How Toastmasters Began

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Toastmasters began when Ralph C. Smedley saw a need in the early 1900’s for men in the community to learn how to speak, conduct meetings, plan programs and work on committees. Smedley introduced the idea of Toastmasters to colleagues at the newly organized YMCA in Santa Ana, CA, where they organized the first Toastmasters club and held their first meeting on October 22, 1924.