Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality.

Through its member Clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.

It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expand its worldwide network of Clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its programs.

Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams.

Through our member Clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change.

The mission of the District is to enhance the performance and extend the network of Clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program by:

• Focusing on the critical success factors as specified by the District educational and membership goals.
• Insuring that each Club effectively fulfills its responsibilities to its members.
• Providing effective training and leadership opportunities for Club and District officers.

The mission of a Toastmasters Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

2 . Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It is easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

3 . Know your material. If you are not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.

4 . R e l a x . Ease tension by doing exercises.

5 . Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful .

6 . Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They do not want you to fail.

7. Do not apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audiences attention to something they had not noticed. Keep silent.

8 . Concentrate on the message not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and outwardly toward your mes sage and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.

9 . Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm .

10 . Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need.

A Typical Meeting

Business Meeting during which the secretary reads out the minutes from the last meeting and the president discusses on the business issues of the club.

An impromptu speaking session during which members learn to think and speak on their feet. This is usually a very entertaining part of the meeting.

Prepared speeches from five to ten minutes each. Speakers choose the topics, which vary greatly. Each speech has a set of objectives, described in a manual, so that members learn public speaking techniques while getting practice and gaining confidence.

Evaluations which are an important part of a Toastmasters meeting. Each speech is evaluated in a positive, supportive way. The speaker learns about his or her strengths and also receives helpful suggestions for improvement.

A closing includes discussions on next meeting's agenda and guest comments.