If you have additional questions and can't find the answer on this page, please call or email us or stop by our next meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Toastmasters?
• How Does it Work?
• Can I come and visit a meeting to see if I like it?
• Where does Rancho Speech Masters meet and what time does the meeting start?
• How much does it cost to join?
• What happens at a meeting?
• What's a "prepared speech?"
• What speech projects are there for me to work on?
• What is "Table Topics?"
• What is Evaluation?
• What's all this emphasis on time limits?
• Do I need speaking experience to join?
• Where can I go for further information?

Q: What is Toastmasters?
A: Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that has been working for over 70 years to help people become more effective communicators and leaders. From one club started back in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters has grown to become the world's largest organization devoted to developing people's public and interpersonal communication skills. Today, nearly four million men and women have enjoyed the benefits of Toastmasters membership. The organization now has more than 175,000 members in 8,600 Toastmasters clubs in 70 countries.

Q: How Does it Work?
A: Like all Toastmasters clubs, Rancho Speech Masters provides a "learn-by-doing" workshop in which men and women hone their skills in a comfortable, friendly atmosphere. We meet every week to learn and practice public speaking techniques. When you join, you'll progress through a proven series of 10 speaking assignments designed to instill a basic foundation in public speaking. You'll learn to relax, plan and present a terrific speech, whether you have 10 days to prepare or just 10 seconds. You'll learn and practice in a friendly, comfortable environment with people who are there for the same reason you are -- to become better communicators.

Q: Can I come and visit a meeting to see if I like it?
A: Absolutely! Guests are always welcome at our meetings. You can participate in the meeting if you'd like, or just sit back and observe with no obligation.

Q: Where does Rancho Speech Masters meet and what time does the meeting start?
A: We meet at the Rancho Santa Margarita Community Center located next to City Hall at 22112 El Paseo in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. (click for directions and map). Our meetings start at 7:00 am and run until about 8:30 am.

Q: How much does it cost to join?
A: We are a non-profit organization, so we just have to cover expenses for materials and meeting place. It only costs $75.00 for 6 months membership, which includes membership in Toastmasters International. Dues are paid semi-annually and are prorated depending on when you join. That works out to around $12.50 a month for a proven program that delivers outstanding results.

Q: What happens at a meeting?
A: Our meetings last about an hour and follow a basic agenda which includes:

• Opening and welcome by the club President
• Interesting and inspirational thought, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance
• Introduction of the Toastmaster of the Meeting, who presides over the program that day, introduces speakers and keeps the meeting running smoothly
• Prepared Speeches from members, usually three speeches that run between 5-7 minutes each
• Table Topics, where everyone gets a chance to build quick thinking skills by speaking for 1-2 minutes on an impromptu topic
• Oral Evaluations of the prepared speeches
• Reports from the speech timer, "ah" counter/grammarian
• Presentation of the best Table Topics speaker award
• Club business and closing remarks by the President

Q: What's a "prepared speech?"
A: When you join Toastmasters you'll receive a basic speaking manual with ten speech projects. For each project, you prepare a speech using certain speaking principles. Each manual project lists the objectives for that speech and includes a written checklist for your evaluator to use when evaluating the speech. When you're scheduled to speak at a meeting, you generally pull out your manual a week or two in advance and put together a speech on whatever you like but paying attention to your goals and objectives for that speech.

Q: What speech projects are there for me to work on?
A: In the basic Communication and Leadership manual, there are ten speech projects:

1. Icebreaker - 4 to 6 minutes - getting over nervousness by introducing yourself to the club.
2. Organize Your Speech - 5 to 7 minutes - work on giving a well-organized speech that includes an opening, body and conclusion.
3. Get to the Point - 5 to 7 minutes - continue to work on organizing your speech with a purpose to inform, persuade or inspire. Speaking about something you strongly believe in helps your confidence.
4. How to Say It - 5 to 7 minutes - work on proper and simple word choice, avoiding jargon and generalizations, etc.
5. Your Body Speaks - 5 to 7 minutes - this project calls on you to work with gestures and body language during your speech.
6. Vocal Variety - 5 to 7 minutes - engage your audience with a variety of emotions, volume, speed, pitch, emphasis, etc.
7. Research Your Topic - 5 to 7 minutes - an opportunity to bring together and apply everything you've learned up to this point. Carefully support your points with facts, examples, and experiences.
8. Get Comfortable with Visual Aids - 5 to 7 minutes - to learn how to use props, slides and visual aids effectively in your presentations.
9. Persuade with Power - 5 to 7 minutes - present a talk that persuades the audience to accept your proposal or viewpoint.
10. Inspire Your Audience - 8 to 10 minutes - The final speech in the manual calls on you to move and inspire your audience in a well-presented and well-prepared speech using all the techniques you have learned so far.

Q: What is "Table Topics?"
A: For many members, Table Topics is the best part of the meeting! Basically, you get a chance to present a one to two minute impromptu speech on a subject not known to you until the moment you get up to speak! A member of the club assigned to be Table Topics Master will prepare a few impromptu topics and call on members (or guests, if they want to participate) to stand up and speak on the topic. Topics might include current issues (e.g. "how would you promote the use of fuel efficient cars?") or personal experiences ("What was your most memorable holiday moment?") or a wide range of other topics that help you think on your feet.

Q: What is Evaluation?
A: Evaluation is a vital part of a Toastmasters meeting. During the prepared speeches, each speaker's evaluator makes written notes and plans what to say during the two to three minute oral evaluation. When your speech is over, all members take a minute to write down some quick, constructive comments to help you improve. At the end of the meeting, your evaluator will stand up and give a quick commentary about your speech, pointing out areas where you did great and constructive things you could do to improve in the future. The purpose of the extensive preparation and commentary is to show you what you're doing well and what you need to work on so you're constantly improving.

Q: What's all this emphasis on time limits?
A: All good speakers make effective use of the time allotted and do not keep going and going and going until the audience is bored. In the real world, quite often there are practical limits on how long a meeting can or should go; by setting time limits on speeches and presentations, participants learn brevity and time management and the club meeting itself stays on schedule.

At Rancho Speech Masters, we use a set of timing lights to remind speakers how much time is left. All speeches have a time limit like 5 to 7 minutes, for example. A green light would be turned on at 5 minutes, yellow at 6, and red at 7. In Table Topics, the lights would go 1, 1.5, and 2 minutes respectively. When the green light comes on, you've at least spoken enough, though you need not finish right away, and when the yellow light comes on, you should begin wrapping up. If you're not done by the time the red light comes on, you should get to your conclusion as soon as possible.

Q: Do I need speaking experience to join?
A: No. Our club members, come from a broad spectrum of personal and professional backgrounds, and have differing levels of speaking experience. From novice to professional, each helps teach and motivate fellow members in a comfortable speaking environment.

Q: Where can I go for further information?
A: There's a lot of great information about Toastmasters and public speaking on this website; feel free to browse around as long as you like. If you have specific questions, please call or email us or stop by our next meeting. You can also find out more about Toastmasters International on their website at http://www.toastmasters.org. Or call Toastmasters International at 1-949-858-8255 or write them at P.O. Box 9052, Mission Viejo, California, 92690-7052.