Hixson Toastmasters

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.” We are a local chapter of Toastmasters International.

Today, Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization which gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests. Toastmasters International includes more than 199,000 men and women in more than 9,300 clubs in more than 70 countries.

Experienced professionals and beginning speakers alike can benefit from our practical, face-to-face learning program. Whether you're speaking to the board of directors, your customers, your co-workers, your Sunday School class or your kids, Toastmasters can help you do it better. You'll learn and practice in a friendly, comfortable environment with homemakers, business men and women and retired people who are there for the same reason you are—to become better communicators.

At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. Our Toastmasters club is made up of about 20 people who meet once every other week for about an hour and a half. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving impromptu speeches, presenting prepared speeches, and offering constructive evaluation.