In 1993 Rick Kloete, now Senior Consultant with The Human Capital Group, was a member of a Toastmasters Club located in Metairie, LA just outside of New Orleans, called “Metro Leaders.” This vibrant club consisted mainly of sales professionals, business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs who had a common goal of growing personally and professionally while having fun. The group spent time each meeting sharing business leads with one another while improving their communications skills through Toastmasters. Some of Rick’s best friends, memories, and business relationships came out of his experience with this group – an experience which became the inspiration for the formation of our club.
Following a move to Middle Tennessee in 1997 Rick became involved in several professional organizations including the Nashville Association of Sales Professionals (NASP). During a NASP meeting, Rick mentioned his desire to start a Toastmasters Club similar to the one he had left to Cindy Houston Hazen, President and CEO of Sales Executives, Inc. and also an experienced Toastmaster herself. Cindy encouraged Rick to take action and put some legs on his dream and desire and with lots of encouragement from Cindy he got the club off the drawing board and into reality.
After spending some time thinking about it, Rick contacted Dr. John Lloyd, DTM and Immediate Past District Governor of District 63. Dr. Lloyd, who was the Lt. Governor of Marketing at that time, agreed to become our official Club Sponsor and Mentor.
As the dream became a reality, Rick became the founding President & led a brave group of charter members of the new Metro Leaders Chapter as we filed our charter in July, 2003.
We attained Distinguished Toastmasters Club in our first year and have consistently maintained a membership of over twenty. We’ve had many club members come and go with more than sixty members since our inception. Club presidents have included Rick Kloete, Cindy Houston Hazen, Dave Robinson, Chester Butler of The Butler Company, Jayson Campbell and currently Kristopher Fisher.
Our members have gained confidence as well as receiving numerous certifications and promotions such as John Smitherman who was promoted to Director of Sales, he says in large part to his Toastmasters training. They have shared business leads, improved Leadership and Communications skills, and in keeping with the club which inspired it all – they’ve had fun while growing personally and professionally. We invite you to join us on our Journey together.
A Brief History of the Toastmasters Program
Since Toastmasters began, more than three million men and women have benefited from the organization’s communication and leadership programs.
In October 1924, a group of men assembled by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, U.S.A., forming a club “to afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members.” The group took the name “Toastmasters.” Soon men in other communities and states asked for permission and help to start their own Toastmasters clubs. By 1930, a federation was necessary to coordinate activities of the many clubs and to provide a standard program. When a speaking club in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, expressed interest in forming a Toastmasters club, the group became known as Toastmasters International.
For many years the “Home Office” of Toastmasters International was based in a series of rented office spaces. In 1962, the Toastmasters International staff moved to its first World Headquarters building in Santa Ana, California, not far from where the first club began. By the late 1980s, however, this building could no longer adequately house the increased staff needed to provide services to the growing number of Toastmasters. In 1990 World Headquarters relocated to a new building in Rancho Santa Margarita, approximately 20 miles south of Santa Ana, designed to accommodate Toastmasters International’s expected growth well into the 21st century.
Toastmasters International’s success and growth is due in large part to the continued development of its educational programs. The organization has come a long way since the first speech manual, Basic Training, was developed more than 50 years ago. The current manual, now called the Communication and Leadership Program, was most recently updated in 2003. After members of Toastmasters complete all 10 speech projects in that manual, they may apply for their Competent Toastmaster (CTM) award and then choose from any combination of 15 advanced manuals.
Additional educational materials include the Success/Leadership and Success/Communication Series, The Better Speaker Series, and the High Performance Leadership Program. Toastmasters International’s education system includes both a communication track and a leadership track. The communication track award progression features the CTM, Advanced Toastmaster Bronze (ATM-B), Advanced Toastmaster Silver (ATM-S), and Advanced Toastmaster Gold (ATM-G); the leadership track award progression includes Competent L eader (CL) and Advanced Leader (AL). The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) remains the highest award.
In addition to the various educational materials available through the Toastmasters International Supply Catalog, members receive the monthly publication, The Toastmaster magazine. Club and district officers receive a bimonthly publication, TIPS, and district officers receive District Newsletter each month. Toastmasters International enters the new century as the undisputed world leader in public speaking training, with over 9,300 clubs and more than 195,000 members in approximately 80 countries. In the years to come, more people than ever will benefit from Toastmasters leadership and education.
