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History
Toastmasters - A Brief History
Since Toastmasters began, more than two million men and women have benefitted from the communication and leadership programs of the organisation.
The first club was formed in October 1924, when a group of men, assembled by Dr Ralph C. Smedley, met in the basement of the Santa Ana California YMCA to form a club to "afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members".
Growth was slow in the early days, 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 to keep abreast of the times and members' needs.
Membership in Toastmasters International increased rapidly after World War II, and by 1954 the number of clubs approached 1,500.
Gavel Clubs were formed in 1958 to accommodate groups wanting Toastmasters training but did not qualify for Toastmasters membership. These clubs provided communication and leadership training in correctional institutions, hospitals and schools. In 1966, the Youth Leadership Program for young people in high schools 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, not far from where the first club began.
In 1973, Toastmasters club membership was opened to women, enabling them to also benefit 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 organisation's first 50 years and the promise of an even more successful second half-century.
New programs including the modular Advanced Manual Series, Successful Leadership Series and the self-study cassette tape programs were added to augment the Communication & Leadership program. Growth in new clubs, especially in the corporate sector, reached new heights in 1982 with the number of clubs reaching the 6,000 mark.
Toastmasters International is the undisputed world leader in public speaking training with the promise that the best is yet to come.