Almost 100 years ago, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley had the idea of forming a club to train young boys and men in public speaking, social skills, and leadership.
Starting with a club at a YMCA in California, that initial idea turned into Toastmasters International, a program where men and women can learn to speak and listen better as well as develop leadership and confidence, with chapters and members all over the world.
In October TI celebrates its 100-year anniversary. They must be doing something right to have lasted so long and still be going strong.
I first became aware of TI about 30 years ago while walking around the office campus where I worked. There I saw a sign for an upcoming meeting.
All I knew about Toastmasters back then was that the “toast” referred to something the best man does at a wedding, not something you eat for breakfast. I attended that meeting and was immediately asked to participate in a debate.
I can’t remember what the topic was — I think it was gun rights — but I remember winning the debate and getting hooked. What fun, to be with courteous, thinking people where we could all learn, share, and grow with each other.
Over the next several months, I attended many other meetings of that TI club. A couple of speeches I heard really stood out.
One woman did a presentation complete with stunning pictures of her mountain-climbing in the Swiss Alps. Another lady did a presentation on curling, an Olympic sport, which is like bocce but with big “stones” (like giant hockey pucks) instead of balls and on ice instead of grass. She said curling was what got her through the long, cold winters.
Unfortunately, my wife and I had three small kids at the time. All the running around with music lessons, sports, and other after-school activities meant I couldn’t keep up with it. I hated dropping out but it just wasn’t possible to fit it in at that time.
Still, I never forgot how much I enjoyed my initial foray into the wonderful world of Toastmasters — so positive, uplifting, and motivating.
Then about six years ago I heard of a Toastmasters club starting in an agency I’m a member of, so I went to the kickoff meeting. Because my memories of that first TI club were so positive, I volunteered to be president of the new club.
Just like that, I was able to get the Toastmasters magic going again. Don’t think I use the word “magic” lightly here; the entire TI program is indeed magic in the transformation it can make when an enthusiastic participant commits to it.
It worked with me and I’ve seen it work in others time and time again. Dr. Smedley’s 100-year old idea was so sound it still resonates today. Amazing.
So what is Toastmasters, anyway? It’s a program where you practice getting better at public speaking, of course, but it’s also so much more.
It helps you develop listening skills (God gave you two ears and only one mouth for a reason, haha); promotes mentoring; facilitates networking; and, above all else, improves one’s overall social skills, confidence, and leadership.
Truly, had I known about TI when I first entered the workforce, I would have become a much better leader and achieved much more success. That is a fact.
I’ve been writing this column for over 20 years. The way it works is I think of a topic, and then try hard to come up with an opening sentence. Once I get the first sentence, the next thousand words just flow out.
The point is, I’m very confident in using the written word to communicate. In fact, it’s my preferred method of communication.
Speaking in public does not come easy or naturally to me. Yet, from working with TI all these years, something that was dreaded — speaking publicly in front of others — has become something I actually enjoy doing (though I still have to work hard to keep improving). Toastmasters really does work.
Toastmasters’ meetings follow a scripted format, which is both comforting and efficient. At a typical meeting, there will be several speeches, followed by evaluations of those speeches.
There is also a free-flowing “Table Topics” exercise, where anyone is welcome to give a one- to two-minute talk on a random topic that the Table Topics Master gets to pick out. The speeches and table-topics talks are always great, because people try so hard to do them well.
Occasionally, the speeches will bring you to tears, like the one I heard recently from a lady who managed to get out of the second tower just after the first tower was hit during the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I literally held my breath as she described her experience.
It was all I could do to keep from crying. That’s how truly powerful some heartfelt speeches from our fellow Toastmasters members — our friends and neighbors — can be.
At a Toastmasters’ meeting, newcomers are always greeted and made to feel welcome. TI is a no judgment zone: We welcome everyone.
The only thing we insist on is that you want to improve yourself as a speaker, listener, leader, and mentor. Those are our goals, and we want to help you achieve them as well.
Here is the official TI Mission statement: “We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.” The core values at TI are beautiful in their simplicity and power: Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. Just fantastic.
One thing that is unique to Toastmasters is the “ah counter.” This is where we count your use of filler words when speaking, words or phrases like “ah,” “um,” “so,” and “you know.”
We don’t do this to embarrass you; on the contrary, many speakers, including myself, use these words without ever realizing we’re doing it. The hope is that by tracking the use of filler words, one can become aware of it and work to reduce it.
Still, I’ve heard more than one person say they felt self-conscious with this aspect of Toastmasters (“I don’t want someone counting my ums!”). The best is when you improve your speaking so much that you’re not using these words anymore. That’s really huge, and totally doable.
I’ve met some truly great folks in Toastmasters. I’ve seen people who were holding onto the lectern for dear life during their first speech because they were so nervous and now have become so confident and eloquent speaking in front of others that it can only be described as a miracle.
Every time I do a speech, I’m just amazed at how far I’ve come as well. I still need to work on those listening skills, however, as my long-suffering wife will attest to. That’s one big reason I stay involved with Toastmasters. There is always room to improve, plus it’s just plain fun!
I’m going to be starting a Guilderland Toastmasters club soon. We’ll meet at the library. The library has beautiful meeting rooms complete with audio/video support so we can do hybrid in-person/zoom meetings.
If you want to improve your public speaking, listening, and leadership skills or, more importantly, if you just want to have fun, please consider joining. We’d love to have a group of about 20 folks to start out with.
Please contact me and let me know your preferred meeting day and time for a monthly meeting; call me or contact me through the library. For more information on TI, see toastmasters.org. There’s a lot of information there, so be sure to have a full cup of coffee ready to go.
My hometown of Guilderland has beautiful parks, thriving businesses, lovely neighborhoods, and a vibrant community, but one thing it doesn’t have is a local Toastmasters club. Let’s change that now!