💜 GGTM Turns 90: Favorite Things & Stories That Stay

🎉🎂 April 15 — GGTM Turns 90

Not just a meeting — a milestone celebration. 🥳

We’re opening the doors to guests for a special first hour, followed by a members-only celebration to close out the night.

🕕 6:00–7:00 PM — Open to Guests
Come experience GGTM, meet the community, and get a taste of what we do best.
Toastmaster of the Evening: Ryan Davis
Theme: Super Power
📍San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

The Party You Don’t Want to Miss 🎉 
Members-Only Celebration

🕖 7:10–8:45 PM
🍕 Food, snacks, cake & drinks
🎟️ Raffle (two winners)
🎭 Improv games
🎶 90s playlist
🎉 Decor to mark 90 years
👗 Dress code: 90s style or a throwback outfit you love
Members — RSVP via the club invite.

Our Club President Shubham Saloni opened the evening the way only a 90th anniversary month deserves — by asking all of us: “What's the one thing you'd want every single day?” The answers ranged from dhosas to See's Candy to jump rope, and somewhere in that small circle of favorites, you could feel exactly what's kept this club running for nine decades: people showing up, week after week, for the simple pleasure of connection.

To carry that warmth through the rest of the evening, please welcome our Toastmaster of the Evening — someone who promised to do things big, and delivered exactly that. Sheila Vida, the floor is yours.

Cult or club — Sheila wasn't confirming anything. What she did confirm: every role filled, no doubles, and an agenda that was this close to being printed in her favorite color. Purple, for the record. Amazon had other plans.

Vedant once wore his watch to bed, imagining he’d wake up in the middle of the night, glance at it, and think, “Oh, it’s 2:43 AM — good to know.”

That moment never came.
But the watch stayed — a quiet reminder that he was in control of his time.
Until one day, without realizing when or why… he stopped wearing it.
Now, with an Apple Watch on his wrist and time still moving forward, Vedant shared a simple realization:

It’s not about tracking every moment —
it’s about living it.

💬 Time doesn’t wait… but we get to choose how we spend it.

“They say the shortest distance between two people is a story…
but sometimes the hardest story we tell is about ourselves.”

Ryan stepped onto the stage not with certainty — but with honesty.
“I am a collection of living paradoxes.”
Wanting connection… while learning to feel at home within himself.
Seeking closeness… while navigating self-doubt.
And instead of trying to resolve those contradictions —
he chose to embrace them.
To redefine failure.
Not as proof of inadequacy… but as ingredients.
Because sometimes, when life gives you lemons…
you don’t make lemonade. You make grape juice.
Ryan didn’t just join Toastmasters to speak.
He joined to master something deeper:
Connection. Authenticity. Being fully seen.

💬 We’re not here to eliminate our contradictions.
We’re here to understand them… and speak anyway.

What does 90 years of GGTM look like?

Not just meetings. Not just speeches.
But moments, risks, and people who kept showing up — again and again.

To celebrate this milestone, our Club President Shubham Saloni brought together a panel of voices spanning decades of GGTM:

Michael Dart, Nicholas Teodori, Jay Yamamoto, Helen Fream and Katka Sabo — leaders and past presidents who helped shape the club we know today.

✨ What brought them here — and what they found

Some came to overcome fear.
Some came looking for connection.
Some followed a New Year’s resolution… or even their mom’s advice.

• Michael came to overcome the adrenaline rush of public speaking

• Nick showed up years after hearing about Toastmasters — and never left

• Helen continued her Toastmasters journey from England to San Francisco

• Katka discovered a “sandbox” to experiment, learn, and grow

What they found was something more:

A space to fail safely
A place to grow into your voice
A community that meets you where you are — and moves with you

💭 Moments that stayed

For Helen, it was a “Back to the Future” meeting —
a night where everything ran backwards, and creativity took over.

Because GGTM has never just followed a script —
it’s been shaped by the people willing to try something new.

🧠 Lessons That Carried Through the Years

“You don’t need anything to get started.” — Jay
“Just keep going.” — Nick
“The more you put in, the more you get out.” — Katka

From leading through the uncertainty of COVID — when meetings shrank to just a handful of members on Zoom —
to rebuilding into a thriving, vibrant community today…

GGTM didn’t grow by accident.
It grew because people stayed.

