WHAT IS TOASTMASTERS?

Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people improve their public speaking and leadership skills. The organization has existed for more than 75 years and has chapters in more than 50 countries.

HOW CAN I BENEFIT FROM TOASTMASTERS?

In this day and age there is overwhelming evidence that communication skills are essential to success in the workplace. A Toastmasters club provides a positive, supportive environment in which members have an opportunity to develop more effective speaking and leadership skills which foster self-confidence. Additionally most members would concur that casual day-to-day social communication comes more easily. You will:

Learn and practice the art of effective public speaking
Learn to overcome anxiety when speaking before an audience
Evolve the structure and flow of your message; including speech openings, closings, and transitions
Adapt your physical speaking style (e.g. body language; and voice volume, tone, tempo, and pitch) to enhance your message
Adapt your communications style to the composition of the audience and deal with special challenges that arise
Sharpen your listening and analytical skills as you give constructive evaluations to fellow members
Practice thinking on your feet and speaking extemporaneously
Learn how to more effectively sell your ideas, visions, services, or products
Practice leadership skills and managing meetings as an emcee
Enjoy being part of a constructive and supportive environment

HOW DO YOU CHECK IT OUT?

Feel free to stop by and sit in on any one of our meetings - no reservations or prior arrangements required!

WHEN DO WE MEET?

Every Wednesday night 7:30p.m. to 9:30p.m, except on major holidays.

*** Please note that the January 21st meeting will be held on another night or another location yet to be determined ***

WHERE DO WE MEET?

Santa Monica Best Western Gateway Hotel
IHOP restaurant, Carousel Room
1920 Santa Monica Blvd.
(Southwest corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and 20th Street)
Santa Monica, California 90404

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

To visit as a guest, absolutely free. To join as a member the club dues are $12.00 per month, we think quite reasonable when viewed in light of the benefits and the impact on work and social life. There is also a $20 one-time fee for speaking manuals and getting setup within the Toastmaster system.

PARKING:

Free parking beneath and next to the hotel

WHAT IF I'M NEW TO PUBLIC SPEAKING?

That's what it's all about! Though the composition of club changes, there is always a mix of new members and more experienced speakers. So there are always opportunities to learn from others. We believe Toastmasters provides a 'safe' place where you can take risks as a public speaker. You decide when you are comfortable to assume greater speaking responsibilities.

WHAT IS A MEETING LIKE?

A typical meeting has three different speaking sections. There is an impromptu / extemporaneous speaking section which gives members practice in thinking quickly and coherently on their feet as we must all do at times in real life. A second part of the meeting concerns prepared speeches with topics of the speakers choosing. The third major portion is an evaluation phase to provide constructive feedback to the speakers with prepared speeches. Where they did well and where they can improve.

HOW DO YOU PROGRESS THROUGH TOASTMASTERS?

The foundation of the Toastmasters program is a basic Communications Manual of ten prepared speeches that members work through at their own pace, acquiring the essential 'building blocks' of public speaking. Those with broader, longer range communications objectives wanting to further hone their speaking technique in more focused specialized areas can choose from any of 15 different Advanced Speech manuals. These emphasize a range of methods, examples being; how to develop a down-home storytelling style, how to inject humor into a presentation to grab the audience's attention, or how to interact with different media channels.

Another skills-building opportunity for Toastmasters is to participate in periodic speaking contests, normally held every six months. These progress from head-to-head competition within each Toastmasters chapter to successively higher levels outside the club. A brief overview of contests may be found here. You can view examples of selected speech contest videos here.

While refining public speaking technique is the main avenue most members travel through Toastmasters there is another key angle for self-improvement through the Toastmaster experience. In the context of the real work world, leadership and public speaking quite often go hand in hand. A second separate educational track is the development of leadership skills.

Following their chosen educational path, Toastmaster members find other benefits not specifically targeted by the program often accrue. Some find that their writing skills improve while for others the process of developing speech material serves to enhance a creative / innovative mindset.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS?