Toastmasters International History

Speak Easy Toastmasters

September is almost with us again and Toastmasters from North Cork will be looking forward to returning to regular forthnightly meetings.

Just a reminder on what the Toastmasters International organization is..

A brief history; the Toastmasters organization began in 1924,more than three million men and women have benefited from its the communication and leadership programs. The first club was formed in October 1924, when a group of men assembled by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the Santa Ana, California YMCA to form a club "to afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members."

The group took the name "Toastmasters."

A year later, a second club was started in Anaheim, California, followed by a third in Los Angeles. By 1930, it was apparent that a federation was necessary to coordinate activities of the clubs and to provide standard methods. After formation of a club in Victoria, British Columbia, the group became known as Toastmasters International.

Growth was slow during the early years, but the number of clubs increased steadily. The forerunner of today's Communication and Leadership program, Basic Training, was introduced in 1942 and has been expanded and updated many times since then to keep abreast of the times and members' needs.

Membership in Toastmasters International increased rapidly after the end of World War II, and by 1954 the number of Toastmasters clubs had approached 1,500.

Today there are over 10,500 clubs worldwide with 200,000 members in 90 countries.

In the Cork, Kerry, West Limerick area alone, there are 22 Toastmasters Clubs with almost 400 members.

To “kick off” the new toastmaster season Speak Easy Toastmasters are hosting launch evening in The Beamish and Crawford Brewery tomorrow evening, 24^th, at 8pm.

Speak Easy Toastmasters meetings will resume on September 6^th in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.50pm.

Further information from our website www.speakeasytoastmasters.com