Toastmasters International#Distinguished Toastmaster

{{short description|Nonprofit organization promoting communication, public speaking and leadership}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Toastmasters International

| nickname =

| logo = Toastmasters 2011.png

| logo_size = 150px

| logo_alt = Toastmasters logo

| logo_caption =

| abbreviation = TI, TM

| formation = {{start date and age|1924|10|22}}

| type = INGO

| tax_id = 95-1300076{{Cite web |url=https://secure.toastmasters.org/neon/resource/toastmasters/files/Contributor%20Form%20-%20Standard.pdf |title=Ralph C. Smedley Memorial Fund contribution form |publisher=Toastmasters International |access-date=April 9, 2019}}

| status = Non-profit organization

| purpose = Educational

| headquarters = {{mf-adr|street=9127 South Jamaica Street|city=Meridian|region=Colorado|nation=US}}

| coords =

| region = Worldwide

| membership = 364,000{{Cite web |url=https://www.toastmasters.org/about/all-about-toastmasters |title=All About Toastmasters |publisher=Toastmasters International |access-date=March 9, 2019}}

| membership_year = 2020

| language =

| owner =

| sec_gen =

| leader_title = International President

| leader_name = Radhi Spear

| affiliations =

| budget =

| budget_year =

| revenue = $34,255,739{{Cite web |url=https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/951300076_201612_990_2018010915102275.pdf |title=Form 990 of Toastmasters International, Inc. for Fiscal Year 2016 |publisher=Internal Revenue Service |access-date=March 9, 2019}}

| revenue_year = 2016

| staff = 198

| staff_year = 2016

| volunteers = 117,789

| volunteers_year = 2016

| website = {{URL|https://www.toastmasters.org|toastmasters.org}}

| footnotes =

}}

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

On 24 March 1905, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, a 1903 graduate from Illinois Wesleyan University, who was also the educational director for Bloomington YMCA in Illinois, started a club in a dinner meeting, to train young boys and men in speech, to face an audience, and to express their thoughts. He envisioned it as a weekly social club, with training programs for short speeches, debates, and work in chairmanship. The members took turn to speak in 5 to 6 minutes while the elder men served as speech evaluators. George Sutton, General Secretary of YMCA, named the club "a Toastmasters Club". Smedley later noticed a significant improvement in his members' speeches and leadership abilities. When YMCA transferred Smedley to another city named Freeport in Illinois, he decided to expand his club to the new city.

The organization grew out of a single club founded by 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.{{Cite news |last=Synge |first=Daniel |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-to-speak-in-public-1600759.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-to-speak-in-public-1600759.html |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=How to speak in public |date=September 12, 1995 |work=The Independent |access-date=June 14, 2018 |location=London}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-29-mn-56025-story.html |title=Smedley: A Quiet Man With Lots to Say About Speech |last=Hamashige |first=Hope |date=29 October 1994 |website=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125012532/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-29-mn-56025-story.html |archive-date=25 November 2019 |access-date=25 November 2019}} Toastmasters International was incorporated under Californian law on December 19, 1932.{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Majorie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45 |title=Out of the Past: Toasting the Toastmasters |date=November 1990 |work=Orange Coast |access-date=June 12, 2018 |issue=November 1990 |pages=45–46 |format=Digitised magazine |via=Google Books}}

The first international chapter was established in Vancouver, Canada, in 1932. The organization began admitting women in 1973.{{Cite news |last=Laviola |first=Karen |title=A toast to Toastmasters' 65 years |date=October 24, 1989 |work=Orange County Register}}

In 1999, Toastmasters International (TI) had 170,000 members spanning 68 countries.{{Cite thesis |last=Levine Bremen |first=Ellen Beth |title="Welcome, fellow toastmasters": The history and membership of a public speaking phenomenon |date=1999-01-01 |degree=Masters of Arts Degree |publisher=University of Nevada, Las Vegas |url=https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds/1107 |doi=10.25669/f0y4-w1ku}} By 2016, TI had 16,000 clubs worldwide.{{Cite news |last=Blake |first=John |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/14/us/toastmasters-champions/index.html |title=Stop texting and start speaking: The Olympians of storytelling show you how |date=October 14, 2016 |access-date=June 12, 2018 |publisher=CNN}}

