WHAT IS TOASTMASTERS?
Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization that teaches communication and leadership skills through an international network of clubs. There are currently over 280,000 members and over 14,700 clubs in 144 countries.
Clubs come in all shapes and sizes from community-run to corporate sponsored. Most clubs have about 20 members and meet once per week for an hour. Over half of Fortune 500 companies sponsor Toastmasters clubs to help their employees build soft skills.
Toastmasters members choose a "Pathway" or curriculum such as Leadership Development. The curriculum provides speech and project prompts to help the member practice relevant skills during club meetings. Members also have the opportunity to gain leadership experience by serving as a club officer.
To learn more visit https://www.toastmasters.org/
Clubs come in all shapes and sizes from community-run to corporate sponsored. Most clubs have about 20 members and meet once per week for an hour. Over half of Fortune 500 companies sponsor Toastmasters clubs to help their employees build soft skills.
Toastmasters members choose a "Pathway" or curriculum such as Leadership Development. The curriculum provides speech and project prompts to help the member practice relevant skills during club meetings. Members also have the opportunity to gain leadership experience by serving as a club officer.
To learn more visit https://www.toastmasters.org/
WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Being open to the public, guests and new members are always welcome to join our club meetings.
Feel free to arrive early so you can settle in or ask questions. No worries if you are running a little late, we try to start on time but sometimes attendees get stuck in bad weather or traffic.
Each meeting follows a similar format, and has roles such as Toastmaster, Speaker and Evaluator. At the beginning of the meeting, the Toastmaster will ask everyone to introduce themselves. Next we'll hear 1-2 prepared speeches. Then we'll explain how Table Topics works and ask guests if they'd like to participate. After the Table Topics part of the meeting, someone will evaluate the speaker(s) and the meeting. And at the end of the meeting we'll ask guests what they thought.
For more information on what to expect, see our "Your First Meeting" page.
Feel free to arrive early so you can settle in or ask questions. No worries if you are running a little late, we try to start on time but sometimes attendees get stuck in bad weather or traffic.
Each meeting follows a similar format, and has roles such as Toastmaster, Speaker and Evaluator. At the beginning of the meeting, the Toastmaster will ask everyone to introduce themselves. Next we'll hear 1-2 prepared speeches. Then we'll explain how Table Topics works and ask guests if they'd like to participate. After the Table Topics part of the meeting, someone will evaluate the speaker(s) and the meeting. And at the end of the meeting we'll ask guests what they thought.
For more information on what to expect, see our "Your First Meeting" page.
WHAT IS PATHWAYS?
When you join Toastmasters, you choose a "Pathway" that fits with your goals. There are 11 Pathways to choose from, some examples are Leadership Development, Persuasive Influence, or Visionary Communication.
Your Pathway provides a curriculum of speech and project prompts, for example "Understanding Your Communication Style" or "Understanding Your Leadership Style," to help you practice relevant skills during club meetings. Each Pathway is self-paced and has up to 5 levels you can complete.
For a list of all the Pathways and the projects they contain, see our Pathways page.
Your Pathway provides a curriculum of speech and project prompts, for example "Understanding Your Communication Style" or "Understanding Your Leadership Style," to help you practice relevant skills during club meetings. Each Pathway is self-paced and has up to 5 levels you can complete.
For a list of all the Pathways and the projects they contain, see our Pathways page.
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?
If you would like to start taking meeting roles and giving speeches, become a member!
Follow these steps:
Visit our "Becoming a Member" page for more detailed information.
Follow these steps:
- Come to a meeting
- Speak to our VP of Membership
- Fill out an Application
- Pay Membership Dues ($20 new member fee + $200 per year, pro-rated based on the date you join)
- Choose a Pathway!
Visit our "Becoming a Member" page for more detailed information.
How much does it cost?
To become a member, there is a new member fee of $20 and annual dues of $200. The new member fee and a portion of the annual dues go to Toastmasters Intl. for access to their Pathways online portal and certificates of completion. The rest goes towards renting the YMCA boardroom for our weekly meetings. Our goal is to keep membership dues as low as possible. Many companies offer reimbursement and we are happy to provide an invoice!
When you join we ask for the new member fee and pro-rated dues based on the date you join. After that, annual dues are split into two payments of $100 which are collected in March and September.
Attending as a guest is always free! We encourage you to visit a few times before deciding if you want to become a member. We also encourage visiting a few clubs to find the best fit!
When you join we ask for the new member fee and pro-rated dues based on the date you join. After that, annual dues are split into two payments of $100 which are collected in March and September.
Attending as a guest is always free! We encourage you to visit a few times before deciding if you want to become a member. We also encourage visiting a few clubs to find the best fit!
WHY JOIN TOASTMASTERS?
More than half of Fortune 500 companies offer in-house Toastmasters clubs to help build their employees' communication, leadership, and public speaking skills. Toastmasters is particularly popular among technology companies including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle. Bank of America, FedEx, General Electric, and JPMorgan Chase are among other industry leaders using the Toastmasters International program to develop and enhance employees' soft skills (article).
94% of Alumni responded that Toastmasters helped improve their public speaking skills (2022 Alumni Survey).
94% of Alumni responded that Toastmasters helped improve their public speaking skills (2022 Alumni Survey).
