As we close out our Jan–Jun 2026 term, we invited President Shubham Saloni to share a few parting words with the club.💛

When I became President in January, right after giving what was essentially a speech on why I probably shouldn't be President, I remember thinking six months was going to feel like a very long time. Somehow, here we are already at the end of June, and it feels like it all went by in the blink of an eye. This term has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had, not just because of what we achieved, but because of the people I had the opportunity to work with. Golden Gate Toastmasters was already a well-run club with strong processes and a great culture, so my goal wasn't to change what worked, but to make things a little simpler and a little easier for the volunteers who keep this club running. I'm especially happy that we celebrated our 90th anniversary together, achieved Smedley Distinguished Club status, hosted memorable themed meetings like our Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day celebrations, participated in events like the Dr. Barb session, successfully held our club contests, and watched our members grow both inside and outside the club. While we made progress in simplifying some meeting roles, I hope we continue finding ways to make volunteering even more approachable and keep lowering the barrier for members to get involved.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have served alongside such an amazing officer team and community. Thank you to Alex, whose leadership as Immediate Past President laid a strong foundation for this term, Albert and Michelle, who as VPEs drove a lot of our momentum this term through initiatives like the GGTM app, speech marathon, and club contests, and also played a key role in supporting us in achieving Smedley Distinguished status, Blair for crushing the VP Membership role, we topped the list of max members added at district level, Helen for serving as our Treasurer and for her incredible support in keeping the club running smoothly, especially with finances and celebrations, Val for bringing in the party vibes with the 90th anniversary celebrations, Irene for her creativity, wonderful newsletters, and leadership in our anniversary celebrations, and Gautam and Caitlin for the fun snacks and for making every meeting welcoming and well run. Most of all, thank you to every member who showed up, volunteered, gave speeches, offered evaluations, and encouraged one another. Serving as your President has been an honor, and I'm excited to see the club continue to grow, welcome new members, and build on the momentum we've created together.

— Shubham Saloni, Club President, Jan–Jun 2026

Anna delivered a masterclass in speech delivery, breaking down what separates a forgettable presentation from one that commands the room. She introduced the 3 Ps of delivery — Pitch, Pace, and Pauses — and explored how body language, eye contact, and authenticity all work together to help an audience not just hear you, but feel what you're saying.

Her key takeaways:

Shubham turned something she navigates every day — computer networks — into a surprisingly relatable explanation of how the internet actually works. Using sound waves as an analogy for WiFi signals, she walked the room through how our devices communicate through a router, why metal absorbs signals (don't put your router behind a filing cabinet), and how devices take turns speaking on a network — waiting for silence before transmitting, which is exactly why a crowded network slows everything down.

Clear, clever, and accessible — this was Shubham at her best. It was also her final presidential address to GGTM, and she closed out her term the same way she led it: with curiosity, warmth, and something genuinely worth learning.

Table Topics Master Shubham Saloni offered speakers a choice of two formats: Wrong Answers Only (WAO), where the wilder the answer the better, or Oracle, where speakers drew a quote and built a response around it.

Harris praised Anna's confidence and stage presence, noting that her structured delivery made the speech easy to follow from start to finish.
💡 He suggested working on transitions — moving away from "Now let's talk about…" toward something that flows more naturally — and encouraged her to exaggerate her examples for greater impact.

Vedant was impressed that Scott's impromptu speech felt like a prepared one — confident, energetic, and full of detail that made history genuinely engaging.
💡 His suggestion: pace-wise, Scott moved a little fast. The audience wants to stay with you, so give them a moment to absorb before moving on.

Johnson highlighted Shubham's excellent use of analogy and illustration as her strongest asset — making technical content feel approachable and clear.
💡He recommended adding a bit more structure to the educational content and strengthening the conclusion to leave the audience with a clear takeaway.

Pop Quiz Master & General Evaluator Albert Yan put the room to the test:

🎤 What are the 3 Ps that Anna mentioned? Pitch, Pace, Pauses

🏢 According to Harris, what title might you end up with if you never pay attention in meetings? CEO

🌐 What mechanism do devices use to determine who gets to speak on a network? When it's quiet, all devices wait a random amount of time before transmitting

🏆 Best Prepared Speech: Anna Spallino — "Powerful Pitching"
🏆 Best Table Topics Speaker: Man Fong (Guest)
🏆 Best Evaluator: Harris Levin & Johnson (Guest) — tie

Seven members leveled up during the Jan–Jun 2026 term. Congratulations to:

Every completion here contributed to GGTM's 10/10 DCP goals and Smedley Distinguished status. Well earned. 🎉

A heartfelt thank-you to our Jan–Jun 2026 officer team for their dedication and service to the club:

Shubham Saloni — President
Albert Yan & Michelle Wen — VP Education
Blair Vorsatz — VP Membership
Valeriy Vislobokov — VP Public Relations
Helen Fream — Treasurer
Irene Suwarno — Secretary
Caitlin Brown & Gautam Nair — Sergeant at Arms

Please join us in welcoming your Jul–Dec 2026 officer team — the leaders who will carry GGTM forward into a new term. 👏

Albert Yan — President
Agasthian Ponnambalam & Luzee Bautista — VP Education
Derick Le — VP Membership
Irene Suwarno — VP Public Relations
Alexander Wu — Treasurer
Michelle Wen — Secretary
Noe Perez & Kathleen Hurtubise — Sergeant at Arms