Membership Information Page

Membership Information

Joining the Burlington Toastmasters Club is a very simple process. We suggest you visit a club meeting to meet our enthusiastic members and experience the meeting format. During your visit, you will witness our educational program in action!

To join, simply complete the brief "Application Form" and pay initial dues. Dues are $20.00 new member fee (a one time charge) and $27.00 for first six months of membership. Club dues are $9.00 for six-months. The membership and club dues may be prorated according to the month you join. You may present the Application Form and dues to the Club Treasurer or other Club Officer. Semi-annual dues of $36.00 are collected in March and September.

Benefits of Membership

Becoming a member of Burlington Toastmasters provides many benefits:

Participate in self-paced Communication and Leadership Educational Programs
Opportunity to serve as a Club Officer
Receive "Toastmaster" Magazine monthly
Receive District 37 "Tarheel Talker" Newsletters
Participate in District-sponsored Toastmasters Leadership Institute Training
Eligible to attend District Conferences in Spring and Fall; Region VIII Conference in June; and International Convention in August
Eligible to compete in Speech Contests in Spring and Fall

Details of the Toastmasters Educational Program

The Toastmasters program offers each participant a wide range of public speaking experiences.

Each new Toastmaster receives a New Member Kit. The kit helps to focus the new member on the basics of how to prepare and present a 5-7 minute formal speech.
The formal speeches allow the member to practice in a low pressure and controlled environment. This helps you to gain confidence in your abilities.
These speeches help you develop competency in areas such as organization, eye contact, voice inflection, volume, timing, pacing, body language, persuasiveness and the use of props.
After giving a prepared speech, each Toastmaster receives a constructive speech evaluation. This process recognizes speakers for their strengths and provides valuable insight into problem areas.

Other Public Speaking Opportunities:

Table Topics - this is the time when people hone their skills on how to think on their feet. This is a spontaneous session, where a leader asks random members questions and they need to respond intelligently and clearly within 90 - 120 seconds. This is the perfect setting to help hone your dinner party skills!
Meeting Toastmaster - learn how to run a formal meeting, set up the room properly, correctly introduce guests and speakers and keep a meeting moving along at the proper pace.
Evaluator - as you gain experience, you can serve as an Evaluator to help your fellow members improve their speaking skills. Evaluations are usually presented in 90-120 seconds.
Master Evaluator - Serving as Master Evaluator provides an opportunity to present constructive feedback for the entire meeting.

Advanced Speaking Skills

There are several levels of formal speeches with each level building upon the specifics of the previous level. No one is ever too timid to start or too polished to learn.
Workshop style Success/Leadership programs are also available, offering opportunities for further skill development in areas such as leadership, public speaking and conducting business meetings. These programs are especially effective as in-house training and can be tailored to meet the needs of your company.

Most members attend every week; although it is not mandatory, attending every meeting will benefit you the most.