Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential and realise their dreams. Through our member clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, giving them the courage to change.
Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking. listening and thinking — vital skills that promote self—actualisation, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind. It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expands its worldwide network of clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its programmes.
Toastmasters is an apolitical, non-profit non-sectarian organisation founded over 70 years ago with the sole aim of assisting people like you to improve their communication skills in a friendly, supportive and relaxed (but structured) atmosphere.
Cape Town Toastmaster's Club meets every second and fourth Wednesday at the Huis der Nederlanden, Central Square, Pinelands, at 18:30 for 19:00, usually finishing by 2I:30 . There are other clubs in and around Cape Town.
Your membership provides these benefits
You will meet a lot of new friends.
Come along to a meeting and speak to the Vice-President Membership or any of the club members who will be pleased to assist you.
As the Toastmasters programme is not lecture based, you can join at any time.
With the support of your mentor and the VPE, you are encouraged to present your first assignment as soon as possible. During the meeting you will hear from many members presenting various assignments, not all of them speeches as such. There will be a Toastmaster of the Evening, an Invocation, and some informal off-the-cuff speeches called 'Table Topics’. These are all programme slots that you can volunteer to fill.
You decide. We only require that it is in good taste and not of an offensive nature.
Yes. On joining, you will receive a ‘Communication and Leadership’ manual (C&L), which contains helpful advice and ten assignments which you will present. Each assignment concentrates on a different aspect of speaking. On completion of these first ten assignments, you will receive recognition from Toastmasters International in the form of a CC (Competent Toastmaster) award. While your pace is your own, we encourage you to complete your CC within 12-18 months. Thereafter you can move on to the Advanced Communication and Leadership programme. Here you present further assignments from more specific topic criteria, such as ‘Speaking to Management’, ‘The Entertaining Speaker’ and ‘Technical Presentations’. Am I given feedback on my presentations? Most definitely! A major part of the learning process is the giving of effective evaluations. Each assignment you present will be evaluated a fellow toastmaster, who will give constructive feedback. In turn, you too will evaluate other members' assignments. This is part of the ‘Leadership’ component of the ‘Communication and Leadership’ programme.
Apart from improving your speaking skills and thereby your self confidence, you will learn meeting protocol and procedures. You will of course be entertained and informed by the various speakers. You will hear guest speakers, and have the opportunity to enter speaking competitions.
You can check with the Vice-President Membership for exact amounts but at present you can expect to pay about R220 to join, which covers your manuals, and then about R180 every six months as your club dues (the first six months is included in your joining fee). At each meeting there is a nominal fee, (currently R55) which includes a light finger supper (a cash bar is available). An online fees calculator is available here.