About our club

Toastmasters Whitby Pros is an online club, with quarterly special events such as the Charter Party and Christmas Party.

We received our Charter on October 1st 2019.

We have excellent turnouts with all roles fulfilled. 

We are having extra fun by participating in Toastmaster contests. We have had the Impromptu Speech Contest, the tall tales contest, the humorous contest and the evaluation contest. . 

We have a lot of Toastmaster Experience, if you add up the years of toastmaster experience in our members who came from other clubs, we have well over 100 years of Toastmaster Experience. We believe that our club rivals the Advanced clubs when it comes to the development of professional skills. 

Our members say they love the club for it’s fun, friendliness, professionalism and educational sessions.  

If you would like to attend a meeting, just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.  Guests come for free. Just fill out the guest invite form and we will send you and invitation. We like to be properly prepared to greet guests and to make them feel comfortable. 

 

Toastmasters began way back in 1924, and from there spread around the world. 

A Basement Brainstorm

When people hear the word “basement,” they’re more likely to picture mold and spiders than the birthplace of a global communication and leadership training organization. But a basement in a YMCA in Santa Ana, California, is exactly where, in 1924, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley held the first meeting of what would eventually become Toastmasters International.

Dr. Smedley began working as director of education for a YMCA after he graduated from college. He observed that many of the young patrons needed “training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings,” and he wanted to help them. He decided the training format would be similar to a social club. During the early 1900s the word “toastmaster” referred to a person who proposed the toasts and introduced the speakers at a banquet. Dr. Smedley named his group “The Toastmasters Club” because he thought it suggested a pleasant, social atmosphere appealing to young men.

When Dr. Smedley started The Toastmasters Club, members practiced speaking skills in a supportive, informal atmosphere. Word spread about Dr. Smedley’s YMCA experiment and soon people in other communities and even other states began asking for permission and help to start their own Toastmasters meetings. By 1930 the burgeoning clubs had established a federation to help coordinate activities and provide a standard program. In 1935, the organization officially became Toastmasters International after a speaking club in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, expressed interest in joining.

Over the next six decades, the number of Toastmasters grew, and so did the need for a larger staff to serve them. Toastmasters World Headquarters relocated in 1990 to its new building in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, about 20 miles south of Santa Ana. The evolution of its educational programs and resources are the essential elements behind Toastmasters International’s success and growth. Training has expanded from the 15-project manual, Basic Training for Toastmasters, developed by Dr. Smedley, and now includes other materials to help members develop skills in listening, giving feedback, decision-making, delegating and mentoring.

With more than 352,000 members in more than 16,400 clubs in 141 countries, Dr. Ralph Smedley’s “basement brainstorm” continues to thrive in the 21st century,