Welcome to Toastmasters.dk, the shared site for Toastmasters clubs in Denmark.
Who are Toastmasters?
If you hear the word “toastmaster” for the first time, you may imagine a person who is very good at toasting bread or … drinking alcohol. In reality, Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in the United States, the organization’s membership exceeds 358,000 in more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders. The first Toastmasters club in Denmark was created in 1996. To date, there are 13 clubs in Denmark.
You can also explore the global website for Toastmasters International: www.toastmasters.org.
No matter what your age, background and level of confidence is, Toastmasters club can help you. Whether you are a beginner who is scared as hell of public speaking or an advanced speaker who want to sharpen her skills, Toastmasters is a place for everybody.
How does it work?
You improve your communication and leadership skills by joining a Toastmasters club in your area. Clubs operate based on self-learning approach, where you complete speeches/projects from your chosen educational manual at your own pace. The meeting participants give feedback to each other. In some clubs, you will also get mentors, who are experienced members of the clubs.
A typical Toastmasters club has weekly or bi-weekly structured meetings that run for about 2 hours featuring:
- 2-4 prepared speeches based on specific material
- constructive evaluations for the above speeches
- “Table Topics”, which are short improvised speeches where everybody can participate (including guests)
- Role-based tasks: Toastmaster (the host of the meeting), Grammarian (person who introduces the word of the day and pay attention to speakers’ grammar and vocabulary), Table Topic Master, “Ah” Counter (person who keeps track of filler words and sounds), Time Keeper, General Evaluator (evaluates the roles and the general conduct of the meeting).
A Toastmasters club experience is illustrated in this video:
Members improve their public speaking and leadership skills by completing projects in their chosen educational program, called “pathway”. You can choose a specific Pathway based on your interests and development goals. To find out more, go to the Pathways page.
How do I join?
Choose a club you want to visit on the clubs page and find a suitable meeting date for you to come. You do not need to be a member to join the meetings. You can start by coming as a guest for free as many times as you want. As a guest, you can observe and, if you wish, participate in the Table Topics session – improvised speeches. To make sure you come to the right place and time, check the club’s events on their Facebook page or contact them by email. You do not need to sign up in advance for the meeting to come as a guest.
If you find that these meeting can help you with your goals, you can sign up as a member by paying a membership fee. Depending on a club, the fee is about DKK 75-150 per month paid every six months, plus a one-time new membership fee of DKK 100-150. As a member, you will get access to online educational programs and manuals, will be able to book and make speeches, take on different roles, participate in contests and international conferences, as well as befriend lots of cool people.