Distinguished Toastmaster, Anton Vanterpool II, DTM, at the 2013 Division F Fall Conference
How to join Old Town Toastmasters
Once you’ve decided that Old Town Toastmasters is the perfect club for you, there are just a few steps to become a member:
- Attend a meeting – We meet the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month in Old Town Alexandria. Networking starts at 6:15pm with a prompt meeting commencement at 6:30pm. Before the meeting starts, the VP of Membership will provide you with a guest kit containing a membership application.
- Complete application – The VP of Membership can answer any questions you have when filling out the Application.
- Submit application and $80 payment – Renewal dues are collected every April and October and are $60 every six months. If you join in a different month, your dues are pro-rated. Any club officer can help you to calculate the cost to join (write checks out to Old Town Toastmasters).
- Club vote: Once you are voted into Old Town Toastmasters by the existing membership, a club officer will send your application and fees to Toastmasters’ World Headquarters. Your New Member Kit should arrive in the mail in about two weeks.
The Toastmasters Promise
As a member of Toastmasters International and Old Town Toastmasters, I promise:
- To attend club meetings regularly
- To prepare all of my speech and leadership projects to the best of my ability, basing them on projects in the Competent Communication, Advanced Communication or Competent Leadership manuals
- To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments
- To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations
- To help the club maintain a positive, friendly environment necessary for members to learn and grow
- To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so
- To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy
- To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the benefits Toastmasters membership offers
- To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters educational and recognition programs
- To maintain honest and highly ethical standards during the conduct of all Toastmasters activities
Congratulations – you’re on your way to becoming a better communicator and leader! Toastmasters International, founded in 1924, is a proven product, regarded as the leading organization dedicated to communication and leadership skill development. As a member, you will gain all the tools, resources and support you need.
Through its worldwide network of clubs, Toastmasters helps over 313,000 people communicate effectively and achieve the confidence to lead others. Why pay thousands of dollars for a seminar or class when you can join a Toastmasters club for a fraction of the cost and have fun in the process?
Toastmasters is a place where you develop and grow – both personally and professionally. You join a community of learners, and in Toastmasters meetings we learn by doing. Whether you’re an executive or a stay-at-home parent, a college student or a retiree, you will improve yourself; building skills to express yourself in a variety of situations. You’ll open up a world of new possibilities: giving better work presentations; leading meetings – and participating in them – more confidently; speaking more smoothly off the cuff; even handling one-on-one interactions with family, friends and colleagues more positively.
The environment in a Toastmasters club is friendly and supportive. Everyone at a Toastmasters meeting feels welcome and valued – from complete beginners to advanced speakers. In a club meeting, you practice giving prepared speeches as well as brief impromptu presentations, known as Table Topics. There is no rush and no pressure: The Toastmasters program allows you to progress at your own pace.
Constructive evaluation is central to the Toastmasters philosophy. Each time you give a prepared speech, an evaluator will point out strengths as well as suggest improvements. Receiving – and giving – such feedback is a great learning experience. In Toastmasters, encouragement and improvement go hand-in-hand.
You won’t regret it. Toastmasters currently has more than 313,000 members in 126 countries. Our club is just one of the more than 14,650 clubs located around the world. For membership or meeting information, please see our meeting information page.
By learning to effectively formulate, organize and express your ideas to others, you can achieve all kinds of success. You’ll be more capable and confident when giving presentations. You’ll be more persuasive when pitching prospective clients. Want to be better at negotiating your salary with your boss? Networking at business or social functions? Motivating co-workers – or your kids?
Anyone who is a strong leader has to first be an effective communicator. In Toastmasters you will hone your speaking skills, and you will develop leadership abilities – through evaluations, listening, mentoring, serving as club officers and filling roles in club meetings. You will take those leadership skills out into the world, running businesses, mentoring youths, organizing fund-raisers, coaching teams and heading up families.
Become the speaker and leader you want to be. Confident, charismatic leaders weren’t born that way. Toastmasters members learn to tell their story. They listen and answer. Through our community of learners, they find their path to leadership.
Toastmasters International. Where leaders are made.
For more information, please see our meeting information page.
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