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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one-third of all Fortune 500 companies now offer in-house Toastmasters clubs to help employees become better communicators and leaders. Industry giants such as Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Exxon Mobil, Google, Microsoft and The Walt Disney Company have found the Toastmasters International program to be an effective staff development tool that benefits their organization in a meaningful way.

During the past year, more than 600 new corporate Toastmasters clubs were chartered. The growth of corporate clubs has stemmed from companies seeing the value in having employees with the ability to communicate and lead effectively. 

"Providing extensive learning and development programs and resources is a top priority at our company, and Toastmasters is a key partner in achieving that goal," says Chris Payton, Enterprise Learning and Leadership Development Delivery Executive at Bank of America. "Our more than 60 Bank of America Toastmasters clubs provide ongoing development opportunities for employees, enhancing leadership and communication skills that are critical to our success."

Toastmasters' communication and leadership teaches employees how to:

• Conduct effective meetings
• Practice time management
• Enhance their listening skills
• Sharpen their presentation skills
• Boost team collaboration
• Guide successful teams

In the age of texting, email and social media, strong communication skills remain highly prized by employers, which makes Toastmasters' experiential learning program all the more valuable; it helps employees become better speakers and leaders.

"Forming a corporate Toastmasters club is an effective and inexpensive way to develop, enhance and retain employees," says Toastmasters Chief Executive Officer Daniel Rex. "We are experiencing record growth as an organization in part because of the large increase in the number of corporate clubs. We expect that trend to continue as the skills we teach are always in demand in the marketplace."

Organizations looking to provide employee growth opportunities that benefit the company can obtain more information about Toastmasters corporate clubs by emailing corporaterelations@toastmasters.org. 

About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization's membership exceeds 313,000 in more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.

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SOURCE Toastmasters International