06 Is Toastmasters a social or drinking organization in some regard?
Description
This article is from the Toastmasters International FAQ, by Joel Furr DTM jfurr@danger.com with numerous contributions by others.
06 Is Toastmasters a social or drinking organization in some regard?
The name "Toastmasters" is a holdover from the founding of the
organization, when one of the main types of public speaking a
member of society would engage in was after-dinner speaking,
a.k.a. toastmastering. It is rare that formal drinking and
toasts take place, and these are usually at major banquets or
conferences.
In general, though, you'll find two types of clubs: those that
have a meal with their meetings and those that don't. Clubs
that have a meal with their meeting may charge their members
for the meals in advance and pay the restaurant in one lump
sum or may have members order off the menu. Since breakfast
and lunch clubs are popular with the business community, you
can often kill two birds with one stone by joining Toastmas-
ters: educating yourself and having a meal with business
associates. You'll also find some clubs that get meeting
space by having dinner before their meetings -- and half the
members wait until dinner is over to arrive. There's infinite
variety to it all. This is one good reason to call in
advance.
Many clubs do *not* have meals with their meetings, though.
Quite a few clubs meet after dinnertime in a public meeting
room at a bank or library or at a church, have their meeting,
and go home.
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