An Independent Critic of Toastmasters International and collective open community

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Author: opentoasters

  • TMI is a MLM business model

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    opentoasters
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    MLM = Multi-level marketing Ralph Smedley ‘s vision Ralph Smedley originally created Toastmasters as a place to develop communications skills. It has since evolved mutated degenerated into two organizations. One of them, centered around the club mission statement, still follows Smedley’s vision, at least in some clubs. The other, centered around the district mission statement,…

  • Where leaders are made $$

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    opentoasters
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    If you want to exemplify the “Where leaders are made” tagline, consider that real leadership is less about following some “distinguished” plan that mostly benefits TI with extra membership $$, and more about building your club into a group that its members are proud to belong to. A truly excellent club meets its members needs…

  • Agora Speaker a threat to Toastmasters

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    opentoasters
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    Both the founder and many of the initial supporters received all kinds of insults, hate mail, personal threats, and even official legal threats from top lawyers in the country to desist. People with leadership positions in other organizations were asked to step down or were directly expelled simply for expressing their support towards Agora. We…

  • Stepping down and getting a cold shoulder

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    opentoasters
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    This post really hurt my feeling towards the poster. A former Area Director, Division Director, Admin Manager, Conference Co-Chair announced he was going to focus more on his career advancement and leave officer roles at Toastmasters. Now he is being ignored by who he thought were his people. Frankly , never waste your time on…

  • Why my club decided to drop out of Toastmasters

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    opentoasters
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    TL;DR We dropped out because of Pathways and because the Fall contest has been permanently cancelled. I’ve been an on/off member of Toastmasters for 9 years. I’ve been a member of three different clubs, served as the president for two different clubs, and served in a number of other officer roles as well. I really…

  • Has Toastmasters Failed the Digital Disruption?

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    opentoasters
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    The organisation needs to embrace the digital disruption instead of running away from it, and confidently take steps to evolve. Otherwise, it runs into the danger of quickly becoming an ivory tower.

  • What made you leave Toastmasters

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    opentoasters
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    NotTheOnlyGamer Combination of factors for me: As you can see, it’s everything from personal lived experience to International relationships.

  • Toastmasters International censorhip

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    opentoasters
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    You wonder how Toastmasters keep polished communication on social network ( facebook , club website, personal blogs … ) . Despite the outcry about the clunkiness of Pathways, you won’t find many criticisms . Except on reddit.com/r/Toastmasters/ that is not controlled by Toastmasters International. Here are their policies 4. Code of conduct VII. Social media…

  • What an Toastmasters officer feels like an unpaid job ?

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    opentoasters
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    I just quit after 17 years. Was asked to be a club officer almost immediately after joining. Have been a district officer numerous times. As soon as I told my district that I didn’t want to be a district leader or club officer for 2022-2023 (after putting in 40 volunteer hours a week sometimes on…