Then…
A basement in the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), in Santa Ana, California, is exactly where Ralph C. Smedley(Founder of Toastmasters) held the first meeting of what would eventually become Toastmasters International.
The date was October 22, 1924.
Smedley began working for the YMCA after he graduated from college. Observing that many of its young patrons needed “training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings,” he decided to help them with a training format that was similar to a social club. During the early 1900s, the word “toastmaster” referred to a person who proposed the toasts and introduced the speakers at a banquet. Smedley named his group “The Toastmasters Club” because he thought it suggested a pleasant, social atmosphere that would appeal to young men.
At that first Toastmasters meeting, members practiced speaking skills and the seedling club blossomed. Then another sprung up in nearby Anaheim. Word spread about Smedley’s experiment and soon people in other communities, and even other states, began to request permission and help to start their own Toastmasters meetings.
As more clubs emerged, it was a time of firsts: Smedley created the first Toastmasters manual, and publication of The Gavel – the first Toastmasters newsletter – began in 1930.
In the 1930s, the organization grew to an international level by incorporating and chartering its first club outside the United States — in British Columbia, Canada.
The first Inter-Club Speech Contest was held in 1938.
At 1962, the staff of Toastmasters International moved into its first World Headquarters building. The Santa Ana facility wasn’t far from the YMCA where the first Toastmasters club met.
In 1973, Toastmasters met an important milestone by opening membership to women.
By 1982, membership reached 100,000. To better serve its growing worldwide membership, World Headquarters relocated in 1990 to its current building in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, 20 miles south of Santa Ana.
In July 1997, a bold new offering was developed for the educational program: An improved two-track educational recognition system that allowed members to pursue awards in both leadership and communication.
… And Now
As Toastmasters International celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, the organization stands at a historic high point. Toastmasters leaders have developed innovative strategies to keep up with advances and shifting cultural dynamics of the global age. Indeed, while many organizations around the world are downsizing because of the economic climate, Toastmasters International is growing; thousands of people are taking advantage of the organization’s programs to enhance their communication skills. Membership is at an all-time high, with more than 250,000 members in 12,000 clubs in 106 countries. As of June 30, a record 1,073 new clubs were chartered, and 56 districts were recognized as Distinguished or better, a number surpassing all previous years.
Toastmasters grew by nearly five percent in 2009. Tens of thousands of people have seen the value of the Toastmasters training in their personal lives and careers. They know the program can see them through a lot of challenges and there is no limit to the growth potential of Toastmasters International.
Toastmasters Web site, which is continually expanding through new product and service offerings. The organization’s first e-learning tool — Toastmasters Learning Connection (TLC) for district officers – is a recent addition to the Web site. TLC provides access to Toastmasters’ officer training in a virtual learning environment.
This distance-learning program is an exciting development, blending education with the power of the Internet. And it won’t replace face-to-face training – just complement it. A new film about Toastmasters is scheduled for a 2010 release. SpeakEasy, a feature-length documentary produced by Tumbleweed Entertainment, explores the 2008 World Championship of Public Speaking and the larger Toastmasters world.
From a gathering in a YMCA basement in 1924 to the 12,000-plus clubs that meet in 106 countries today, the Toastmasters story is one of dramatic growth and success. And with accomplishments come opportunities. Toastmaster offers the most valuable service imaginable and helps people improve their lives. That’s what the Toastmasters mission is all about.”
Source: Toastmasters International