🔥 Traditions — remembered and missed

Closing down bars after meetings.
A trophy engraved with years of wins — now mysteriously lost.
The “Maverick Award” for those bold enough to step up at the last minute.
Some traditions may fade…
but the spirit behind them never does.

💜 One simple truth

Across 90 years, one message stood the test of time:
You already have everything you need.
Your voice. Your story. Your perspective.
All you have to do…
is step up and speak.

From decades to childhood memories, from inventions to places that shape who we are — Table Topics Master Helen Fream guided the room through a series of “favorite things” that revealed more than just preferences… but stories behind them.

Kathleen praised Tavisan’s speech for its refreshing take on mentorship — focusing not on what we gain, but what we give.

She highlighted his strong storytelling, especially the way he brought different types of mentors to life — from the “invisible” to the manager and peer — with clarity and creativity. His delivery was direct, confident, and free of filler words.

Kathleen also noted the vivid moment of waiting for the visa as a powerful emotional anchor, and suggested adding a more structured summary at the end to reinforce the message.

Irene opened with “They say the shortest distance between two people is a story.
But tonight, Ryan gave us something rarer — the art of living with yourself.”

Ryan began boldly with “I am a collection of living paradoxes” — a line that immediately drew us in. His story was deeply personal, yet universal, with a memorable takeaway:
When life gives you lemons… Irene suggested “make a whiskey sour.” 🥃 😄 

To strengthen the impact even further, consider sharpening the ending with one concrete next step — what will you do next in Toastmasters?
And let your delivery reflect your message: use body language and vocal contrast to bring out the tension between connection and struggle.

Vulnerable, thoughtful, and memorable — this Ice Breaker broke more than the ice.

Nithila Raman introduced “storied” as the Word of the Day — a fitting choice as GGTM celebrates a major milestone.

While it made only one appearance (shoutout to Ryan 👏), the meeting was still rich with creative language. She highlighted memorable phrases like “loosening the leash” and the clever use of “Sherlock” to describe a photographic memory.

She also noted that while prepared speeches often shine in word choice, Irene’s evaluation — crafted in under 30 minutes — stood out with strong lines like “an icebreaker that broke more than the ice” and a compelling opening.

A night full of thoughtful and engaging language — even beyond the Word of the Day.

🗣️ Ah Counter — Alexander Wu

Alex tracked a total of 138 filler words for the night — roughly one per minute, a solid result given the meeting’s heavy focus on impromptu speaking and panel discussion.

👏 Clean speakers (no filler words):
Albert, Agasthian

💪 Low filler count (1–4):
Sheila, Mike, Derek, Irene, Kat

⚖️ Mid range (~6):
Frankie, Michael, and a few close behind

Alex also brought back the clicker and set a friendly challenge for the club: can we get under 120 filler words next time? He noted that while some speakers had a few fillers, others leaned more on repetition, expanding the focus beyond just “uhs” and “ums.”
We came close — and now we have a number to beat.

⏱️ Timer — Ian Rading

Ian kept us right on track throughout the evening, with strong timing across the board.

Prepared Speech (Ice Breaker):
Ryan Davis — 6:59

Table Topics:
Nick — 2:11
Albert — 0:59
Frankie — 1:55
Nithila — 1:07
Derek — 2:09

Evaluations:
Irene — 2:48
Kathleen — 3:10

A well-paced meeting all around — speakers made great use of their time on stage.

Blair Vorsatz kept the room on its toes with a quick test of how closely we were listening:

• 🇪🇸 Who’s to blame for Muffy’s disappearance? Spain

• 🍋 When life gives them lemons, what do Irene and Ryan make?
  Whiskey sour… 🥃 and grape juice 🍇 

• 🏆 Which award might make a comeback to boost role sign-ups?
  The Maverick Award

• 🎤 Who helped Toastmasters clubs survive through COVID?
  Albert and Nick

🏆 Best Prepared Speech: Tavisan Ramesh
🏆 Best Evaluator: Kathleen Hurtubise
🏆 Best Table Topics: Nithila Raman

Regular Meeting + Irish Bank Social 🍻
Join us for a regular meeting — followed by extended post-meeting fun at Irish Bank.
🕕 Wednesday, April 22 | 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

🏆 GGTM Advances to Division C!
From Club to Area… and now to the next stage.
Sheila Vida is heading to the Division C International Speech Contest — come cheer her on!
🗓️ Sunday, April 19 | 1:00–4:00 PM
📍 One Embarcadero Center, 1 Clay St, Level 2, San Francisco