The History of a Toastmaster and Our Role


Richard "Beau" Nash and William Knightsmith are the two well known pioneers of our profession, with Richard dating back to the 1600's and William, later in the 1800's. It was these men that set the earlier standards in our profession,and these standards are still current today. The etiquettes of a Professional Toastmaster remain that of a very high standard. 
The hunting pink jacket dates back to 1894 when William Knightsmith, a Toastmaster of repute, was becoming incensed that he was being addressed as a waiter by members of the assembled company he was attending to. Becoming increasingly incensed, his wife suggested changing the colour of his coat to make him stand out. 

So at the Freemasons Tavern in London (later the Connaught Rooms) in the first year, he wore his new scarlet coat. Other toastmasters who saw it ridiculed him and thought it was a joke. It was later seen by the then Prince of Wales (Later King Edward the Seventh) who led the applause and approved of the colour. Within a year virtually all the Toastmasters in London were wearing the ‘hunting pink' coat. It was law that the hunt was not allowed to pass through the City of London and therefore toastmasters generally do not wear the red tailcoat, otherwise known as hunting pinks, in the city. The hunting pinks got their name from the tailor, a Mr. Pink, who designed them. 
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William Knightsmith
We as Toastmasters have many duties. We are often seen as, The Surrogate Host, Master of Ceremonies and Event Manager. It is we, who use our Social Skills, Interpersonal Skills, along with Organisational Skills and more. We want to ensure our clients feel totally at ease,having trust in us, that every eventuality will be catered for, with no need to worry.

We will be Present at both the Ceremony and Reception on the wedding day, we will assist with buttonholes and corsages as well as assisting with the ushering in of guests at the ceremony. We will have extensive communication ,both prior to and on the special day, with our clients and team of service professionals working together to ensure clients needs are met.We will introduce guests to a receiving line, we will announce distinguished guests into The function room when all guests are seated, we will advise on all matters of etiquette And protocol, we will ensure speeches are coordinated within the correct time frames, we will add other fine touches and grandeur to make that special occasion even more special, and indeed more memorable for our clients. I have mentioned about weddings within this paragraph, this level of service applies to all special occasions, in there own capacities, where different levels of formality and protocol apply.   

From my own perspective, carrying out the above tasks as a Professional Toastmaster, gives me great pleasure, and I am there for ‘You’, ensuring the Special Occasion is catered to your needs.