Welcome to the Amsterdam Toastmasters Website !

Becoming a Member of ATC

Who Are We at ATC

About Toastmasters International (TMI)

From a humble beginning in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters International (www.toastmasters.org) has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The nonprofit organization now has nearly 226,000 members in 11,500 clubs in 92 countries, offering a proven – and enjoyable – way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills. During these local club meetings, members perform different public speaking activities. There are prepared and unprepared speeches as well as constructive evaluations of other member’s speeches. We strive to create a safe place for members to practice and learn public speaking, and have fun while doing it.

Who We Are At ATC

The Amsterdam Toastmasters Club (ATC) is a group of international professionals and non-professionals who enjoy the art of speaking. The club is composed of volunteer members who aid in the management of the club and there is an elected Executive Committee available to address any questions or concerns.

All of our members follow a defined communication & leadership track and progress at their own pace. TMI supports us by providing learning materials and tried and tested learning methods that are utilized by Toastmaster clubs all over the world. At every step, fellow members give each other the utmost support and guidance through evaluations and on-going feedback. Take a look at a typical agenda to see the general flow of an evening’s meeting.

Even though we work hard to master the skills, a very important part of our club meetings are the social gatherings when the meeting is over. This helps to create friendly and fun atmosphere, so necessary for our members to learn and grow. We also work very closely with our sister clubs in The Netherlands (www.toastmasters.nl) which naturally extends our network and possibilities.

We have created an ATC Welcome Brochure. Have a look at it! In this brochure, we share the Amsterdam Toastmasters Club’s philosophy, explain how our club is organized and include a list of Frequently Asked Questions. When you visit, we encourage you to come back at least three times before joining. This is to gain a good understanding of the methods we use and the type of people we are. Many of our members are native English language speakers, however most are not. The mother tongue of one of our members could be Dutch, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Italian or any combination of others! Our club is open by invitation to everyone who is over 18 years of age and has a reasonable command of English.

ATC Costs

Our club collects ½ year dues of €110 from active members, which covers local club running costs, the bi-annual TMI fee, and a subscription to “Toastmaster” magazine. {All Toastmasters join the worldwide organization which costs €22 for ½ year.}. There is a one-time fee of approximately €17 that is payable to Toastmaster Int'l to cover your initial registration and educational materials. ATC bank account details: Amsterdam Toastmasters, Amsterdam, ABN-AMRO, 42.32.59.857

ATC Expectations

There are no paid instructors or staff in our clubs. The members run the club. Those who join the Amsterdam Toastmasters Club make a commitment to themselves, and to the other members, to attend meetings regularly and to help run the club for everyone's benefit.

In exchange for being an active member, you can expect to:

Learn to communicate more effectively
Become a better listener
Improve your presentation skills
Increase your leadership potential
Become more successful in your career
Build your ability to motivate an persuade others
Reach your professional & personal goals
Increase your self-confidence

Arrange a Visit

The Amsterdam Toastmasters Club meets every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month at the Hilton Amsterdam. Guests are not charged a fee and there is no obligation to join. Our meetings begin at 19h30, but try to arrive 15 minutes early in order to shake hands and find a seat before we start. Do plan to stay for the social session after the meeting so that we can answer any additional questions you may have. Please remember to send us a quick email (amsterdamtoastmasters@yahoo.com) so that we will be prepared for your visit.

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