Welcome to the Stratton VA Toastmasters Web Page!

Please join us at 5 PM in the 4th Floor Wilson Lounge on the first and third Thursday of the month.

Background

In October 1924, a group of men assembled by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, U.S.A., forming a club “to afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members.” The group took the name “Toastmasters.”  We are a local chapter of Toastmasters International.

Today, Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization which gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests. Toastmasters International includes more than 199,000 men and women in more than 9,300 clubs in more than 70 countries. 

Experienced professionals and beginning speakers alike can benefit from our practical, face-to-face learning program. Whether you're speaking to the board of directors, your customers, your co-workers or your kids, Toastmasters can help you do it better. You'll learn and practice in a friendly, comfortable environment with people who are there for the same reason you are—to become better communicators.

At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. A typical Toastmasters club is made up of 20 to 30 people who meet once a week for about an hour. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving impromptu speeches, presenting prepared speeches, and offering constructive evaluation.

The Stratton VA Toastmasters meets at the Stratton VA Medical Center, 113 Holland Avenue, Albany, New York.  Meetings will be held  in the Wilson Lounge on the 4th floor.  Since the meeting location may be changed at the last minute, please check for signs by the elevators when you arrive for the meeting.

 Join us from 5PM to 6PM on the first and third Thursdays of each month!