Toastmasters

What is “Toastmasters”?

“Toastmasters” is a global non-profit organization to help individuals improve their communication and leadership skills. It employs no paid promoters or instructors. It has over 345,000 members, 15,900 clubs in 142 countries worldwide and several clubs in our communities. Through these clubs, Toastmasters provides opportunities for men and women age 18 and up, to learn public speaking and leadership skills.

How Toastmasters works

At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. Each Toastmasters club meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice:

• Conducting meetings. Meetings usually begin with a short business session, which helps members learn basic meeting procedures.
• Giving impromptu speeches. Members present one-to-two minute impromptu speeches on assigned topics.
• Presenting prepared speeches. Three or more members present speeches. These speeches cover such topics as speech organization, voice, language, gestures, persuasion and inspiration.
• Offering encouraging and effective evaluations. Every prepared speaker is assigned an evaluator who points out speech strengths and offers nuggets of improvement.
• As your improved communications skills become obvious within the workplace, congregation or any organization you’re involved in - increased visibility, recognition and promotion will follow.
• Leadership skills acquired through participation in Toastmasters will increase your management potential.
• As a Toastmaster you will acquire an increased ability to motivate and persuade, making you more effective as a supervisor, manager and individual.

Why should I join?

How can I join?

Club Toast at UL is an open community club and meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 11:45 am, in various conference rooms. Feel free to visit our club and we promise to make you feel welcome. Contact one of the two members listed below and we can provide additional information, answer questions and help you complete a membership application. If you are a UL employee and you join our club, your dues will be paid by our Sponsor, UL University. If you are from the community, dues are very reasonable at $45.00 every 6 months payable to Toastmasters International April 1st and October 1st. There is a one-time new member fee of $20 payable to Toastmasters International also.

• If you would like to start your own Toastmasters club we recommend you contact and attend a club meeting as a guest to find the right fit for you, or allow a sample meeting team to come in and demonstrate to 30+ individuals how meetings are conducted. Visit www.toastmasters.org and click on find a club to get information on clubs near you.

Investing in yourself is one of the best investments you can make.