A Melbourne Toastmasters Club - Beaumaris, Mentone & Surrounds

Toastmasters International is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping members master public speaking, leadership and communication skills.

The very first Toastmasters Club was founded in 1924 by Ralph C. Smedley in Santa Ana, California.

Since then Toastmasters has helped more than four million members and grown into an organisation of more than 12.500 member clubs, in 106 countries.

It currently has more than a quarter of a million individual members.

Policy of non-discrimination

Toastmasters is not affiliated with any political or religious organisation. It also has a strict policy of non-discrimination, with particular regard to ethnicity, nationality and gender.

It was originally founded as an organisation to ‘help young men’, but the constitution was changed to include women in 1973.

Some clubs are sponsored by corporations and government organisations and these may restrict membership to their employees. Along with membership of advanced clubs, where members to need complete at least 10 speeches to qualify, this is the only form of membership restriction permitted by Toastmasters International.