Menlo Park Toastmasters
Where Leaders are Made
Next Meeting:
Every Tuesday 7pm!
Already a Member?
Notice!
Fellow Toastmasters and Guests,
Menlo Park Toastmasters will be meeting online using Zoom until further notice. All guests are welcome to join our online meeting! Please fill in the form below so that we can send you all the instructions and information to enable you to join the meeting.
Warm Regards,
Mahi Saraf
VP of Public Relations
The Guests
All guests are welcome to visit us up to 3 times in order to familiarize themselves with the club and the program. No commitment is necessary, but returning guests will be encouraged to become a member. Membership is the only way to gain access to all the benefits of Toastmasters International programs and resources.
The president will introduce you at both the beginning and end of the meeting and you will be given the opportunity to introduce yourself, and give feedback. There is no charge for guests. Sit back and enjoy the meeting!
All members start with different abilities, experiences, and comfort levels. The primary goal of Toastmasters is not for us to compete against each other, but to improve ourselves. When you invest effort in the program and your personal goals and practice often, you will soon start seeing improvement. Sooner than you’d think, there will be another guest feeling a little intimidated by you!
The Club
Who are we?
Every Toastmasters club has a unique culture. It is important for prospective members to find the club they most resonate with. The Menlo Park Toastmasters club is characterized by five attributes: welcoming, supportive, informal, diverse, and fun.
We strive to welcome all guests and make them feel comfortable and to support members and guests in their quests to become better communicators and public speakers. Although meetings follow a predetermined agenda with a focus on prepared speeches, evaluations of the prepared speeches and extemporaneous responses to questions that revolve around a theme of the day, the tone of our meetings is still friendly and casual.
Club members come from a wide range of professions including attorneys, real estate agents, scientists, therapists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and designers. Ages range from the mid-twenties to early sixties. For a number of our members, English is a second language. Our club is a great place to meet a diverse set of people!
Although we are serious about and strongly committed to improving our communication skills, we have a lot of fun on that journey. It’s unusual for us to have a meeting without lots of laughter. We invite you to join us as a guest at one of our meetings in order for you to experience the Menlo Park Toastmasters for yourself.
We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.
The Meeting
Every Tuesday
07:00 pm - 08:30 pm
1. Meeting Introduction
The President welcomes everyone and makes sure that everything is in order to start the meeting. In addition, the President asks guest to introduce themselves. After that the whole club does an exercise related to the theme of the month such as vocal projection, gestures, connecting with the audience, etc.
2. Prepared Speeches
This section is introduced by the Toastmaster of the evening. The Toastmaster will introduce each speech's evaluator, who explains the background and objectives of the speaker who is being evaluated. Usually there are between 2 to 3 prepared speeches that follow Pathways, a guide from Toastmasters International, that members use to improve their public speaking.
3. Table Topics
This section allows all members and guests to practice their impromptu speaking. The Toastmaster introduces the Table Topics Master, who has a list of interesting questions that will get asked to the audience. The Table Topics Master then selects someone from the audience to give a 1-2 minute answer.
4. Evaluations
The Toastmaster introduces the General Evaluator, who will conduct an evaluation of the overall meeting. The General Evaluator asks the Speech Evaluators to give their evaluations of the prepared speeches. Then, the Timer, Ah-Counter, and the Grammarian give their reports. Finally, the General Evaluator gives feedback on the whole meeting. This section is important because it allows everyone to improve.
5. Announcements and Closing Remarks
The Toastmaster makes finishing remarks and hands over the meeting back to the President. The President then asks for feedback from Guest, goes over the roles for next week, and discusses any club business.
(Optional)
After the meeting, we hang around for socializing and chatting!
(normally)
Bethany Lutheran Church
1095 Cloud Avenue
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(currently)
Zoom
Please use the "Contact Us" box above to get info and meeting link.
The Officers
Nini Che
President
Nini sets the tone for the club and provides supportive leadership for all of the club’s activities. She is the right person to reach out to about the overall welfare of the club.
Marleyna Mohler
VP of Membership
Marleyna manages the process of bringing in guests educating them on membership process and benefits of regular participation in the club. She is the main point of contact for first time visitors or any people with membership questions.
Vidya Kagan
Treasurer
Vidya manages the club’s finances. She is the right person to reach out to regarding membership dues and any other financial matters of the club.
Daisy Kwok
Sergeant at Arms
Daisy keeps track of the club’s physical property, such as the banner, lectern, timing device, and other meeting materials. She also ensure that the meeting is organized.
Darren Don
VP of Education
Darren tracks the members' progress in the club. He educates members on the Toastmasters Pathway program, assigns mentors/buddies, and encourages fellow members to achieve their pathway goals. He is a great resource to learn about TM officer opportunities as well.
Mahi Saraf
VP of Public Relations
Mahi promotes the benefits of the club membership to the local communities and is the point of contact for club's branding, marketing and social media accounts.
Allison Mintz
Secretary
Allison maintains all club records, manages club files, handles club correspondence and takes the minutes at each club and executive committee meeting. She is the right person to reach out to regarding club documents and templates.
Become a Member
Becoming a member of Menlo Park Toastmasters is EASY and QUICK! Download and complete the Membership Application and the Membership Agreement shown below, and email both documents to treasurer@menloparktm.org. Finally, click on the Payment of Club Dues link to learn how to pay your membership dues via PayPal or check. If you have any questions about these forms, reach out to Vidya Kagan, the club treasurer, at treasurer@menloparktm.org. Thanks for joining!
2. Membership Agreement