I went to a Toastmasters session, and was... underwhelmed. Even for public speaking skills, the program seemed kind of trite. It was more geared toward learning the formalities of meetings. You'd probably be a better committee chair after following their program, but I'm not sure you could give a great TED talk or wow potential investors.
Carnegie's program seems closer to what I had in mind, but I want to replicate both the community aspect and the focus on "field" practice of the PUAs, which I suspect is a big part of what makes them so formidable.
The clubs vary in their standard. I recommend you try a few in your area (big cities should have a bunch). For 2 years I used to commute 1 hour each way to attend Victoria Quay Toastmasters in Fremantle, it was that good. It was the 3rd club I tried after moving.
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