"EXCEED EXPECTATIONS"

In October 1924, a group of men assembled by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, U.S.A., strictly speaking to form a club “to afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members.” Our group took the name “Hawthorn Toastmasters Inc.” We are a local community club of Toastmasters International and our members are drawn from Glenferrie, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Kew, Collingwood, Richmond, Kooyong, Canterbury, Malvern, Hartwell, Glen Iris, Mount Waverley, Alphington, Melbourne and surrounding areas.

Today, Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization which gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests. Toastmasters International includes more than 250,000 men and women in more than 12,000 clubs in more than 106 countries.

Experienced professionals and beginning speakers alike can benefit from our practical, face-to-face learning program. Whether you're speaking to the board of directors, your customers, your co-workers or your kids, Hawthorn Toastmasters can help you do it better. Strictly speaking, 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.

At Hawthorn Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. A typical Toastmasters club is made up of 20 to 30 people who meet once a week or fortnight for about an hour.
At Hawthorn Toastmasters Club members learn by studying the manuals, practicing, and helping one another. Learning takes place in the Club environment. Club meetings are workshops where you study and practice communication and leadership skills with others who are there for the same reason as you. You learn by doing, sharing and by watching fellow Club members. Each meeting gives members an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving impromptu speeches, presenting prepared speeches, and offering constructive evaluation as well as other roles.

Hawthorn Toastmasters meet at Anderson Road Community Meeting Rooms, Anderson Road, East Hawthorn, 3123, Victoria, Australia.

Hawthorn Toastmasters meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. The meetings start at 7:30pm and run for 2 hours.