Since Toastmasters began, more than two million
men and women have benefited from the organizaiton.
The first club was founded in October 1924,
when a goup of men assembled
by Dr. Ralf C. Smedley met in the basement
of the Santa Ana, California
YMCA to form a club "to afford practice
and training on the art of
public speaking and in presiding over meetings,
and promote sociablility
and good fellowship among its members."
The group took the name "Toastmaster."
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
method. After formation of a club in Victoria,
British Columbia, the goup
became known as Toastmasters International.
Growth was slow during the early years, but
the number of clubs increased
steadily. the forerunner of today's C&L
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 has approached
1500.
Gavel Clubs were formed in 1958 to accommodate
groups wanting Toastmasters
training by not qualified for Toastmasters
membership. These clubs provide
communication and leadership trainig in correctional
institutions, hospitals,
and schools. In 1966, the Youth Leadership
Program, for young people in
junior and senior high school, was added
to the list of established community
programs being presented by Toastmasters.
In 1962, World Headquarters offices were
moved to a new building in Santa
Ana, California, not far from where the first
club began.
In 1973, Toastmasters club membership was
opened to women, enabling them
to benefit also from self-development in
communication and leadership.
In the same year, a comprehensive listening
program was introduced to further
help members develop their communication
skills. the following year saw
a celebration of the organization's first
50 years and the promise of an
even more successful scond half-century.
New programs, including the modular Advanced
Manual Series, Succell/Leadership
Series, and self-study cassette tape programs,
were added to augment the
Communication and Leadership program. Growth
in new clubs, especially in
the corporate sector, reached new heights
in the early 1990's with more
than 8,000 clubs. In 1990 World Headquartes
Offices were moved to Tancho
Santa Margarita, California.
Toastmasters International entered the 1990s
as the undisputed world leader
in public speaking training with the promise
thath the best is yet come.
As the decade begins, more people than ever
will benefit from the Toastmasters
program.