District 7 Toastmasters strives to provide a fun and supportive atmosphere where members grow in confidence and overcome fears. They are proud to offer the eleven different Toastmasters Paths that teach both leadership and public speaking skills.

Every member has the opportunity to have a mentor to guide them towards their goals, as well as the opportunity to mentor others on their paths.

District 7 Toastmasters holds an annual Spring conference with an International Public Speaking and Evaluation Contest, where 18 selected contestants compete. Both the winner and runner-up go on to compete at the Toastmasters International Annual Convention.

The first Toastmasters club in Oregon was started in Portland in 1930, growing to 14 clubs throughout Oregon by 1938. In June of 1940, Toastmasters International announced the formation of District 7 Toastmasters under the direction of Frederick H. Eley. At the time, there were five areas and no divisions within District 7. Today, District 7 Toastmasters has grown to include nine divisions and 40 areas throughout Oregon, Washington and California.

District 7 Toastmasters is one of 116 districts worldwide that are each part of Toastmasters International, a public speaking and leadership organization. As a district, they are designated geographically, in Oregon (west of the Cascades to the coast), a small part of Southern Washington and Northern California.

Since it’s beginning in October of 1924, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. District 7 Toastmasters strives to provide a fun and supportive atmosphere where their members can practice public speaking and leadership skills. This allows their members to grow in confidence and overcome their fears.

To help their members achieve their goals, District 7 Toastmasters has a mentorship program. On the receiving side, every member is paired with a mentor that guides them through the education program towards their individual goals. On the giving side, members have the opportunity to test their mentorship skills in guiding others. The mentorship program is guided and increases incrementally, starting with mentoring another member for six weeks, then six months. For members wanting more experience in mentorship, Toastmasters offers them a chance to be a club mentor. These mentors work like a program manager, overseeing a club’s activity throughout the year with the goal of helping the club gain enough points to become distinguished for the year.

To aid in the members’ growth, District 7 Toastmasters has an educational program in which all members have the opportunity to participate. This program is called Pathways. It consists of eleven different “Paths”, ranging from Innovative Planning to Effective Coaching. Each Path includes five levels that increase in difficulty. These Paths teach both leadership and public speaking skills to the members, with the ability to be customized to the individual’s interests.

As a member of Toastmasters, there are opportunities to practice leadership skills at both the club and district levels. Every club has 7 officers and officers serve one year terms:
The President
Vice President of Education
Vice President of Membership
Vice President of Public Relations
Treasurer
Secretary
Sergeant at Arms

In addition to year-long roles, there are meeting roles that provide members opportunities to practice their skills. Members that avail themselves of these opportunities gain the benefits of working on their personal leadership skills in a supportive club environment. Club roles are designed to build skills incrementally and include such positions as being a Speech Evaluator or Toastmaster of the day. Members also have the opportunity to work with their public speaking skills through both giving prepared speeches at meetings and participating in Table Topics.

Throughout District 7, members have the option to belong to community clubs, corporate clubs or specialty clubs. A community club is generally open to all members, and meetings are held in public locations such as libraries, community centers and restaurants. In contrast, a corporate club is affiliated with a sponsor, and attracts its membership from their employees. Some such corporate clubs are AT&T, Boeing, the Coca-Cola brand of companies, Google, Sony, and many other Fortune 500 companies. While these clubs are normally closed clubs, there are some that are open to all community members in addition to their employees.

A specialty club, or advanced club, is for Toastmasters who are focused on developing advanced skills. These are considered closed clubs that are open only to Toastmasters who have reached a certain level in the Toastmasters education program. Recently, District 7 Toastmasters has added the opportunity to join clubs online through hybrid clubs, with members from all around the world. They also offer clubs such as TV Toastmasters, where members can practice their public speaking skills on-screen.

Every year, District 7 Toastmasters holds a Spring conference with an International Public Speaking and Evaluation Contest. Each of the 175 clubs holds a competition to select which of their members will advance to compete at the area level competition. Then, in the areas of District 7, two members from each club compete for two slots to go on to compete in the division level competition. This repeats at the nine divisions in District 7 to determine which 18 contestants will compete at the conference. The winner and runner-up from the conference will go on to compete on the international stage during the Toastmasters International Annual Convention.

Throughout its years as a district, District 7 Toastmasters has received over 25 awards, including Excellence in Marketing and Excellence in Education and Training. District 7 has also been recognized by Toastmasters International as a Distinguished District. Additionally, the Presidential Citation Award for personal achievement has been bestowed by Toastmasters International upon eleven members in the district.