Is Toastmasters a social or drinking organization in some regard?
The name Toastmasters is a holdover from the founding of the organization, when one of the main types of public speaking a member of society would engage in was after-dinner speaking, a.k.a. toastmastering. It is rare that normal drinking and toasts take place, and these are usually at major banquets or conferences. In general, though, you’ll find two types of clubs: those that have a meal with their meetings and those that don’t. Clubs that have a meal with their meeting may charge their members for the meals in advance and pay the restaurant in one lump sum or may have members order off the menu. Since breakfast and lunch clubs are popular with the business community, you can often kill two birds with one stone by joining Toastmasters: educating yourself and having a meal with business associates. You’ll also find some clubs that get meeting space by having dinner before their meetings – and half the members wait until dinner is over to arrive. There’s infinite variety to it all. Thi
