🎤 Another Full House + Our Newest VP Can't Stop Winning!

💡 This week's tip: Want to become a better speaker? Come speak at our next meeting! Signing up for a role is the fastest way to grow. Whether it's your first time or your fiftieth, every contribution counts—and we need YOU to make our meetings amazing.

"Under Auspicious Circumstances... We Hope Your Incentives Don't Breed Rats!" 🐀 

🎤 Prepared Speeches

2-Minute Special: 1% Better by Jay Yamamoto

Jay brought fun energy to the meeting with a motivational truth bomb from the yoga world: "Half of the battle is just getting to the mat." His message? Just showing up makes you 1% better. If you commit to being 1% better every day, by the end of 2026, you could be 365% better. Challenge accepted, Jay! 🎯

Show Me the Incentive by Blair Vorsatz 🏆 Best Speech Winner

Ever wondered why your company's bonus structure feels... off? Blair took us on a wild ride through the world of incentives gone right, wrong, and hilariously sideways.

We started with Safelite Auto Glass in 1994, where switching from hourly wages to per-windshield pay boosted productivity 44% and worker earnings 9%. Then we time-traveled to 1902 Hanoi, where French authorities paid for rat tails—resulting in tailless rats AND entrepreneurial rat farms. Finally, Blair explained why Fortune 500 CEOs sometimes buy value-destroying companies: when bonuses depend on revenue growth, any acquisition right before bonus time becomes tempting.

As Charlie Munger said: "Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome." Make sure you're rewarding what you actually want—because people will always find the shortest path to the reward.

Introduction to Toastmasters Speech Contests by Albert Yan

The gauntlet has been thrown! Our VP of Education broke down this year's two competitions.

International Speech Contest: The main event, broadcasted internationally. 5-7 minutes of inspirational, original content. Requires Pathways Level 2 completion.

Tall Tales Contest: Open to EVERYONE! Got 3-5 minutes and a wildly exaggerated story? This is your moment to shine with humor, props, and improbable tales.

Why participate? It's fun, you'll grow as a speaker, gain confidence, and contests bring our club together. Not ready to compete? We need judges, timers, and ballot counters too—there's a role for everyone!

The Power of Your Network by Jack Hunter

Jack reminded us that networking isn't speed dating—it's about building real relationships over time. His key advice? Stop chasing what you can get and start asking genuine questions about who people are. Give first, listen more than you speak, and remember: stay humble, stay curious, and stay kind.

💬 Table Topics: Impromptu Speaking at Its Finest

Our Table Topics Master, Nithila Raman threw us curveballs ranging from gnarly injury stories to dream days off work. Speakers shared everything from Hawaiian bike wipeouts to 40-hour pandemic flights, favorite SF neighborhoods (Dog Patch for the coffee!), and that $27 Japanese Wagyu burger at Niku's butcher shop.

Table Topics Winner: Prithvi Akella (Guest) 🏆

When asked what food he devours instantly, our guest Prithvi didn't hold back: "I'll be frank—Indian sweets. Laddu? Gone in seconds." His list kept growing: tacos, pizza, pasta, home-cooked meals. His honest conclusion? "I just like eating because I like to eat. This speech is going terribly because it's not been a minute yet, and I'm just hungry now."

Relatable, hilarious, and perfectly improvised—that's Table Topics magic! Congratulations, Prithvi! ✨

🎯 Evaluations

General Evaluator Amadeo Mazzara led the evaluation section and offered his overall assessment of the meeting, praising Jay's energy shift, the high quality of speeches and Table Topics, and Michelle's effective use of the timer cards. He also encouraged members to greet guests warmly and fill roles proactively—great reminders as we kick off the new year!

Our speech evaluators delivered thoughtful feedback, offering specific praise and actionable suggestions for improvement. From vocal projection to stage presence, structural flow to storytelling—each evaluation helped our speakers grow.

Best Evaluator: Anna Spallino 🏆

Anna provided a masterclass in constructive feedback while evaluating Albert's contest announcement. She praised his clarity and concise delivery of complex information, then offered two powerful suggestions: open with "why it matters" to hook the audience from the start, and command more stage presence. Her evaluation struck the perfect balance—specific, actionable, and delivered with genuine appreciation for Albert's work. Well done, Anna!

✨ Member Spotlight: Blair Vorsatz - When Winning Becomes a Habit

Remember when joining a new club meant quietly observing for a few months before finding your footing? Blair didn't get that memo.

Since joining Golden Gate Toastmasters in October 2025, our VP of Membership has turned winning into a habit that's honestly getting a little ridiculous (in the best way possible). The pattern is simple: Blair shows up → Blair speaks → Blair wins. Whether he's delivering speeches, evaluating others, or thinking on his feet during Table Topics, he's racked up five wins in roughly six appearances. The only weeks he didn't win? The ones he didn't attend.

Three months after joining, he's already our VP of Membership for 2026. Most people are still learning names at that point.

So what's his secret? Well, Blair works on behavioral biases in finance (yes, he literally studies why people make bad decisions), spent time as a collegiate boxer (explains the competitive fire), and his office is across the street (zero excuses for missing meetings). Turns out when you combine analytical thinking, athletic discipline, and perfect attendance, you get... this.

The question we're all wondering: What do you even do with all those ribbons? Start a craft store? Wallpaper your office? We need answers. 🎀🏆

Congratulations on your incredible streak, Blair! We can't wait to see what you do next—preferably while giving the rest of us a fighting chance! 😄

👏 Shoutout to Tonight's Participants

A huge thank you to everyone who made this meeting unforgettable—our speakers, evaluators, Table Topics participants, functionary team, and all members and guests who showed up to support and learn together. Special appreciation to Caitlin, Shubham, Nithila, Jay, Albert, Blair, Jack, Anna, Nicholas, Amadeo, Michelle, Irene, Frankie, Agasthian, Kathleen for stepping into roles. Your energy, courage, and commitment to growth make our club special.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]—we'd love to hear from you!