May 15, 2026 Meeting | St. Louis Toastmasters in Midtown Clayton

ATTENDANCE–Members = 13 (HK, Rosemary, Susan, Jane, Mark, Mike, Dora, Mitch, AJ, Jinal, Pete, Peggy, Andrea)

ATTENDANCE–Guests = 3 (Jordan, Pat, Patti)

Current club membership = 24

WORD OF THE DAY:

Flesh out: add substance, details or depth to an idea or plan.

Vs. Flush out: force someone or something out of hiding.

SPEECHES:

> “Requirement–The Distinguished Club Plan with Q&A,” L4 elective (Questions and Answers Session), by Rosemary

> Keynote speech, by Pat, Toastmasters International president

EVALUATIONS:

> Strong training sessions with rich technical content delivered with lightness and good humor. Effective opening remarks on sitting position, noise level, and voice inflection caught attention. You used specific data to highlight the importance of the club. Good metaphor of “happy marriage” to connect personal goals with club goals. Engaged guest by inviting him to join and linking it to club growth. Created interaction with Mitch about the club’s social media exposure. Q&A was engaging, and provided swift and thoughtful responses. – Mark

TABLE TOPICS QUESTIONS — Andrea

> What’s the most unusual thing you have eaten? – Mitch , BEST TABLE TOPICS

> What’s the most ridiculous fashion trend you secretly love? – Pete

> What is one thing that makes you feel truly alive? – Peggy

GENERAL EVALUATOR – Mike

Ah counter – Jinal

TIMER – Jane

Grammarian – Dora

ANNOUNCEMENT

> Officer election for July 1, 2026-June 20, 2027:

President: Amy
VP of Education: Rosemary
VP of Membership: Chris
VP of Public Relations: Mitch
Secretary: Jane
Treasurer: Susan
Sergeant-at-Arms: Mike

> Patti: District 8 District Director

Appreciate the welcoming environment. Everyone was well received at the beginning of the meeting.

> Pat: Toastmaster International President

Morning club always has high energy. Thank you for bringing the wonderful energy today. At Toastmasters, we develop listening skills, thinking skills, and then speaking skills. Let’s practice all three when we come together.

MEMBER MOMENT

Everyone speaking with the person next to you and share your goals and plan for the next step.

NEXT CLUB MEETING–

Zoom meeting

June 5, 2026, 7:15 am

www.midtownclayton.toastmastersclubs.org

You can sign up now for a meeting role.

Club Success Stories

I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my speech. I still drop in a few ums and that. I’m getting better at organizing my thoughts and in my preparation. I’m spending more time in my preparation.

John

Well, most definitely, it has lifted a weight in terms of the fear of public speaking and getting up in front of a group of people.

Regina

Toastmasters has given me the opportunity to develop, not just as a speaker, but as a person. It’s helped me to get closer and another step on the journey to being the best version of myself. There are leadership opportunities. There’s character development. There’s the ability to meet new people, build new friendships, forge new interests, and to realize just how much beauty, how much greatness there is in one little club, in one little community, is a reflection of our world.

Kiren

Faye sharing her public speaking testimonial through the St. Louis Toastmasters club in Midtown Clayton

Toastmasters has helped me a lot. I used to be really afraid of speaking in public and I still kind of am, but it’s helping me along the way, so I’m not as shaky when I’m talking in public and I begin to get a hold of myself more quickly when I’m in Toastmasters. And this club has definitely helped me do that and helped me grow.

Foye

Toastmasters has made me more comfortable speaking in front of a group, and Toastmasters has and will continue to be a very positive, motivating and self-improving experience for me.

Jerry

The benefit of the club for me was that I grew professionally. I became more confident. Now, I lead a lot of team meetings at work weekly, some of them monthly, quarterly for small or large groups of people and I feel more confident.

Aida

Joining Toastmasters put me outside of my comfort zone and it helped me understand that showing up is 90% of the journey. Just showing up, walking in the door. And so, I take that with me and I show up in more places than I ever did before.

Catherine

I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my speech. I still drop in a few ums and that. I’m getting better at organizing my thoughts and in my preparation. I’m spending more time in my preparation.

Dennis

The ability to communicate is of utmost, number one. Number two, a better listener. As you’re an evaluator and you listen to people, you really have to listen for the key points. And I think the other part is a mentor and that to see new people come into the club and as they progress from their first speech to their other speeches, and everybody gets something different out of it. The stories that you hear about where people came from and what their life experiences are.

Mark

I can definitely see a difference since I joined Toastmasters in being comfortable in uncomfortable situations. So, it’s not necessarily eliminating the jitters, but being able to succeed despite them.