📚️🏫 Toastmastering Together

Let’s get better by learning from each other and sharing resources. Bookmark these for your reference as you go through your GGTM journey!

• Golden Gate Toastmaster Resources (bit.ly/GGTM-resources)

• Toastmaster Meeting Roles One-Pager (bit.ly/GGTM-roles)

• Onboarding Checklist (bit.ly/GGTM-onboarding)

February 26th Club Meeting Highlights!

One of the special highlights of the meeting: donuts! 🍩 A sweet treat to pair with a wonderful meeting. 😋 

🌟 Two-Minute Special:

Lilian reminded us of the importance of human connection in the digital world. As screens dominate our lives, finding a third place—a space where we feel a sense of belonging—is more important than ever. Maybe, just maybe, this very club is that place for many of us. 💙

🎤 Prepared Speeches:

🏛️ Tavisan took us on a journey through Symbolism in Architecture, exploring how politics and history shape the structures around us. From British colonial influence in India to the evolving landscape of Delhi, his speech left us pondering: Do the buildings around us reflect the society we live in today?

🎶 Jay gave a heartfelt speech about Norman, his childhood miniature schnauzer. Through joy, sorrow, and life lessons (including a brief identity crisis—He-Man wasn’t quite the right name choice), Norman became a defining part of his journey. His story reminded us that even the responsibilities we hesitate to take on can become our greatest treasures.

😆 Adam reflected on the awkward moments of youth—from wardrobe malfunctions to basketball tryouts to a very unfortunate Marine Bio field trip mishap. Through it all, he reminded us that life goes on and sometimes, we just need to have a good time.

🤝 Karishma explored her struggles with negotiation—never bargaining with street vendors, doing work for her brother without asking for anything in return, and avoiding confrontation. But the real twist? Empathy is actually the most powerful negotiation tool. With tactical empathy, we can understand, influence, and communicate more effectively. (🏆 Best Prepared Speech🏆).

🎁 Table Topics Highlights

Alex L. took us on a birthday-themed table topics journey today!

• Tanuja: Growing up, birthdays weren’t a big deal, but as an (almost) adult, she’s embraced celebrations. Since her latest birthday, she has started volunteering and journaling and wants to get into running, too.

• Omar: Would love to celebrate a birthday in Japan, where he got engaged just four months ago.

• Scott: Prefers big, loud celebrations, referencing a karaoke party at The Mist as a personal highlight.

• Gene: Doesn’t like too much attention on his birthday, but always makes sure the waiter hears it—so he gets free cake.

• Katie: Once "drank around the world" at Epcot with her cousin, which ended with dragging drunk relatives out of Disney (not as fun in the moment, but hilarious in hindsight).

• Nick: Wants a huge party—because, at the end of the day, money can’t buy great friends and memories.

• Albert: Shared a story about how he had to spend one of his birthdays washing hundreds of dishes during his military service in Taiwan. (🏆 Best Table Topic 🏆)

💯 Evaluations

• Julia: Commended Tavisan’s use of body language and visual comparisons. Suggested clarifying the link between political revolts and architectural changes.

• Alex C.: Praised Jay’s natural delivery and engaging storytelling. Suggested anchoring his feet more to reduce swaying.

• Katie: Loved Adam’s humor and audience engagement. Suggested reducing crutch words and… maybe leaving some sensitive information off the stage 😅. (🏆 Best Evaluator 🏆)

• Alex L.: Appreciated Karishma’s structured breakdown of negotiation. Suggested adding a final summary to reinforce key points.

Thank you to everyone who came to our meeting. See you all next week! 🫶