Toastmasters International

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. 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.

In 1999, Toastmasters International (TI) had 170,000 members spanning 68 countries. By 2016, TI had 16,000 clubs worldwide.

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.

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. 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, and as of 2023, translations are available in 10 languages. Speechcraft is a 4- to 8-week program with materials hosted online and is conducted by experienced Toastmasters members for non-members. To develop leadership skills, members lead at the club, area, or district levels, focus on content development, and participate in speech contests.

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.