A few years ago, when I was playing the role of VP Membership for Madras Toastmasters club, I found myself answering various interesting questions about Toastmasters International from the guests. This inspired me to write a blog on this topic :)
1. What is Toastmasters?
It is a non-profit US-head quartered educational organization operating clubs worldwide, to promote communication, public speaking, and leadership.
2. What is the fee?
20$ is the membership fee(one time) and 45$ (will be 60$ from Oct 2023) is the renewal fee to be paid every 6 months to TMI. New joiners will pay 20$ +45$. However, the club might receive an extra amount from the members to account for expenses like hall-rent, projector, milestone meeting expenses, zoom expenses, gifts/eatables to members, etc.
3. Should I come every week? What if I miss a meeting?
It is recommended to be regular, take up roles, and speeches, and be active in the club.
4. If I enroll in Toastmasters will I really become good at communication and leadership?
Enrolling is only the first step. Coming regularly to meetings, taking up roles, speeches, and ex-comm ownerships, participating in contests, interacting actively with mentors and networking with people from various backgrounds are some of the key aspects to look forward to, after enrolling.
5. Do you get a monetary benefit if I join?
No :) . It is a non-profit organization. In fact, I have to pay my own fees to Toastmasters International every six months.
6. Will my communication and leadership skills be intact even if I discontinue my membership after a few years?
It is just like any other skill including cycling, swimming, playing a musical instrument, etc. As long as you practice, you are there in the game. It might take some time to get back there after a break.
7. Do they teach English grammar?
No. But you can still correct your grammatical errors as there is a grammarian who will report the errors in the language in every meeting.
You will be asked to deliver speeches and take up roles. However, there will be a mentor to guide you.
8. What if I am really bad at public speaking? How can I prove myself in Toastmasters?
Here the focus is more on learning than proving. We may be at different levels, but moving to the next level is the goal. Though we have contests in Toastmasters, the participants have new learnings during every contest and become better speakers every year.
We are allowed and encouraged to make mistakes here so that we can do it without mistakes in our real life.
9. Can I have my kids enrolled?
Toastmasters is meant for people who are aged 18 and above. However, we do have Gavels clubs (part of Toastmasters International) for kids less than 18 years. But anybody can visit a Toastmasters club as a guest.
10. I am the CEO of a company. Will you have people in your club, who are good enough to mentor me?
Yes. We all belong to different professional backgrounds and depending on that, we are at different levels in public speaking and leadership. While we are good at what we do for a living, public speaking is a different arena all together. Toastmasters who had been in this movement actively for a long time, will defenitely have valuable learnings to share with others.
The most important factor to keep in mind is that, one should enter this movement after shedding one's badges with an open mind to learn and become better.
11. How do I become a member?
Visit a few clubs as a guest. Assess the quality of the meetings and the people, and then decide on which one to choose. Contact the VP Membership of the club who will guide you through the process.
12. Why do Toastmasters market too much if they don't have a monetary benefit? :) (My favorite question)
The Toastmasters movement has brought about a change in many people's lives. Any movement for that matter, if it gives you a stage to talk and an audience to listen and mentors to guide you consistently every week, you are sure to be a good speaker in a few months or years. We are spreading the word (marketing;)) because we have benefitted and seen many people transform into better individuals over a period of time.