Toastmasters is a club dedicated to improving the public speaking skills of its members. The name comes from the expression “to raise a toast” meaning to salute and acknowledge someone. The club was started in 1924 by Ralph Smedley in his work for the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in Bloomington, Illinois. The concept of a public speaking club spread quickly across the world. Currently there are 364,000 members belonging to16,200 clubs in 145 countries.
Toastmasters has made some big adaptations since Covid-19 struck. The pandemic prevented many clubs from meeting in person. Eighty-five per cent had to meet virtually at times. Luckily for the organisation, a major shift in the years before the pandemic meant that most of Toastmasters resources and records were available online at the Toastmasters International website. This prior move helped the organisation adapt although many older members did not like it. Pathways, a system of online tracking through various skill levels, allowed members to keep progressing towards their goals. Now that the club has returned to face-to-face meetings, the atmosphere is one of fun and fellowship.
Speeches by members often pay tribute to the help being in the club has provided both professionally and personally. A typical Toastmasters meeting takes about two hours and is held fortnightly. In the course of a meeting, members and guests take part in impromptu speaking (table topics), prepared speeches and enjoy a number of verbal games and challenges. Guests are welcome to attend some meetings before joining.
Gympie Goal Diggers Toastmasters club meets each second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Gympie Community Place, 18 Excelsior Road, Gympie. Interested guests can check out the club’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GympieToastmasters or contact club President Cassie McMullen on 0488 443 133.
