Regular Meeting 138, Feb. 3, 2026 (Online)

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. Through this process, we naturally develop stronger listening and comprehension skills as an audience.

Evaluation also helps us build another essential skill: the ability to give feedback. By clearly expressing what worked well and offering constructive suggestions for improvement, we learn how to support others in a respectful and motivating way. This is a skill that is valuable not only in Toastmasters, but also in our professional and everyday lives.

Today, we also set aside time for a breakout session, where we divided into small groups for discussion. This is not something we do at every meeting; however, for online meetings, we intentionally include this time to encourage more interactive and meaningful conversations.

During the breakout session, we discussed a test speech and shared our individual impressions with one another. Even though we all listened to the same speech, each person noticed different points and interpreted the message from their own perspective. Sharing these viewpoints made the discussion especially meaningful and insightful.

Evaluating others does not only help the speaker grow—it also helps us grow as listeners, communicators, and leaders. Today’s session was a powerful reminder of the depth of learning that Toastmasters offers.

I look forward to continuing to grow together as we sharpen our skills in listening, communicating, and motivating one another at our future meetings.

Maho Hummel

President 2025-2026