About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that
operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members overcome the fear
speaking in public by improving communication and leadership
skills.
The organization grew out of a single
club started by Ralph C. Smedley in 1924. Smedley
Club Number 1, which would become the first Toastmasters club, was founded on October 22
of that year at the YMCA in
Santa Ana, California, United States.
In 2006, there were more than 215,000 members and over 11,000 clubs located
across the United States and 90 other countries.
Toastmasters produces results. Around the
world more than three million men and women of all ages and occupations have
benefited from Toastmasters training, and more than one thousand corporations,
community groups, universities, associations, and government agencies now use
Toastmasters training.
Toastmasters training can help you to:
·
Develop better speaking and presentation skills
·
Learn to think quickly and clearly on your feet
·
Build strong leadership abilities
Much like
learning to ride a bike…
Think of Toastmaster
as training wheels on a podium – Toastmasters provides a safe place to practice
speaking skills until you are ready to ride solo.
The
Toastmasters program can help you to develop your communication skills and open
doors in your personal and professional life. Instead of laboring in an
academic setting, or spending thousands on costly seminars, you learn in a
self-paced atmosphere of understanding and helpful fellowship.