Fairfax Toastmasters

Fairfax Toastmasters is the main Fairfax, Virginia area chapter of Toastmasters International, the most cost-effective, and "funnest", way to learn and practice the skills of communication and leadership!

You may have heard of Toastmasters International, and think it's all about public speaking.  That's part of it, but it's really much broader: it's about all forms of communication, plus leadership!  Join us and you'll learn to control your nervousness with strangers (singly or in crowds), make your point clearly and concisely, think on your feet, give (and take) feedback gracefully, inspire others, and much more.

You are welcome to attend as a guest, to check us out.  However, to get the best benefit, you need to give speeches, take other meeting roles, even be an officer, and those require becoming a member of Toastmasters International.  That's dirt-cheap, though, at a mere $90 a year -- the best investment you'll ever make in yourself!

You might wonder, why join Fairfax Toastmasters in particular?  You're right to wonder, we might not in fact be the right local club for you.  The atmosphere varies widely from club to club -- some are very formal and businesslike, while others are so laidback you'd think it was just a bunch of friends chatting.  We try to make it both fun and effective, making you comfortable while also making sure that you get the full benefit of the Toastmasters International educational program.  After all, the founder of Toastmasters, Ralph Smedley, said "We learn best in moments of enjoyment."  Or as I prefer to phrase it, "If ya ain't havin' fun, yer doin' it wrong!"  You might find that a different club better suits your style, needs, schedule, location, whatever... but do check us out.

The club usually has about twenty to thirty members, of which maybe 2/3 show up at any given meeting, making it an excellent place to network.  (The Meetup doesn't have all our members, and not all members of the Meetup are members of the club.) The COVID pandemic put a big dent in our membership, though, since online meetings aren't as fun and people got "Zoom Fatigue", so now we're down to about nine members, but now that we've arranged some in-person venues, we expect to grow pretty quickly, back to full size.

Lastly, though we used to meet in a church, and Toastmasters began in a YMCA, we are not a religious organization.  People of any faith (or none), race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual identity/preference, etc. are welcome.  (In fact, if English is not your first language, this is also a great way to practice it!)  The only restriction is that you must be at least 18 years old to join.

See https://fairfaxtoastmasters.org/ for more information. Check out our digital guest packet which includes a welcome letter from our club president, a description of each of the meeting roles, a membership application, and details on the semi annual dues.