[MW11]

I've been a Toastmaster many times in the last 26 years, and over the years I've given approx. 100 speeches; and whenever I speak, I am usually voted the best speaker.

On the positive side...
1 ) There are many Toastmasters Clubs to choose from.
2 ) They always make you feel welcome, and make it easy for you to join.
3 ) Especially in the U.S., you get little or no criticism, and the general attitude tends to be positive. And
4 ) It's also true that you gain valuable speaking skills for life.

On the negative side, however, you want to choose with care. You need to pay attention. Especially before you join. Watch out for the following minor things:
1 ) All clubs have rules. And, using those rules, you'll be pressured to join, to commit, and to give up some of your money ASAP. The welcome you get is not personal. It's only a business decision, and they want your business.
2 ) There are some clubs you want to avoid. One club I joined had excessive fees/club dues because the meeting place was a rental.
3 ) There are some clubs you want to avoid. One club I joined had officers and others with an "I'm better than you" mentality which I found annoying.
4 ) There are some clubs you want to avoid. One club I joined had a bunch of members who kept flaunting their detailed knowledge of Robert's Rules of Order, which I found annoying.
5 ) There are some clubs you might want to avoid. In one club there were 36 members, 2 speeches per meeting, and the group met only once every other week. This meant I had to wait up to 36 weeks between speeches.

Surely, I was able to speak at every meeting, because there were jobs (e.g. timekeeper, jokemaster, evaluator, etc.) I was able to do at each meeting, but what I really wanted was doing speeches, real speeches. And those 36-week long waiting periods -- even when we were able to shorten them to 26 weeks -- were totally unacceptable to me!

I used to be shy and timid, but not any more. These days I'm the opposite of most people. I want to get up in front of people and just dive in and learn from the experience... from doing speeches!

In my experience, you don't get much time to practice, as a member. Even if yesterday you chose your club well, you also have to be proactive about it today! You have to keep asking for opportunities to do speeches, real speeches!

It's too easy to remain quiet. Of course it's a bit of a challenge to get up and do speeches. They take a bit of courage! Especially the first 10 speeches! You also sacrifice your time, energy and some of your money. In return you want to make sure you get to speak every time you attend a meeting. It's too easy not to participate and just sit there, listening to others. Doing the job of a timekeeper or evaluator is certainly better than doing nothing. But there is a big-big difference between a timekeeper and a speaker!

6 ) Meetings, in general, are time consuming. It takes time to gather the needed information, to research and prepare for meetings, and to write good speeches. You might find that during meetings approx. 95% of your time is spent listening to various speakers. Driving to and from meetings is another waste of time you want to minimize as much as possible.

7 ) Toastmasters gives you an artificial environment and a few bad ideas; especially if you're a new Toastmaster. For example, in real life, in meeting rooms, in work situations, do you always leap on your feet before you tell a joke? Naaaah... only in the movies!

8 ) In my experience, making friends at Toastmasters is a definite possiblility; however, it's also a challenge, even if you're well-liked... even if the same group repeatedly votes you the best speaker... even if you make friends pretty easily. You can't make friends during meetings because, during meetings, pretty much all small talk between attendees is frowned upon. However, you can make friends before and after meetings. Have the courage to strike up conversations with strangers/fellow-attendees who may be shy, timid, or have inadequate social skills -- not always, but many times. And don't take it personally, if and when they don't respond to you in the nicest possible way!

I hope this helps.