Welcome to Waverley Toastmasters!
Waverley Toastmasters is a branch of Toastmasters International in Edinburgh located near the City Centre. As a member of Waverley Toastmasters, you'll become a part of an easygoing group of friends eager to have fun and learn together. You will develop the confidence and skills to speak and lead in any situation--while having so much fun along the way that you won't even realise how much you're learning.
Here at Waverley Toastmasters we like having guests. If you want to join us at a meeting, you can just turn up - there's no need to book. Here is some information about the club, a typical meeting, how to join, fees etc.
What is Toastmasters International (TMI)?
Waverley Toastmasters is part of Toastmasters International (TMI), the largest communication and leadership organisation in the world. World Headquarters is based in the USA; has over 14,000 clubs in 116 countries and approximately 280,000 members.
Each club within TMI has its own personality, and as a member, you have the advantages of belonging to a small club with access to the resources of a large organisation.
At Waverley Toastmasterss, our environment is friendly and supportive. Members receive encouraging, helpful feedback on their speaking strengths as well as suggestions for improvement. This helps you build your confidence and skills.
What happens at the meeting?
Prepared speeches are only one aspect of the Toastmasters experience. Meeting roles encourage our members to practise and learn different skills and to build confidence in many areas of communication and leadership. The roles are:
Toastmaster of the Evening (TME): a congenial host, the TME ensures that the meeting runs smoothly and on time.
Table Topics Master (TTM): gives members random topics to speak on for up to 2 minutes that encourages them to think and speak “on their feet” and improve their impromptu speaking . We do not usually ask guests to participate in Table Topics but if you are keen to take part, speak to the TTM at the break.
‘Ah’ Counter: helps members eliminate distracting crutch words and sounds such as “er” and “um” , “you know” etc.
Timer: helps keep the meeting organised and running to schedule.
Speech Evaluators: peer evaluation to highlight existing strong points and give suggestions for improvement.
Communication and Leadership Programmes
Toastmasters is not just about speaking in public. Toastmasters provides training in both communication and leadership.
PATHWAYS
Pathways is an exciting new programme with 300 competencies, spread over 10 learning paths. One path concentrates on presentation skills and interpersonal communication; the other nine paths are a mix of presentation skills and leadership skills. For more information about PATHWAYS, go to https://www.toastmasters.org/pathways-overview
At Waverley Toastmasters we encourage members to complete the education programme at their own speed – there’s no pressure. You design your own learning programme with the help and support of the club. And, the main advantage to having a structured programme is that you never stop learning and improving.
Mentoring and Support
When you join the club, the Mentoring Co-Ordinator (MC) assigns an experienced club member to be your mentor, if you wish. The choice is yours but it has been shown that having a mentor improves your learning. If you decide to have a mentor, they will guide you through your manuals; give you help with preparing and delivering speeches and roles; and answer your questions.
Fees
Toastmasters is a not-for-profit organisation and is run entirely by volunteers. Members pay a fee which contributes to the smooth and successful running of the club (see the table below)
As a guest, you are welcome to attend three meetings free of charge before we ask you to commit to becoming a member. If you enjoyed your experience as a guest, then we hope your next question will be:
“How do I join?”
Ask the club's Vice President of Membership (VPM) for a membership form. Once you complete the form and pay your membership dues (see the table below),the VPM will register you with Toastmasters International (TMI) and you can get started on your Toastmasters journey.
How much do I pay?
The membership fee is £60 every six months, paid in March and September. If you join in any other month, however, you pay pro rata. For example:
If you join in
|
Cost
|
If you join in
|
Cost
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April or October
|
£60
|
July or January
|
£30
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May or November
|
£50
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August or February
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£20
|
June or December
|
£40
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September or March
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£10
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Please Note: new members also pay a one-off fee of £20 to join Toastmasters International (TMI) that covers the cost of your first Path.
Further Information
We recommend that you visit the club’s website and blog at www.waverleycommunicators.org You can also visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/WaverleyCommunicators.
Finally, if you have questions on any aspect of Toastmasters, would like to join, or give us your feedback, please speak to one of the Club’s Committee members at a meeting or contact
Vice President Membership
Patrick Bundy
(see panel on right)