Why Toastmasters International Will Be Around For Centries

One hundred years ago, a small group of about 20 college age men gathered together around a table in the basement of the YMCA. They wanted to learn to deliver toasts and speak eloquently under the mentorship of a master communicator. Somewhere, in the not so distant future, a group of people from all over the world, of all races, ages, and genders, put on VR headsets to meet in a cartoonish virtual universe to communicate and exchange perspectives. Both of these scenarios are illustrations of Toastmasters International, an organization that teaches communication and leadership through evaluations and mentorship. Toastmasters International is a microcosm of how business and communication continues to evolve from a modern past, to a transitional present, to a postmodern future.

The historical and fundamental purpose of Toastmasters is firmly rooted in modernism, a movement that stood in opposition to the conservatism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The aim of modernism was that an individual’s feelings and opinions produced a fresh way of viewing society and had the power to reshape the environment through the use of science, technology and knowledge. Essentially, modernism was the search for the abstract truth of life (“Modernism”). Ralph Smedley founded Toastmasters in 1924, at the height of the “Roaring 20s”. This was not just another traditional educational course on public speaking. Smedley felt that young men learned by active participation. Therefore, he wanted to create a platform that was not governed by political or religious restrictions, where young men could be free to explore communication and speech at a pure and abstract level. Ralph Smedley was quoted as saying, "We need fewer rules on detail and better understanding of general purposes” (Dent). In Toastmasters, WHAT one communicates is far less important than HOW one communicates it. This is the foundation upon which Toastmasters stands today, almost 100 years later. Modernism is the objective, theoretical and analytical approach that can be seen in many of the Toastmasters’ workbooks on evaluations that stress things like eye contact, body language, and vocal variety.

However, starting with the roll out of the digital Pathways program in 2018, Toastmasters has increasingly begun leaning in the direction of postmodernism. Postmodernism literally means, “after just now”. In many ways, it is a continuation of modernism, stressing the role of language, power relations, and motivations. More and more, evaluations are based on what the viewer “sees” “hears” and “feels”. Whereas modernism is about seeking the abstract truth of life, postmodernism asserts that there is no universal truth, and thoughts are flamboyant and completely based on beliefs (“Postmodernism”). Today, Toastmasters is open to all genders and nationalities over the world. And, as of 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, most Toastmaster club meetings have gone from being a face-to-face experience to online platforms like Zoom. The 2020 World Championship of Public Speaking, which is traditionally a lively event with hundreds of cheering audience members, was relegated to squares on a computer screen. This year, the contestants had the challenge of become expert videographers from their own living rooms. The 2020 World Champion, Mike Carr, demonstrated that even during a pandemic, we can use the platforms we have available to be deeply understood by our audience. However, the change has not been easy, and just like those early Toastmasters clubs had to learn as they grew together, so do the Toastmasters of today have to learn how to navigate the new world of virtual communication. But, also like the Toastmasters of the past, the business, entertainment, and education worlds looks to this organization to be the shining example of how leadership and communication works (Schramm).

That brings us to the question, if Toastmasters (as the microcosm for communication and leadership) has come so far in the last century, where is it going? There is widespread expectation of an end to the pandemic with the coming vaccine in 2021. But, it is unlikely that organizations like Toastmasters will be able to forget what we have learned over the last year. Holding virtual meetings allows for people to attend from anywhere. Holding online conferences saves millions of dollars and opens up so many conversations that were not possible before. Nonetheless, there is also something lost in not being able to be in the same room with those with whom we are communicating, namely eye contact, physical gestures, and applause. Some clubs have considered doing a hybrid format which would be a mix of live and online participation (Carr). However, other organizations have begun exploring the amazing capabilities of virtual reality platforms like AltSpace in which users wear virtual reality headsets and appear to each other as avatars. Clubs like Rotary International have already begun having meetings in AltSpace, and many professions like those in education, entertainment, and technology have started holding full scale international conferences in Virtual Reality. So, it is only a matter of time until the foundational modern ideas of Ralph Smedley will be applied in a post-modern virtual multiverse!

The past, present, and future of Toastmasters represents how leadership and communication continues to evolve on a global level. If we remember that fundamentally, Ralph Smedley was in search of the abstract truth about communication, then it is not really surprising that Toastmasters was one of the few organizations able to adapt quickly to the changes brought about by the pandemic. And, given the way that Toastmasters are always on the cutting edge of change, there is no doubt that Toastmasters International will continue to embrace the changes needed to keep them around for centuries to come.

Works Cited:

Carr, David F. “Workshop on Hybrid Online/Offline Toastmasters Meetings: Replay.” Online Presenters Toastmasters, 31 July 2020, op.toastmost.org/2020/07/25/ hybrid-workshop-replay/.

Dent, James (Jim). “15 Quotes from Ralph Smedley (Founder of Toastmasters International).” LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/pulse/15-quotes-from-ralph-smedley- founder-toastmasters-dent-lssbb-dtm.

“Modernism.” Communication Theory, 23 Apr. 2018, www.communicationtheory.org/ modernism/.

Peck, Richard E. “Updates from Toastmasters.” Toastmasters International - COVID-19, 2020, www.toastmasters.org/resources/news%20and%20announcements/ covid-19.

“Postmodernism.” Communication Theory, 18 May 2015, www.communicationtheory.org/postmodernism/.

Schramm, Stephen. “Public Speaking Clubs Go Virtual.” Duke Today, today.duke.edu/ 2020/05/public-speaking-clubs-go-virtual.