Toastmasters

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Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization founded by Ralph Smedley in the USA in 1924 to promote the art of public speaking , effective communication and leadership. According to its own information, the organization has more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries around the world with around 358,000 members (as of 9/2019). Toastmasters International is recognized as a nonprofit in the United States and the club boards of directors and other members are volunteers.

Toastmasters International offers a rhetorical training program with different levels and projects. This is used by the members of the clubs in the context of various projects, which can include individual speeches such as the organization of events, parties and meetings. Toastmasters International as an organization is neither politically nor religiously active and offers its members the advantages of a worldwide network.

Notes on founding and founder

Smedley worked from 1904 as a training officer and in other full-time positions at various local YMCA in Illinois and later California. He also founded rhetoric clubs for advanced high school students within the YMCA. The students gave short speeches and took on smaller roles in the course of the event. Smedley and other experienced members took over the individual evaluation of the speeches as part of a feedback. The first club that survived the departure of the founder was Smedley Club Number 1, founded on October 22, 1924 in the YMCA in Santa Ana . After that, the concept and the associated organization grew rapidly.

As a (non-profit) organization, Toastmasters International was registered in California in December 1932, thus breaking away from the YMCA. Smedley, who was also a member of the Rotary Club of Santa Ana, was from 1941 as a retiree in the business of Toastmasters International. He was replaced as chairman in 1945, but was a member of the board until his death.

Smedley wrote manuals and regulations for Toastmasters International. He was very interested in Henry Martyn Roberts Robert’s Rules of Order . Its provisions on rules of procedure are also on the boards ( Board of Directors spread) of associations and management boards in the English-speaking world.

Access

Toastmasters generally meet in public. Anyone who is not a member can participate as a guest, but speaking is reserved for paying members. However, guests can actively participate in the impromptu speeches. Registered members can take part in the entire program at other clubs, whereby prior registration is useful or requested for guests outside their own region. Toastmasters organize themselves in local clubs, mostly based on the US model and an appropriate organizational structure. In Germany there are German-, English-, French- and Italian-speaking as well as multilingual clubs, including some as registered associations . Each club has a board elected for one year, consisting of a board of directors ("President") and various assessors ("Vice Presidents") with the tasks of training, public relations, membership, cashier, as well as those responsible for tidying up and setting up the club room. Sergeant at Arms "(German for" weapon master ").

There are also company-sponsored clubs with no permanent membership. These include American Express, Apple, AT&T, Bayer, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Dell, EDS, Federal Express, Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

practice

Regular meetings with 15 to 25 participants take place in the clubs. These meetings have a fixed, prepared program and emphasis is placed on adhering to the schedule, in particular a punctual start and a punctual end. Punctual appearance is desirable, if you come later you should be careful not to burst loudly in the middle of a speech and thus distract the speaker and audience.

The speakers prepare their speech projects with the help of manuals. In each speech project, a technique such as “get to the point”, “body language” or “convince with passion” is in the foreground. The content of the speech is left to the speaker, whereby there are no taboos on the part of Toastmasters International, but only the appropriate choice of words should be ensured. But clubs can set their own rules. The prepared speeches last between five and seven minutes, but also up to 20 minutes for advanced projects (sales and criticism discussions, simulated television and radio appearances, reading and storytelling up to the presentation of historical speeches and poems) and training lectures. Another, experienced member evaluates the speech directly and shows the speaker his strengths and points out potential for improvement, which has earned the clubs the nickname Club of Nice Judges .

The "Toastmaster of the evening" guides through the 60 to 90-minute program as moderator , which can also include impromptu speeches and a saying or joke of the day. As a rule, between 2 and 5 prepared speeches are given and, depending on the schedule, about 3 to 7 impromptu speeches (unprepared speeches) - afterwards there is feedback or an evaluation for each speech.

In addition to moderating the meeting, different roles, such as individual assessment, checking office hours, assessing grammar and formulation as well as counting "Ahs" and filler words, are taken on by individual participants in advance. Some German clubs also play the role of a “pub master” who invites the participants to a pub after the meeting and takes over the table reservation (not the bill). Since another participant can be the toastmaster of the evening at each meeting, all members practice leading events in addition to speaking. Those who want to acquire further leadership skills can have certain projects recognized as part of the TM educational path, B. the preparation of events, functions in the organization, the support of individual members or the development and mentoring of new clubs.

The trusting atmosphere at the meetings is very important for learning to be successful. Guests are always welcome at Toastmasters meetings.

Customs

At Toastmasters there is a lot of applause , which is intended to support members and guests in their learning progress. Even if someone stumbles or breaks off his speech - he still gets applause. This shows respect for the courage to try.

Speech contests

In addition to the regular club meetings, speech competitions are held every six months in English, German and French. These start at club level and go through several instances (area, division, district) up to the international speech competition, which is held in English. The spring competitions are the prepared international speech and assessment speeches, in the autumn there are prepared humorous speeches and impromptu speeches.

Toastmasters International presents the Golden Gavel Award every year. This is one of the most internationally recognized awards for outstanding speakers. The best-known winners include John C. Maxwell (2012), Stephen Covey (2004), Zig Ziglar (1999), Deepak Chopra (1997), Anthony Robbins (1995).

Word meaning

The name "Toastmasters" is derived from the English word for master of ceremonies . A toast is a toast in English for the benefit of those present. Accordingly, a toastmaster is a master of the toast. However, people rarely drink at Toastmasters meetings.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Toastmasters International - Who We Are , accessed September 27, 2019
  2. ↑ Among other things, you also influenced the rules of procedure of the German Bundestag , cf. Parliamentary Control and Foreign Policy in Germany: The Bundestag's Use of Formal Instrumentalities in Overseeing the Administration's Foreign Policy, by James Ryan Anderson, in German Politics and Society, Vol. 20, 2002.
  3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from August 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Handelsblatt career, further education: Learning to speak in a relaxed atmosphere, December 1, 2005 by Claudia Obmann