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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toastmasters International, a global leader in public speaking and leadership skills development, increased its 2010-11 membership numbers by 3 percent over last year. The organization has grown steadily every year since 1994 and now has more than 270,000 members in 116 countries.

"Despite turbulent times felt by so many people and communities around the world, Toastmasters membership continues to grow," says Toastmasters International President, Pat Johnson. "The strong growth in membership proves that people's need for self-improvement in the areas of communication and leadership remains constant, regardless of nationality or profession."

Toastmasters chartered a record number of 1,247 new clubs for the year and added five countries to its roster: Vietnam, Slovenia, Mongolia, Rwanda and Angola chartered Toastmasters clubs for the first time. The organization has more than 13,000 clubs.

Membership outside the U.S. surged by nearly 6 percent since 2010, now totaling nearly 111,200 members. Countries with the most growth during this time include China, Saudi Arabia and India. Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea also saw a significant jump in membership and new clubs.

As membership continues to increase, the number of education awards members are achieving is growing as well. Every award category grew when compared to the 2010 numbers:

• Leadership awards increased by 21 percent to 19,250 (15,657 in 2010).
• Communication awards increased more than 4 percent to 38,009 (36,254 in 2010).
• Education awards increased more than 7 percent to 57,259 (53,117 in 2010).
• The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award is the highest the organization bestows and it recognizes both communication and leadership skills. This year the organization awarded 1,322 DTM awards (1,206 in 2010).

For more information about Toastmasters education program, please visit: http://www.toastmasters.org/EducationalProgram

To see a chart that shows Toastmasters' membership growth over 25 years, visit http://www.toastmasters.org/membershipgrowthchart

About Toastmasters

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. The organization currently has more than 270,000 members in approximately 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Since its founding in October 1924, the organization has helped more than 4 million men and women give presentations with poise and confidence. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
Pat Johnson
http://www.profnetconnect.com/pat_johnson
Daniel Rex
http://www.profnetconnect.com/daniel_rex

SOURCE Toastmasters International