I joined Toastmasters

Another thing I did in 2024 is join a Toastmasters group. Toastmasters is an organization of clubs for learning public speaking. The clubs use a common meeting structure based around speech-giving, constructive feedback, and opportunities to speak off the cuff.

My dad was in a Toastmasters group about twenty-five years or so ago, through his workplace, which is how I first heard of it. I remember him telling me how if you were talking and you said “um”, someone would buzz a buzzer at you. I thought that seemed like fun, if a little intense.

During 2024, I was between jobs and had moved relatively recently, so I was looking for more things to get involved in. I thought about clubs I could join, and Toastmasters came to mind. I’m not afraid of public speaking, but that doesn’t mean I’m particularly good at it, either. I thought I could still stand to improve my skills in preparing and giving speeches.

Toastmasters is a big organization, so in any given city, there are usually multiple clubs. It wasn’t difficult to find one really close to where I live. In fact, it’s close enough that I can bike to meetings.

So far, I’ve had a great time with the club I joined. Everyone is really friendly, and it’s nice to see the same faces every week. I get the sense it’s one of the more laid-back clubs. They don’t do the buzzer thing, which was both a little disappointing and a little relieving.

I’ve only done one speech so far, but I’ve discovered that there’s a lot to be gained even when you’re not giving speeches. For one, hearing other people give speeches has been really interesting, whether they’re for professional purposes or just for fun. I find the details of other people’s jobs fascinating, and the people in my club have broad interests and hobbies too.

I also like getting to play various roles in the meetings. Toastmasters meetings are structured with a number of roles, such as the General Evaluator, the Word of the Day Person, and the Toastmaster (sort of like an M.C.). These roles are taken by different people every week, so by this point, I’ve had a chance to play nearly every role. The nice thing about the roles is they cause you to pay attention to different aspects of the meeting, keeping you engaged and learning something new every time.

If you are looking for a new club to join, regardless of your public speaking abilities, I can highly recommend Toastmasters as a fun way to meet new people and improve your skills. You can use the official Toastmasters Find a Club page to search for one near you. I found one I liked right away and stuck with it, but don’t be afraid to check out a few of them before you settle on one that feels like a good fit.

Have you been in Toastmasters before? Have you been a part of some other large club organization? Is there some other kind of club you’d like to join? Let me know your thoughts at my Ctrl-C email: gome ​@ ​ctrl-c.club.