Toastmasters International – A Great Way To Get Rid Of Your Natural Fear Of Public Speaking

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1924. Since the creation of the first club in Santa Ana, CA, there have been over 12,036 clubs worldwide – as of 2009. Anyone over the age of eighteen can join such a club and immediately begin to improve his or her oratory skills. TI has over 235,000 members worldwide, and the clubs become more popular each year. The average number of members in a club is around twenty. TI specialize in Communication training and in Leadership training.

The essence of the Toastmasters’ Communication training is based on ten different speech projects. The first one is the easiest, and as people become more confident, they build up on that first one by starting the second one, and so on. A member must go through the ten projects, while delivering a speech for each of them. A time limit of five to seven minutes is enforced for beginners, while advanced level speakers get between ten minutes and half an hour, depending on the which of the ten projects they are preparing.

Leadership training is also an important part of the Toastmasters’ program. The Competent Leadership manual is given to every new member. There are ten projects on it that each member needs to complete. A person can complete the manual withing five months, or they can decide to take it slower. Once the manual is completed, the member receives a Competent Leader Award. Higher leadership awards are available as well in two levels – silver and gold.

Toastmasters International provides regular people with a great way to overcome their fear of public speaking and become a great orator. With thousands of clubs worldwide, it is almost certain that a person can find a club that is located near the place they live.