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.{{Cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17 |title=Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking... |date=April 1970 |work=Changing Times (The Kiplinger Magazine) |access-date=June 14, 2018 |publisher=The Kiplinger Washington Editors |pages=17–18}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Dewey |first=Larry |url=https://archive.org/download/mpnewsjan1966mont/mpnewsjan1966mont.pdf |title=Score Yourself as a Public Speaker |date=January 1966 |work=Montana Prison News |access-date=June 23, 2018 |volume=VII|issue=1 |pages=51–52 |language=en}}

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.{{Cite news|last=Delacruz|first=Bernard (PhD)|date=June 2016|title=My Road to Toastmasters|language=en|volume=6|pages=96–97|work=Postscripts|agency=American Medical Writers Association – Pacific Southwest Chapter|issue=44|url=https://archive.org/details/v6n44|access-date=June 22, 2018}}

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 who they thought gave the best speech.

Education programs

Toastmasters International places a large emphasis on building the public speaking and leadership skills of its members. The current education system Pathways 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.{{cite news |title=Toastmasters modernizes its education program with Pathways |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/news-and-pr/1490338/toastmasters-modernizes-its-education-program-with-pathways |website=Bangkok Post |access-date=June 22, 2018 |language=en |date=June 22, 2018}} Content consists of online and print materials, it being the first time in the organization’s history to provide modern technology in its programme.{{cite web |last1=Majumdar |first1=Meghna |title=Pathways: Toastmasters' programme goes online |url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/pathways-toastmasters-programme-goes-online/article22946336.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=June 22, 2018 |language=en-IN |date=March 6, 2018}} Content is available in English,{{cite web |last1=Bauldry |first1=Jess |title=Public speaking in Luxembourgish |url=http://delano.lu/d/detail/news/public-speaking-luxembourgish/180550 |website=Delano – Luxembourg in English |access-date=June 22, 2018 |location=Luxembourg |language=en |date=May 31, 2018}} and as of 2023, translations are available in 10 languages.{{Cite web |title=Toastmasters International -Translated Options |url=https://www.toastmasters.org/Education/Pathways/Translated%20Options |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.toastmasters.org |language=en}} Speechcraft is a 4- to 8-week program with materials hosted online and is conducted by experienced Toastmasters members for non-members.{{Cite web |title=Toastmasters International -Speechcraft |url=https://www.toastmasters.org/education/speechcraft |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.toastmasters.org |language=en}} To develop leadership skills, members lead at the club, area, or district levels, focus on content development, and participate in speech contests.{{Cite book |last1=Sha |first1=Mandy |url=https://www.amazon.com/CAN-YOU-TOO-Inspirations-award-winning/dp/B0C522W4Z5 |title=If we can do it, you can, too! Inspirations from award-winning speakers & leaders |last2=Lee |first2=Cassandra |year=2023 |isbn=9798379235413 |pages=|publisher=Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp }}

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.{{Cite news |last=Mooney |first=Harrison |title=Vancouver lends an ear to world's best speakers; Toastmasters holds 86th convention, crowns new international champion |date=August 28, 2017 |work=The Vancouver Sun}}{{Cite news |last=Nasir |first=Noorain |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/dananjaya-hettiarachchi-speaks-on/article6535348.ece |title=Winning with Words |date=October 26, 2014 |work=The Hindu |access-date=June 11, 2018}}{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Dave |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/03/20/sometimes-you-can-be-a-successful-flop/ |title=Sometimes you can be a successful flop |date=March 20, 2002 |work=Chicago Tribune}}{{Cite news |last=Basheda |first=Lori |title=Stand and deliver Speaking Toastmasters select their world champion, whose theme is failure's value. Series |date=August 26, 2001 |work=Orange County Register}} It started in 1938 and involves over 33,000 participants in 141 countries, making it the world's largest oratory contest.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/news-and-pr/1477097/resident-of-france-is-semifinalist-in-the-worlds-largest-speech-contest |title=Resident of France is semifinalist in the world's largest speech contest |date=June 1, 2018 |website=Bangkok Post |language=en |access-date=June 22, 2018}} 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.