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Welcome to Toastmasters International! In October 1924, a group of men assembled by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley (click here) met in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, U.S.A. They formed 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.” Toastmasters International enters the new century as the undisputed world leader in public speaking training with over 8,800 clubs and more than 175,000 members in approximately 70 countries. In the years to come more people than ever will benefit from Toastmaster's leadership and education. Oak Hill Toastmasters Oak Hill Toastmasters began in 1996 as an effort to bring the outstanding educational program of Toastmasters International to the rapidly growing southwestern neighborhoods of Austin, Texas. While Toastmasters is primarily known for its highly effective training in public speaking, we members of Oak Hill Toastmasters believe that its benefits extend far beyond public performance. As we see it, effective communication enhances the quality of community life, facilitates political participation, and thus, forms one of the basic elements of democracy. Our club is a friendly and diverse fellowship of individuals commited to self-improvement. Members include professionals, business people, students, and homemakers. We work together, evaluating, coaching, and supporting each other toward our personal goals. We learn to listen, to lead discussions, to conduct efficient and effective meetings, to improve interpersonal communication skills, as well as to speak to groups large and small. We welcome all visitors and we believe that many of them will find our meetings valuable enough to join us as full-fledged members of Toastmasters International. Our Mission Oak Hill Toastmasters exists to bring training in communication and leadership to the Oak Hill community. We believe that effective communication enhances the quality of community life and forms one of the basic elements of democracy. We encourage a diversity in membership that reflects the diversity of our community. Our members, both male and female, are drawn from a wide range of professions and ethnic groups.