Pembina Valley
Toastmasters Club #5214

Morden and Winker
Manitoba, CANADA

Early History of Toastmasters

A young man, Ralph Smedley, graduated from Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois, in 1903, and found a job at the Y.M.C.A. His work involved making frequent speeches and conducting meetings. As this was an area of special interest for him and he believed in the importance of good communications, he started a club to provide training for the boys at the Y.M.C.A. In his discussions with the General Secretary of the Y, they decided that it should be "a social club, meeting weekly, with programs devoted to practice in short speeches, debates and some work in chairmanship." (Smedley, p. 8) They looked for a name that would not imply the idea of work or study and decided to call it a Toastmasters Club.

When he moved to Freeport, Illinois, in 1906 to work at the Y there, Ralph Smedley once again wanted to start a Toastmasters Club for the boys. The Board of Directors objected-they wanted a club for themselves. So began the Freeport Toastmasters Club. It's program not only included training in speaking and conducting meetings, but also many social activities such as picnics, outings, and "ladies' nights". Their agendas included debates, discussions and simulations of various kinds. They also used an informal style of speaking instead of the more formal oratorical style which was generally used by speakers at that time.

After three years, Ralph Smedley once again moved, this time to the Y.M.C.A. at Rock Island, Illinois. Once again he started a Toastmasters Club, which became very popular and soon had a membership of 75 men. It operated much the same way that our clubs do today-people learned through practice and evaluation, in an atmosphere that was friendly and informal. Unfortunately, the clubs that he left soon quit functioning as the men who replaced him at the Y did not feel that they were important.

In 1922, he moved to Santa Ana, California, where he once again worked for the Y. On October 22, 1924, the first meeting of a new Toastmasters Club was held. This time they drew up a formal Memorandum of Organization. This club eventually became the first chartered club of Toastmasters International. In each of these early clubs, we see the same basic principles used that we still follow today in our Toastmasters club--the importance of learning through practice and feedback, in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

In 1925, a visitor from a nearby town, was so impressed that he started up a club in Anaheim. As members of the original club moved to other places, they started new clubs. Soon it became evident that the clubs needed some written guidelines and educational material and Ralph Smedley wrote "Ten Lessons in Public Speaking". It was mimeographed and bound in a paper cover.

To support the new clubs and exchange ideas, discussions about a federation were begun and it finally began to take shape in 1930. Since a club had been started in Victoria, B.C., the name Toastmasters International was chosen.

With the formal organization in place, the Board decided that there should be some communication to keep in touch with the clubs. Dec. 6, 1930 the first issue of "The Gavel" was 3 pages long and was mimeographed. In 1933 the title was changed to "The Toastmaster". This magazine was 3 ½ by 6 inches. Throughout its history, "The Toastmaster" magazine has published excellent articles on public speaking, leadership, and other topics that are relevant to members.

By 1935, Ralph Smedley was General Secretary of the Santa Ana Y.M.C.A. and was spending long hours trying to keep the programs running through the financial difficulties of the depression years. At the same time, he was editor of "The Toastmaster" magazine. He was also secretary of the local Rotary Club and editor of their weekly bulletin. Then at the election of new officers for Toastmasters International, Ralph Smedley was elected Secretary. He writes, "The change in operation was simple. I cleared out two drawers of my four-drawer file, and devoted this space to Toastmasters records and correspondence. My office desk served for all of my activities. I did most of my own typing, and I was an expert mimeograph operator." (Smedley, p. 35)

In 1935 a club was started in Southport, England. This was the first club outside of North America. A club was started in Glasgow, Scotland in 1937. During the war years, it became difficult for these clubs to continue meeting. However, the Glasgow club met occasionally and after the war began organizing more clubs in Scotland. But the club in Southport, England, was bombed out and never did start up again after the war.

Toastmasters clubs and the organization continued to grow. By the convention of 1947 there were 530 clubs. The president of Toastmasters International, noting that Ralph Smedley would celebrate his 70th birthday on February 22, 1948, suggested that their goal be "700 by 70" (700 clubs by Ralph's 70th birthday). They made the goal a year late in February 1949.

By today Toastmasters has clubs in 70 countries and over 3 million people have benefited from being a member.