Toastmasters International is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to help people improve their communication skills (primarily their public speaking skills) and develop their leadership qualities.
Toastmasters is open to anyone wanting to improve their ability to communicate. As many Toastmaster groups are made up of area professionals, Toastmaster meetings are also a great networking opportunity.
During each meeting, there are multiple opportunities for participation in addition to giving a speech. One can serve as the timer, the table topics master (providing topics for brief extemporaneous speaking), an evaluator and toastmaster.
With more than 250,000 members involved in more than 12,000 Toastmaster clubs in 106 countries, there is most likely a Toastmaster meeting that is convenient for you. Meetings are held in the mornings, evenings and lunch hours.
The toastmaster develops the agenda, assigns roles and ensures the meeting stays on time, on focus or theme, and that everyone receives the maximum benefit from the meeting. It is a challenging role but one that is rich with reward.