January 28, 2026

This week’s meeting centered on connection, courage, and shared humanity, reminding us how Toastmasters is a place where we build bridges between ideas, cultures, and lived experiences. From prepared speeches to contest examples, the evening highlighted the power of storytelling, reflection, and growth through community.

Our Toastmaster, Dawn, opened the meeting by grounding us in the club’s purpose of creating meaningful connections through empathy, collaboration, and open communication. As we moved through the agenda, this intention echoed throughout the meeting, reinforcing how each role and contribution helps strengthen the collective experience.

The Word of the Day was:

congregate (verb) — to come together into a large group

The prepared speeches portion of the meeting featured powerful contest-level storytelling. Our first speaker, Gloria, delivered a deeply moving international speech contest entry titled “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Through an honest and vulnerable account of her cancer journey, Gloria shared moments of fear, resilience, and unexpected joy. With warmth and courage, she illustrated how choosing optimism, leaning on support systems, and focusing on what truly matters can transform even the most difficult chapters of life. Her message reminded us that while challenges may be unavoidable, we don’t have to face them alone.

The meeting also included a Tall Tales contest example from Kenny, who presented a humorous and imaginative speech titled “The Perfect Wife.” Using exaggerated storytelling and a deadpan delivery, Kenny explored the idea of perfection through the lens of artificial intelligence and human relationships. Beneath the humor, his speech playfully highlighted the beauty of imperfection and the emotional nuance that makes us human. The exaggerated premise sparked laughter while inviting reflection on connection, authenticity, and what we truly value.

Following the Tall Tales speech, members participated in a round robin feedback session, offering Kenny brief, focused insights to support his continued refinement as he advances in the contest.

Inspired by the Tall Tales format, the Table Topics portion of the meeting, led by Sarah, was an improv-style dating game framed around a “friend of interest.” Members were invited to respond to playful prompts such as “How do you love to spend your time?” and “How would you like to spend your time with me?” but as randomized characters, such as Chat GPT and a toddler; Sparking Tall Tales-esque responses.

Thank you to our General Evaluator Preetha, evaluators, and meeting functionaries for their thoughtful observations and feedback, which helped bring the meeting to a strong close.

See you at our next meeting!