Frequently Asked Questions
Toastmasters is an international organization designed to help people improve their public speaking. It consists of more than 16,600 clubs in 143 countries – in fact there are 80 in London alone (but don’t worry you picked the right one!).
Toastmaster clubs host regular meetings which are designed to give people the opportunity to practice their prepared and impromptu speaking skills as well as practice giving and receiving constructive feedback.
Don’t worry! If you’re here, you’ve already taken the first step on your journey to public speaking confidence! Everyone at First London understands how nerve wracking it can be to speak in front of others and no one is forced to speak at our meetings.
If you would like to come along just to see what a meeting is like, you are more than welcome to do so. We do have a part of the meeting in which we offer guests the opportunity to briefly introduce themselves. We encourage all guests to do this but this is the very most you will be expected to participate on your first visit.
On the other hand, if you would like to participate more, guests are free to take part in our Table Topics, which are short, 1 – 2 minute, improvised speeches.
Our meetings are designed to give everyone who attends the opportunity to practice and get feedback on their public speaking.
Meetings are structured in sections:
- Prepared speeches
- Table topics (improvised speaking)
- Evaluations (feedback on speeches)
You can read more about what happens at our meetings here.
Everyone is welcome to come along to a one of our First London Toastmasters meetings to try it out as a guest. We meet weekly 6.30-8pm on Mondays at the University of Law in Moorgate.
Please just let us know if you are coming so we can add you to the guest list at reception.
Every Toastmasters club has its own house style and culture. Some are more corporate, others focus on foreign languages, some on debating.
At First London, we pride ourselves on our diversity, our high achievement as well as our relaxed and light-hearted approach. In any one meeting you might find someone giving a high level speech about inspirational leadership, followed by an absurdist speech on lentils and some crazy table topics that wouldn’t be out of place in a comedy stand-up routine!
Being based in London, we’re lucky to welcome people from all over th world. Currently our members includes Irish, Ghanian, Indian, Chinese, English, Spanish, American, Columbian, French, Dutch and more – in other words, we’re a global lot! No matter where you’re from or who you are, there’s a warm welcome waiting for you at First London!
We are always more than happy to speak to guests about joining the club as members. If you are interested in joining, please speak to one our committee members after a meeting or contact us by email.
It’s totally free to come to a meeting as a guest! We encourage you try out different clubs.
Subscription is £150 per year, which works out as about the price of one coffee per week.
If you have further questions, please feel free to contact us using the form on our “Visit Us” page.
If you attend a meeting, you can also talk to any our committee members who would be more than happy to answer your questions.