Regular Meeting 154, September 4, 2026 (Hybrid)

Our first FRIDAY meeting

This was our first Friday meeting after we decided to move our meetings from Tuesdays to Fridays. Six of us got together with three Toastmasters guests, who helped us, each taking on a meeting role. We enjoyed our first after-party in a long time. It was beautiful.

Toastmasters Educational Program

One of the features of this meeting was Swan's presentation based on a module of the "Successful Club" series, a set of presentations that help club members understand how to improve the club's quality. Usually, this module, "Toastmasters Educational Program," outlines the Toastmasters Education Program, such as what Paths and Projects are available in our main education program, Pathways, what we learn in each Level in each Path, and what members need to do when they complete every project in a Level and a Path. This is useful information for guests or new members, but it is too rudimentary for most of us who have been in Toastmasters for over a year.

Swan, therefore, took it to the next level and discussed how to make the best use of the program. He first touched upon how it works, highlighting our "Experiential Learning Cycle," where we EXPERIENCE, REFLECT, THINK, and ACT. For example, we EXPERIENCE delivering a prepared speech. Then, we REFLECT on it by receiving peer feedback and watching the recording of it, after which we THINK about how it can be improved. Then, we ACT on it. He stressed the importance of REFLECTING, THINKING, and ACTING to accelerate our growth.

Swan then pointed out that we tend to see our speeches as performances. As we write speeches and rehearse them before delivering them, we can be tempted to focus on performing well. Yet, in the real world, we do not perform. We communicate. He emphasized that we should focus more on communicating.

The last piece of advice was to pair the Toastmasters Educational Program with whatever we learn outside of Toastmasters. We face different situations when communicating with others, and the Toastmasters Educational Program is not a one-size-fits-all program. It has its own limits. We need to deepen our understanding of our areas of expertise, and that needs to be done outside Toastmasters. It is by pairing our educational program with what we learn outside Toastmasters that we can make the best use of it.

Thanks to his reminder, we should be able to be more productive and effective in improving our communication skills.

Hideo Temma

Founding President and Secretary 2026-2027, Shin-Osaka Leaders Toastmasters Club