FROM confident communication to international acclaim, Guyana’s Toastmasters are raising the bar for leadership and eloquence across the Caribbean.

A way with words and a flair for holding people’s attention are impressive skills, but these are not owed entirely to charisma. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has been inspiring people to communicate confidently through regular practice and evaluation in fun, supportive clubs worldwide. Guyana is home to the oldest Toastmasters club in the Caribbean, now 66 years strong. It is also home to some of the region’s most skilled speakers. This week, Pepperpot Magazine sat down with a few of these eloquent professionals, who say being a Toastmaster goes far beyond speeches and toasts—it’s a commitment to self-development as a communicator, motivator, and leader at any level.

What You Need to Know About Toastmasters
Although Toastmasters is widely recognised in Guyana, it is part of a global network with millions of members worldwide and thousands here at home. Its growth is credited to a strong organisational structure focused on communication, personal growth, and leadership. Clubs are categorised as either corporate or community-based. These clubs fall into areas, which form divisions and eventually districts, with Guyana being part of the Caribbean district.

Despite their structure, Toastmasters clubs are always open to new members. Many encourage visitors to attend meetings and experience firsthand the rich conversations and constructive feedback that define the Toastmasters’ journey.

Author, professional, and entrepreneur, Tashi Browne, the incoming District Director, is one of only a few Guyanese to have held the title. Her hopes for the future of Toastmasters in Guyana remain rooted in one word: excellence. Speaking on the importance of her new role, she stated, “The district director’s role focuses on the day-to-day operations and oversight for the district to be able to have certain goals achieved and implemented. For Guyana, it’s really a huge deal. It’s a big deal because we’re having the opportunity to be in the strategic position another time. And it helps us to really position how Toastmasters continue to unfold here in Guyana,” she said.

Representing Guyana on the international stage
Guyana is not only home to one of the oldest Toastmasters clubs—it also boasts some of the Caribbean’s finest orators. Former District Director Anita Ramprasad recently took to the international stage, securing second place in the district competition with her speech titled “8:28”, inspired by the Bible verse Romans 8:28. Recounting her experience, she shared, “My speech was the last speech. And I was outside of the room listening to all the speeches about struggle. So, my speech was about Romans 8:28. Well, the title of the speech was 8:28, but it’s Romans 8:28. That all things work together for good.” She continued, adding, “So, in essence, I kind of brought everything that they were going through into my speech in a way that everybody goes through some form of suffering, be it betrayal, loss, grief, defeat. And I shared a struggle that I went through personally, how I didn’t realise at the time that it was working for my good, but it was.”

Anita has been a Toastmaster for over 16 years, joining her first club while working as a Human Resources Manager. The club was initially formed to enhance employee communication skills, but for Anita, it became a space for leadership beyond corporate structure. “In Toastmasters, fortunately, there is that space for you to lead in every meeting. So, if you can lead in the small things, you will be able to be an effective leader in the larger things. And we saw it as a way to do that. My experience in Toastmasters has been next level. Because I’ve been fortunate to be in charge of the Caribbean. I held that position for 2018–2019. I was also a district director at that time. And that has allowed me to earn awards for leadership,” she said.

Why you should become a Toastmaster
For many, the question remains: apart from public speaking, what value does Toastmasters really offer? Longtime member, accountant, and incoming District Finance Manager, Vinish Etwaroo, says it’s about much more—it’s about learning confidence, tact, and eloquence so that when you speak, people don’t just hear you—they listen. “I’m an accountant by profession. I joined Toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills. Because as an accountant, you need to represent well. And I thought Toastmasters was a pathway for that.” He added, “The first important thing I learned is to be confident. If you’re not confident, people will not listen to you. People may not want to accept what you’re saying. So, as a confident speaker, you grab people onto you. And with the leadership aspect, I was able to dedicate, plan, coordinate. Those are skills Toastmasters helped me to achieve.”

Vinish has served in various leadership roles over the years and remains committed to excellence. “Over the years, in each programme, I served on a different level. I served as the club president, the area level as the area director, and the division level as the division director. Each time I served, we tried to achieve the best award by Toastmasters International, the President’s Distinguished Award. One of the most challenging years was serving as the division director, which comprised of Diane, Grenada, and Trinidad. That year, COVID hit. Despite that, we still achieved President’s Distinguished Award. So, that was one of the challenges we overcame,” he said.

Growth Through Challenge
Also representing Guyana is Lisa Agard, a long-standing member who has been attending Toastmasters meetings since her university days over 20 years ago. Lisa has held several leadership roles in the organisation, including president, treasurer, and area director. “I’ve participated in several contests just to challenge myself to step out of the comfort zone. I think one of the biggest ones would be getting to district level,” she shared.

Recalling her experience, she said, “The nerves, the dealing with the butterflies, but just getting to that point of contest is an experience that I certainly will not forget.” She further explained, “At the district level, this is where Toastmasters from all the different divisions, we would say la crème de la crème of all divisions, in terms of their best of the best, really get the opportunity to send the top Toastmaster forward. This is where the best of the best within the Caribbean would compete. I placed second in that. Guyana being second, Jamaica first, and Barbados in third.”

From refining communication to fostering leadership, Toastmasters continue to shape some of Guyana’s most powerful voices. With seasoned professionals like Tashi Browne, Anita Ramprasad, Vinish Etwaroo, and Lisa Agard leading the way, the legacy of eloquence and excellence is in capable hands, and the next generation of Toastmasters is already finding its voice.