Ralph Smedley

We are all members of the Toastmaster’s International, advanced members at that, and proud of it. We are in the throes of its 94^th year, and yet we rejoice, because membership in this august club has given us a sense of time, a manner of speaking and a social support system that we all cherish.  We owe all of this to one man – Ralph C. Smedley, the founder of Toastmaster’s international.

The name toastmaster though was suggested by the secretary of the YMCA – George Sutton, without a toast in hand. Taking a cue from him, today I’d like to raise a toast in the form of a eulogy to Ralph C Smedley in advance of his 52^nd death anniversary which falls in September.

Ralph Smedley was the third child to Thomas Braxton Smedley and his second wife Martha Ann Rice.  After Ralph Smedley’s older sister, Bertha, died of Diphtheria at age seven before Ralph was born, his grieving mother dressed him in girls clothes until he was about three. Perhaps that was where he developed his love of speech.

He finally wore short pants at age five. 

Incidentally their respective fathers in law where on opp sides in the US Civil war and may have clashed in Georgia – That was before their children were married. After they were married – they sat on the porch and argued over wine.

Though he was born in Waverly, Illinois, USA in the 19^th Century, February 1878 to be precise, he never wavered from his goal to make the world a better place.  He started in 1905 and never gave up till he died in September 1965.  And that doesn’t mean he was not successful!

Now how did he do that?

Well most us use the power of intelligible speech to take our lives forward in some way or the other. We use our tongue to cheat, cajole, cheer, confuse, convince or communicate and get ahead in life.  Smedley recognised this fact early on, but he also realised that some needed help to do it or they would be left behind in the race for a better life.  He wrote the manual on how to do it and created a business, a very profitable one albeit registered as a not for profit organization.

Consider this, Toastmasters international has approx. 345000 members 15900 clubs in 142 countries – Its board meeting is like the UN Security Council Meet, without permanent members or vetos though.  It generates in excess of Rs: 200 Crores in revenues annually and is still growing. Like any multinational corporate entity it has a hierarchical organization structure, and the trickledown effect is akin to the plight of Indian taps in a poor monsoon year.  

Besides his stupendous leadership success in creating an international organization, that flourishes and grows much like a banyan tree, Ralph C. Smedley wrote 10 books along the way.  From titles like the Amateur Chairman to the professional speaker, sorry, the advanced speaker, Smedley touched our lives in many manual ways.  In 1952, by which time he was 74 years old, he wrote a book titled Speech Engineering: 25 Ways to Build a Speech (1952) and we struggle to do that even today – we need mentors!

There are two perhaps little known facts about our hero. One is that he was never called by his full name Ralph Chestnut Smedley for a variety of reasons. He always went by the proper noun Ralph C. Smedley! While at college he was the President of the Epworth Club, an on-campus club affiliated with the Methodist church.  Guess who was the recording secretary of the same club?  Frances Bass!  the girl he married in 1904 soon after graduation. Ralph first met her on September 9, 1901 at the home of their Methodist minister, Reverend G.A. Scott.  He must have to taught her to say “yes” when he popped the question. No doubt about it. They married soon after in 1904. They had one daughter Betty Smedley who died in 1994 leaving us Advanced TM’s orphans.

Smedley loved to speak about speaking. Let me read out some of my favourite quotes.

"There are no absolutes in public speaking."

"We need fewer rules on detail and better understanding of general purposes." 

"When you talk, you give yourself away. You reveal your true character in a picture which is more true and realistic than anything an artist can do for you." 

The unprepared speaker has a right to be afraid."

"The club whose membership is shrinking has something the matter with it."

Ladies and Gentlemen Put your hands together for the man who created it all with his tongue. Today we realise its more powerful than the sword and pen put together!