Don’t Blame the People. Improve the System. Today, I delivered a presentation from the Leadership Excellence Series titled “The Leader as a Coach.”　 In my talk, I shared a reflection from my daily work in warehouse operations.　 In any team, mistakes happen. And it’s easy to ask: “Who made the mistake?” But what really matters is not who , but why . Instead of blaming people, we should focus on improving the system so that mistakes are less likely to happen. Through this exper

What I Gained from Toastmasters On March 3rd, several guests joined our Toastmasters meeting. How lovely! During the guest guidance session, we talked about what Toastmasters is and what skills people can develop through the program. As I was sharing these things, I remembered what it was like when I first started Toastmasters. At that time, I could barely speak in front of people. My voice was very quiet. However, Toastmasters gave me a place where I could practice speaking

On February 17, we had a truly memorable meeting at Shin-Osaka Leaders Toastmasters Club. It was Yoshi’s debut as Toastmaster of the Day.Although he currently lives in Tokyo, he made a special trip to Osaka because he wanted to take on this role in person at the venue. With a very tight schedule — catching the last Shinkansen back to Tokyo — he embraced this new challenge with dedication and enthusiasm. His commitment reminded us that growth often requires effort, intention,

Today’s meeting featured “Evaluate to Motivate,”  one of the projects in the Successful Club Series . In Toastmasters, we don’t simply listen to a speech and move on. There is always time set aside for evaluation, and there is a very important reason for this. Evaluating a speech is not about judging whether it was good or bad. It requires us to listen more deeply—to understand the structure, the intention behind the message, and what the speaker truly wanted to convey. Throu

At today’s meeting, we conducted a Club Success Series session called Moments of Truth , one of the programs offered by Toastmasters International. Moments of Truth is designed to help clubs reflect on the member experience by focusing on a simple but important question: Why do people choose to join a club, and why do they choose to stay? Focus of the Session: Membership In this session, we placed a special focus on Membership, particularly Membership Strength . Based on feed

The First Toastmasters Meeting of 2026 Many of us returned to work yesterday, and for many students, school is starting again today or tomorrow. In the midst of this busy and slightly hectic time, we held our first Toastmasters meeting of the year. With the new year just beginning, my work schedule has already been extremely busy—so busy that my days have felt like a whirlwind. Still, I was relieved and grateful that I managed to make it to the meeting. My first role of the y

Today, we held our Table Topics Competition.I had the honor of serving as the Chair for this event. One of the things I love about Table Topics is that there is no eligibility requirement , which means anyone can participate — even our newest members. We had a member who joined in November step up and compete, and I was truly impressed by their willingness to challenge themselves right away. 　Their attitude is truly wonderful and inspiring. The English Table Topic for today w

【Reflections After Completing My Level 5 Project Speech “100”】 This time, I completed the Pathways Level 5 project　 Dynamic Leadership: Prepare to Speak Professionally (18–22 minutes). To be honest, preparing a speech of this length while working full-time was not easy.　Between daily responsibilities and limited time for practice,there were many moments when I felt the pressure. But that’s exactly why this project felt meaningful to me —because in real work life, we often hav

✨An Auspicious and Educational Evening!  Our last online meeting was one of the most auspicious and educational ones ever! We held an induction ceremony to welcome Toshi aboard. Congratulations🎉Another induction ceremony awaits next time. Nothing is more gratifying than welcoming new members to share wonderful moments together! Then came a special session: a Speechcraft Workshop led by our Vice President Education, Mariko, based on The Better Speaker Series. Her topic: “Sele

“Returning to the Stage — Lessons from Two Months Away” It had been two months since I last joined our Toastmasters meeting. As the club president, I felt a little guilty for being absent — but work had become extremely demanding, and there were days when I simply couldn’t make it. During my absence, our Vice President Education, Mariko , kept the meetings running smoothly while also inviting new guests and supporting every speaker with care. Our Vice President Membership, Hi

🌿More Than I Thought I Could Being a Grammarian—the one who observes everyone’s English usage and gives feedback—can be one of the most...

💡How Can We Motivate People? That was what I learned from the 127th regular meeting. It was also the first time I served as an...

This special meeting focused on speech evaluation, starting with Mariko’s presentation on the basics. She covered the purpose of speech...

Impromptu speaking is tough. It requires quick decisions on what to speak, how to compose and how to deliver. Yes, it is one of the most...

In Toastmasters, Robert’s Rules of Order are used worldwide to conduct business sessions in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner. ...