How Toastmasters works

At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. A typical Toastmasters club is made up of about 20 people who meet once a month. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice:

• Conducting meetings. Members learn how to plan and conduct meetings.
• Giving impromptu speeches. Members present one- to two-minute impromptu speeches on assigned topics.
• Presenting prepared speeches. Three or more members present speeches based on projects from manuals in Toastmasters’ proven communication and  leadership program. Projects cover topics such as speech organisation, vocal variety, language, gestures and persuasion.
• Offering constructive evaluation. Every prepared speaker is assigned an evaluator who points out speech strengths and offers suggestions for improvement.

Step one: Competent Communication

Find out about the Competent Communication programme here – your first step towards delivering kickass presentations.

The tools you use

Upon joining a Toastmasters club, each new member receives a variety of manuals and resources on how to become a better speaker and a more confident leader. Members also have access to other books and educational resources. They also receive the award-winning The Toastmaster, a monthly magazine that offers the latest insights on speaking and leadership techniques.

Toastmasters and leadership

Leadership cannot be learned in a day. It takes practice. In Toastmasters, members learn leadership skills by organizing and conducting meetings and by completing projects in the leadership manuals. Projects address such skills as listening, planning, motivation and team building and give members the opportunity to practice them. Just as Toastmasters members learn to speak by speaking, they learn leadership by leading.

Company benefits

A company’s success depends on communication. Employees face an endless exchange of ideas, messages and information as they deal with one another and with customers day after day. How well they connect and share their ideas with customers, clients and co-workers can determine whether a company grows into an industry leader or joins thousands of other businesses mired in mediocrity. Toastmasters provides the tools that enable employees to become effective presenters and leaders – all at a very low cost. Toastmasters training helps employees:

• give better sales presentations
• hone their management skills
• work better with fellow employees
• effectively develop and present ideas
• offer constructive criticism
• accept criticism more objectively

Toastmasters produces results. Around the world more than four million men and women of all ages and occupations have benefited from Toastmasters training. Thousands of corporations, community groups, universities, associations and government agencies now use Toastmasters training.

Community benefits

Toastmasters has helped many members in their community-service activities. Using the skills developed in Toastmasters, people have become more active in business, churches, service and charity organizations. Toastmasters are able to organize activities, conduct meetings and speak in public as their organization’s representative. Some even become active in local, state or national government.

Becoming a member

Membership is for individuals age 18 or older. The organization now has nearly 220,000 members in 90 countries.
They come from a variety of occupations and backgrounds. Come and visit our club and see how the programme can help you.

Whether you’re a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retiree, Toastmasters is the best way to improve your communication skills. Toastmasters can help you lose the fear of public speaking and learn skills that will help you be more successful in whatever path in life you’ve chosen. You’ll be a better listener. You’ll easily lead teams and conduct meetings. You’ll comfortably give and receive constructive evaluation. If you already have some or all of these skills, you will enhance them in Toastmasters!