Visitor Information

 

 

 

As a visitor contemplating to visit one our meetings it is difficult to know what to expect. This is especially true if you have never been to a toastmasters meeting before. We at Dural Toastmasters all know how it feels as everyone in our club has been there before. Sometimes it is easier to drive past our club than walk inside. The hardest part of Toastmasters is harnessing the courage to walk through our door for the first time. Here is a list of frequently asked questions to address any questions and concerns you might have about our club.

 

 

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. Through its thousands of member clubs, Toastmasters International offers a program of communication and leadership projects designed to help men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking. Toastmasters have 260,000 members in 113 countries and over 12,800 member clubs.

Who are Dural Toastmasters?

We are ordinary people just like you who get together every Wednesday night and share a common goal to become better public speakers and leaders. Our memebers comprise of different age groups, backgrounds, and various speaking levels. Founded in 1977, as Pennant Toastmasters Club, Dural Toastmasters  is one of the oldest clubs in Sydney. The club is one of six clubs in Area 37.  Area 37 covers most of “The Hills” area of North Western metropolitan Sydney.

 

Why should I join Dural Toastmasters?

Our club is known for being very friendly, casual, and relaxed. We are all supportive in making sure that everyone participates during our meetings. Around 15 people on average attend our meetings. This means you are almost guaranteed to practice something every evening instead of quietly doing nothing. Many of the visitors who visit our club have also visited other clubs in the area and decide to join us because of our supportive atmosphere and ideal size. If you think this sounds like you please come along and see for yourself.

Is Toastmasters just about public speaking?

Although a significant emphasis is placed on public speaking, Toastmasters also enables individuals to develop other skills through responsibilities such as giving feedback, chairing meetings, keeping time, and speaking impromptu on your feet. All these skills help develop you in becoming a true leader in every aspect. It will make you feel more confident which is key in becoming successful in life.

What types of people join Toastmasters?

Our club comprises of people from all walks of life. Some of our members are business owners, accountants, plumbers, teachers, sales people and tertiary students. We are different age groups, from diverse backgrounds, and have speaking abilities at various levels. People in our clubs have different reasons for joining, some need to be more persuasive at work, some would like to compete in speaking competitions, some need to better lead their employees, and others are developing their skills for the long term. Whatever reason you come to us we respect that and can tailor your program to achieve your goals.

What do I expect by visiting a meeting?

 You can expect to learn something new, be entertained, and be inspired. As a visitor you are not expected to participate unless you choose to do so. You are welcome just to sit back and be a spectator to observe how meetings are conducted. You might what look out the link that points to ‘Typical Meeting Agenda’ as the way we conduct meetings might seem very odd for a first timer. At the end of the meeting you will be asked to say just a few words on what you thought of the meeting from your seat. This is again voluntary and if you are not comfortable giving feedback that is perfectly fine. At the end of the meeting you are not expected to join our club if you do not see yourself ready to make the commitment. The hardest part is taking that first step to visit us, so make sure you do not forget to congratulate yourself afterwards.

Can visit several times before joining?

Absolutely, if you are not ready to make a commitment then we would recommend you visit us several times. We have members who have visited our club up to 3-4 times before making a decision. During this period you are also welcome to visit other clubs to make comparisons, although we must warn you that you will be coming back to our club again anyways.  It is a big commitment on your part so we only would like you to join when you see yourself as being ready.

 

What if I decide Toastmasters is not for me?

That is perfectly fine and we respect that decision. Although we would like for all visitors to join, there are circumstances whereby you may think that joining is not for you. No one in Toastmasters will force you to join the club and it does take a level of commitment of time to make it worthwhile. All we ask is please tell your friends how great our club is if they are also interested in what Toastmasters have to offer.

 

 

Fantastic! Notify or VP of membership before or after the meeting and you will be required to complete an application form and pay the fees. In a few weeks time you will be then inducted as a new member and officially be part of or club. Congratulate yourself on your first step towards your personal success. By the way, you will need to be 18 and over to join the club (Don't blame us, that is the rule of Toastmasters International).

 

How does the toastmaster program work?

When you first start you are given two manuals. The first manual is called the ‘competent communicator’ manual and it consists of 10 assignments for speeches you can deliver at your own pace. They have different objectives from being informative, funny, persuasive, and using visual aids. Some people race through their first ‘competent communicator’ manual in 6 months while others take up to 2 years. There is no deadline and you control your own pace.

The other manual you will receive is a ‘competent leader’ manual. During our meetings you will not always be speaking so you will have the responsibility to play other roles such as evaluating speakers, speaking impromptu, keeping time, and chairing meetings. After you complete these roles for the evening you hand this manual to any member and they can provide feedback on how you went.

Once you have completed the initial manuals you will receive a competent communicator certificate. Afterwards you can choose from an array of more advance manuals. These manuals are more specific and focus on topics like storytelling, special occasions, and motivational speeches. We have a mix of people on different manuals and some people enjoy them so much they do manuals over again.

How much does it cost?

That is a good question and the answer is not very much. When you visit you will have to ask our Treasurer for more current fees, but to give you indicative costing there will be a once off joining see of around $40 to set you up in our system and a annual fee of around $100-$130 which you can pay semi-annually. That works out to be an investment of around $10-13 dollars a month, and for you analytics that is $2 per hour! Receipts of payment can also be provided on request.

 The return you will get in your development really makes the cost insignificant. As part of your membership you will get monthly Toastmasters magazines mailed to you from the US. This magazine has useful articles and also gives you a global perspective on what other clubs are doing across the world.

When and where are the meetings held?

We hold our meetings on the 1st, 3rd, 5th Wednesdays of every month at Dural Country Club on 662 Old Northern Road. The meetings run from 7:00pm to 9:30 with a 30 minute break in between. You do not have to inform us that you will be visiting but just check the dates our meetings will be on. For more information see our ‘contact us’ page.

 
Do I have to attend every sinlge meeting?

 

Let us put it this way, what you put in is what you get out.  We are not in school and there is no penalty for minimum attendance as we are all grown-ups. We do understand that you do have other commitments such as work, holidays, special occasions, and sick days. Attend as many meetings as you can and if you cannot attend a meeting please notify the VP of education as soon as you can. This is so we can allocate your role during the meeting to some one else.  It is quite normal for members to miss a couple meetings during the year due to other commitments.  Do not be worried that just because you joined Toastmasters you have permanently locked your time away for the whole year. 

 

 What am I waiting for?

Only you can answer that question. It is time to unlock your potential. What are you waiting for?