Vidor Tracy Wilson Laura Yeager John Young (astronaut)
References
Further reading
External links
A full Toastmaster meeting (at Toastmasters' YouTube channel)