🎉 New Year, New Voices: Our First 2026 Meeting!

Welcome to 2026: Fresh Faces, Fresh Start 😃 

What better way to kick off the new year than with new leadership and renewed energy? Our first meeting of 2026 brought together familiar friends and curious guests, all united by one goal: becoming better speakers, one "um" at a time.

✨ What left us spellbound? Between 40 hours of questionable TV, a 4-year-old's passport that puts ours to shame, and a bungee jump that changed everything—it was impossible not to be.

🇺🇸 President Shubham Saloni Sets the Tone

Our new president, Shubham, opened with a powerful reminder: "Just showing up to the first meeting of the year shows great commitment." And she's right. While most people's New Year's resolutions fade faster than champagne bubbles, our members showed up ready to work on their public speaking goals.

Shubham welcomed our guests with an icebreaker question: "What is one thing you are looking forward to in 2026 (other than public speaking)?"

The answers range from traveling to Japan, attending a friend's wedding, getting more rest (aren't we all?), gaining clarity on personal goals, building a meditation practice, reading more books, and spending time with loved ones.

Curious about our new President Shubham Saloni and the rest of our 2026 officer team?
Check out their profiles at GGTM 2026 officers.

 📆 Club Announcements

Speech Contest Season is from February 2026

GGTM will hold a club contest in February. The winners will go on to compete in the area contest in March, then the winners of that the division contest in April, and then district, etc, all the way to finals.
For more information on the schedule visit:
speech-contests-schedule 
For more information on the contest rules and resources visit:
speech-contest-resources 

🎤 Toastmaster Caitlin Brown: “New Beginning”

Our Toastmaster of the Evening, Caitlin Brown, chose "New Beginning" as the theme, and it wasn't just a clever choice—it was personal.

Caitlin shared that New Year's is her favorite time because it's a moment for reflection, gratitude, and looking forward. But 2025 was a tough year—she faced job loss that affected her mental health, along with other personal challenges that created significant stress.

The year of 2026 feels different. New job, new chapter, new energy. Caitlin's entering the year with renewed optimism. Her willingness to share her struggle set the perfect tone for the evening: new beginnings aren't always about brand-new start, sometimes they're about resilience, about getting back up and trying again.

🏆️ Prepared Speech Winner : Ankita Dutta - "Twenty Countries, One Leap"

Ankita's four-year-old has been to 20 countries. She'll drag a stroller across continents, manage meltdowns in foreign languages, and negotiate bedtime across time zones—all to create memories. She does all of this for her son without hesitation. Doing something brave for herself? That's when the doubts show up. So in New Zealand, she bungee jumped. Standing at the edge, her legs locked and her heart raced. Fear stopped being theoretical. It became practical. At the count of three, she jumped anyway.
When her feet hit the ground, she felt pride. Because she realized: "I do brave things every day. I call them parenting, logistics, or 'this seemed like a good idea' at the time."

Her challenge for 2026: Stop letting fear decide for you. Not the big, dramatic fears—the quiet, reasonable ones that sound like "maybe later" or "maybe you're not meant to do this." She left us with one powerful question: "What is the one fear you have been negotiating with all your life? And what might change if you stop negotiating and just choose anyway?"

Table Topics: Luxury 💎 👜 , New Hopes, New Dreams

Michelle led Table Topics with questions about luxury brands and what they mean to us. Responses ranged from practical to poetic:

• Helen kept it real: "Luxury means things I can't afford."

• Jay delivered a zinger when asked what Louis Vuitton would tell modern travelers: "Don't bet against travel agents."

• Sheila described Tiffany & Co.'s soundtrack as instrumental jazz—elegant and simple.

• Lana, a guest speaker, weighed in on whether luxury brands shape fame or vice versa. She believes luxury brands shape fame.

But Blair stole the show. With no sense of smell, he chose to be associated with the color black (wanting to be known as "the man in black") and the Rhino clothing brand as his symbol. When people think of Rhino, he wants them to think of Blair.

🏆️ Best Table Topics Speaker: Blair Vorsatz

💡 Evaluations: The Insights That Make Us Better

General Evaluator Nithila coordinated our evaluation team, ensuring speakers received thoughtful, balanced feedback.

Blair evaluated Ankita, praising her ability to connect with the audience and her strong storytelling. His constructive note: clarify the central message—is it about traveling with a toddler or overcoming fear? A clearer throughline would strengthen an already powerful speech.

Albert evaluated Harris and and delivered the evening's best evaluation. He opened with a bold claim: delivery matters more than content. Why? Because if people are bored, they won't listen—even to profound messages. But if you're entertaining, they'll stay engaged. Albert praised Harris for looking relaxed, using natural body language, and turning a simple staycation into comedy gold. His advice? Give the audience a takeaway—maybe focus more tightly on the Taylor Sheridan phenomenon or offer an overarching lesson. Albert balanced praise with actionable feedback perfectly.

🏆️ Best Evaluator: Albert Yan

🏆🏆🏆 Tonight’s Award Winners

Congratulations to our winners:

Best Prepared Speech: Ankita Dutta
Best Table Topics Speaker: Blair Vorsatz
Best Evaluator: Albert Yan

Amazing performances tonight. Your excellence inspires us all! 🎉

⭐️ Shoutout to Tonight’s Participants

A huge thank you to everyone who made this meeting memorable: Albert, Ankita, Blair, Caitlin, Franky, Gautam, Harris, Helen, Irene, Jay, Lana (guest), Michelle, Nithila, Sheila, Shubham, Valerij.

Your energy, courage, and commitment to growth make our club special. 🎤

🍺 🍸️ 🍷 The Conversation Continues 

Our members gathering for happy hour—where speeches end and friendships deepen.

🚨 Never miss an update!

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM PST
📍 Location: Inside the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, 235 Montgomery St 7th floor, San Francisco, CA 94104

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💟 Why You Should Join Us

If you're reading this and thinking, "This sounds amazing, but I'm terrified of public speaking," well—good. That means you're exactly who we're here to help.

Here's what we offer:
✅ A supportive community that celebrates small wins
✅ Structured feedback to help you grow
✅ A safe space to practice and improve
✅ Skills that translate to job interviews, presentations, and everyday confidence

Whether you're preparing for a big presentation, want to feel confident sharing your ideas, or ready to stop letting fear negotiate your choices—Toastmasters is for you.

Come for the public speaking practice. Stay for the community, the laughs, and the occasional deep life question that makes you rethink everything.

See you there! 🎤