Frequently Asked
Questions
What is
Toastmasters?
Toastmasters is an international organization that supports
thousands of local clubs and their members. Our purpose is
to provide a place where individuals can learn the skills of
public speaking and leadership in a supportive environment.
Most Toastmasters meetings are comprised of approximately 20
people who meet for an hour or more. Participants practice
and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from
giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as
timer, evaluator or grammarian.
What do
Toastmasters do?
Toastmasters meet regularly to practice speaking and to
evaluate each other’s skills. At a local club, besides
gaining confidence in many aspects of both speaking and
leadership, Toastmasters often gain new friends. There is no
instructors at a meeting. Instead, each speech and meeting
is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on
what was done right and what could be improved.
Who are the
District 36 Toastmasters?
There are approximately 4,000 Toastmasters in District 36.
Our members belong to one or more of the nearly 200 clubs
within our geographic location. Our borders include the
Northeast and Northwest quadrants of Washington D.C., all of
Montgomery County, Maryland, and part of Prince
George’s County, Maryland north of a line extended from
the north-south dividing line of Washington D.C., eastward
along East Capitol Street and Central Avenue to the
county’s eastern border.
Can I just
show up to a meeting?
Guests are always welcome to visit a Toastmaster meeting!
Some clubs due to their location or security policies
require advanced notice that you are going to visit, and
other clubs do not. It’s best to contact a club by
phone or email ahead of your visit to make arrangements. We
do ask that you be on time and stay for the entire
meeting.
Can I bring
someone to a meeting?
Sure! Guests are always welcome at Toastmasters meetings.
Sometimes its easier to meet new people when you bring a
friend along.
What will
happen when I visit?
You will be warmly greeted and provided with a meeting
agenda. All of us remember what it was like attending a
meeting for the first time so we will explain what is
happening and invite you to relax and enjoy the
presentations. You may be asked if you’d like to
participate in the meeting (which you may simply decline).
You may also be asked at the close of the meeting to share
your thoughts (again, you may simply decline). You will be
invited to attend the next meeting!
What happens
at a meeting?
Meetings are filled with laughter, learning, listening, and,
yes, speaking. One member, appointed as the Toastmasters of
the Day (TMOD) or Evening (TMOE), presides over the meeting.
Prepared speeches are given and evaluated by members.
Impromptu speaking skills based on a question and answer
format are practiced in the “Table Topics” portion
of the meeting. Visitors are invited to participate in the
meeting if they want to. Each prepared speech is evaluated
along with he meeting itself. A meeting Timer lets everyone
who spoke know how long they talked, and a meeting
Grammarian gives feedback on how well people used the
language. The Toastmaster of the Day wraps up the session
and adjourns the meeting.
Do you just
make up speeches?
You can customize the Toastmaster program to meet your
needs. When you become a member, you receive the
“Competent Communicator” manual. (We also call it
the “Basic Manual.”) It guides you through 10
speech outlines, each of which deals with a set of skills
that a speaker should learn. The topic of each speech is up
to you. The completion of the manual entitles the member to
receive a “Competent Communicator” (CC) award.
Beyond this manual, there are many advanced manuals for your
ongoing professional and personal development.
How long is a
typical speech?
Speeches for the Communication and Leadership Manual are
usually between 5-7 minutes in length. Advanced manuals have
projects that can run as long as 15-20 minutes.
Why do you
have “Table Topics”?
Impromptu (or extemporaneous) speaking is a valuable skill
in today’s world. Table Topics is a way for us to
practice thinking and speaking “on our feet.” A
Table Topic Master presents participants with questions or
topics “at random” and you have 1-2 minutes to
give a response. There are a lot of ways to respond to
impromptu situations. You won’t always “know the
answer,” but you can still answer in a relaxed,
effective way. Table Topics are one of the most fun parts of
our meeting.
How much does
it cost to join a club?
Toastmasters is a non-profit organization, so the cost of
joining a club covers necessary expenses only, and is very
low when compared to for-profit seminars and other training
courses. Toastmasters clubs collects dues from their current
members twice a year, in April and in October. $27.00 of
your dues is submitted to Toastmasters International to pay
for membership materials, award certificates, processing
fees, conferences and training. Anything above that goes
into the club treasury to pay for room rental fees, contest
prizes, gifts, postal costs, and miscellaneous office
supplies. New members pay a sliding fee based on the month
they join, and a one-time new membership fee of $20.00 to
pay for registration and the new member kit.
When I become
a member, what will be expected of
me?
By joining Toastmasters, you are making a commitment to your
own growth. You can give speeches at your own pace. We can
provide a mentor to help you get started and successfully
complete your goals. We are all here because we believe in
the Toastmasters concept and want to learn better speaking
and leadership skills by supporting each other
What else does
Toastmasters have to offer?
As with many organizations, Toastmasters is what the members
make it. District 36 Toastmasters have a commitment to
helping each other improve our speaking and leadership
skills. Involvement in the “Toastmasters
Experience” can go well beyond that, though. You can
compete in speech contests that, if you win at increasing
levels, can name you the “World Champion of Public
Speaking.” You can become a leader at the club level,
or a higher level, where your leadership affects many clubs
and members along the East Coast. You can attend conferences
to meet and network with fellow Toastmasters from other
clubs around the world.
What do you
mean by leadership skills?
Toastmasters is best known for the “learn public
speaking” aspect of its program, however, leadership is
just as important. Leaders are not the same as managers, so
what makes a great leader? Toastmasters teaches about
service leadership. This viewpoint suggests that the role of
a leader, no matter what type of authority is involved, is
to lead by helping or enabling others, not by forcing them.
You can hone your leadership skills in various ways in
Toastmasters: by leading meetings, becoming an officer of
the club, or taking an active leadership role at higher
levels of the organization.
Is there any
training available for new
Toastmasters?
Our district holds training sessions for Toastmasters twice
a year. These sessions are broken up into training for club
officers and general sessions about the program and other
interesting topics. All training sessions are open to all
Toastmasters and are free of charge. The locations, dates
and times for training, called TLI (Toastmasters Leadership
Institute) will be posted on the district Web
site.
Is your
meeting accessible?
If you need special accommodations such as handicapped
parking or a ramp to access the building, please call the
club ahead of time so that they can be sure to arrange for
assistance. Other accommodations such as printed material
formatted in Braille or for low vision should be requested
at least a week in advance to make sure it can be secured
from Toastmasters International.
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CLUB DIRECTORIES