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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Toastmasters International today announced its 19^th consecutive year of growth in membership. The global leader in public speaking and leadership skills development reports increases in both membership and clubs around the world with more than 280,000 members, 13,500 plus clubs, and a surge in corporate clubs.

"Communication and leadership skills are the cornerstone of good relationships, personal and professional success, and strong communities," says Toastmasters International President Michael Notaro. "People of diverse backgrounds and all ethnicities join Toastmasters seeking improvement in these core skills."

Toastmasters chartered a record number of 1,292 new clubs for the year, a 3.6% increase over last year. The popularity of Toastmasters' corporate clubs also continues to climb, with 537 forming. This represents a 71% increase over the previous year. Worldwide there are now more than 4,000 corporate clubs operating in companies such as Bank of America, Facebook and Google.

According to a recent survey conducted by Toastmasters, 71% of members join to improve their public speaking skills, while 42% seek to improve their interpersonal communication. Additionally, four countries — Bangladesh, Latvia, Malta and the Republic of Moldova — added Toastmasters clubs for the first time.

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

To see a chart of Toastmasters' membership growth over 20 years, visit: http://www.toastmasters.org/membershipgrowthchart

About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization currently has more than 280,000 members in 13,500 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education level and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow Toastmasters International on Twitter @Toastmasters.

SOURCE Toastmasters International