Frequently Asked Questions
Guests
I'm scared to death of speaking! Why should I look into Toastmasters?
Everyone is afraid of speaking. In poll after poll, respondents say that they fear public speaking more than death. Toastmasters can help with that. Everyone in a Toastmasters club is there because at some point they realized they needed help communicating and speaking before audiences. You’ll be surprised to discover how supportive a Toastmasters club can be.
Do I need to contact anyone before attending a meeting?
We welcome all guests, and you don’t need to make a reservation before coming. Still, it’s a good idea to call the contact person listed on our website to confirm the meeting you want to attend.
How long may I attend as a guest?
As long as you want. While a guest, you decide whether or not you would like to participate in our meeting. We will begin to assign you roles after you become a member.
Who makes up your group?
Wordsmiths members represent a broad demographic. Wordsmiths meetings—though structured around an agenda—tend to be more relaxed than you might expect from a Toastmasters meeting. In fact, we enjoy ourselves!
How much does it cost to join?
As a new member, you pay a one-time $20 fee to Toastmasters International. Thereafter, you pay monthly dues of $8.
What are the requirements to join?
There are no requirements. Anyone over 18 interested in improving their communications or leadership skills can join. You need only possess a desire to improve your public speaking or leadership skills.
What happens at a meeting?
The format varies slightly from club to club, but this is what happens at a Wordsmiths meeting:
• Introduction of the Toastmaster of the meeting, who presides over the meeting and explains the meeting as it goes along
• Prepared speeches from members
• Impromptu speeches from members (also known as Table Topics)
• Oral evaluations of the prepared speeches
• Reports from other evaluators, such as Timer, Grammarian, Ah Counter, and General Evaluator
• Awards for Best Table Topics and Best Evaluator
• Club business meeting
Will I be expected to speak in front of the group very soon after joining?
You will be encouraged to speak soon to begin your progress, but everyone proceeds at their own pace. New members take on easier meeting leadership roles at first, and gradually become more involved as their comfort level increases.
What is a "Prepared Speech?"
When you join Toastmasters, you receive a basic speaking manual with ten speech projects. Each project calls on you to prepare a speech on a subject of your own choosing, while incorporating certain speaking principles. Each manual project lists the objectives for that speech and includes a written checklist for your evaluator to use when evaluating the speech. If you're scheduled to speak at a meeting, you usually begin preparing one or two weeks in advance.
At the meeting, your evaluator makes written comments while you speak. At the designated spot in the meeting, your evaluator will rise to give oral feedback on your speech. The speech evaluation is designed to reinforce what you're doing well and make suggestions for improvement.
What are Table Topics?
Table Topics allows you to present a one to two minute impromptu speech on a question asked by the Table Topics Moderator. The Table Topics Moderator prepares questions in advance usually coinciding with the meeting theme, asks the question then calls on members (or guests, if they've consented in advance to being called on) to stand up and speak on the topic.
What is an Evaluation?
An evaluation is difficult to do well because it requires an evaluator to do more than say "here's what you did wrong." A good evaluator will say "here's what you did well, and here's why it was good, and here are some things you might want to work on for your next speech, and here's how you might work on them." It's important to remember that the evaluator is just one point of view. Other members of the audience will also give you written comments on your speech.
How is Toastmasters organized?
Toastmasters members belong to one or more clubs. Clubs consist of at least eight members and may have forty or more. The recommended size for a club is twenty or more. Clubs exist in communities around the world, especially in North America, and it's a rare locality in the United States that doesn't have at least one Toastmasters club. There are, at present, over 9,000 clubs around the world, most of them in the United States. There are many types of Toastmasters clubs: community clubs, military clubs, company clubs, prison clubs, collegiate clubs, and so on.
Where and When
Where are your meetings?
We meet on the Hamline University campus at the Bush Memorial Library. Check the Guests link on the Wordsmiths website for meeting time and location.
Do I need to have ties with Hamline University to join your club?
Hamline University graciously offers us the use of their facilities, but Wordsmiths Toastmasters is not affiliated with this university. Anyone can attend a Wordsmiths meeting.
How often and how long are meetings?
We meet every Monday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
