Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. Our organization has more than 332,000 memberships. Members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 15,400 clubs in 135 countries that make up our global network of meeting locations.
Every Toastmasters journey begins with a single speech. During their journey, they learn to tell their stories. They listen and answer. They plan and lead. They give feedback—and accept it. Through our community of learners, they find their path to leadership.
I have only been in Toastmasters a short time (in fact, I just officially paid my dues). I like the fact that people from different backgrounds come together once a week with the intention of bettering themselves. Pathways is particularly exciting to me because it allows me to pursue the idea of Public Speaking as an income stream and to add credibility to my future goals.
I have been with Toastmasters for just over a year now. Since I have been involved, I have learned some extremely useful skills in leadership and communication that I use in my day to day position as a Quality Manager with Wells Fargo. In my role I have to be able to effectively communicate to a wide range of individuals and Toastmasters has helped to further develop this skill.
District 19 Toastmasters is a family. We support fellow members, cheer with our accomplishments, give encouragement when our endeavors are less than desired. There is camaraderie and mentoring that is not found in other organizations. Without Toastmasters I doubt I could have accomplished many of the things I have tried and succeeded.
I joined Toastmasters for the friendships I wanted to develop. I quickly learned that through Toastmasters I could learn to be a leader. As someone who is an extrovert working retail, the speaking didn’t seem to be as crucial. However, no matter how much an extrovert I was, I was not a leader. Now I am!
Toastmasters are about more than speeches and even performance; it is about confidence, networking, and conversation. I love the opportunities to refine my skills and gain knowledge from watching other speakers.
*Note: Members pay Toastmasters International dues of US $60 every six months. (Some clubs may charge additional fees.) All new members also pay a one-time US $20 fee.
