The 209th Regular Meeting: December 20, 2025 “Christmas Words & Phrases”

On December 20, 2025, Senri Toastmasters held its 209th regular meeting with the heartwarming theme, "Christmas Words & Phrases". The afternoon kicked off with a delightful live performance of "Jingle Bells," filling the room with festive magic. Fittingly, our Word of the Day was "delightful," which perfectly captured the spirit of the meeting.

Highlight 1: Managing a Difficult Audience
A major highlight was Hiko's project, "Managing a Difficult Audience". This project focuses on addressing common behaviors of difficult audience members in a calm and professional way to prepare for presentations outside of Toastmasters. Hiko managed these interruptions very politely and carefully. While he was a bit hesitant and it took some time to settle the disruptors, he remained calm throughout the process. The evaluator of Hiko’s speech, Kazu, provided an excellent suggestion: once you handle a disruptor, you should directly return to the main part of your story to maintain the flow. It was a valuable lesson for us all!

Highlight 2: Effort Blossoms in "My Senri Experience"
Another highlight was the "My Senri Experience" shared by Takashi. His story was highly relatable and filled with humor, drawing plenty of laughter from the audience. Takashi has been working hard behind the scenes as our Sergeant-at-Arms, taking English pronunciation lessons, and even studying abroad this past summer. All that effort truly blossomed in this speech. If he had been a speaker in the Prepared Speech session, I definitely would have cast my vote for him as the Best Speaker. It was wonderful to see his dedication pay off!

Inspiring Speeches in Brief
The Prepared Speech session was filled with a variety of wonderful presentations. Maririn showcased tactful vocal variety while sharing fond memories of the Expo, while Tenten delivered a motivating speech on taking an active role in the organization of our meetings. Kankan shared a resonating story about overcoming obstacles with the support of the person beside her, and Tamiko, our club’s "Queen of Humor," delivered a relatable and delightful presentation that left everyone in stitches.

In my General Evaluator report, I commended the delightful atmosphere created by our Toastmaster of the Day, Rene’s thoughtful decorations and her preparation. We closed the meeting with a warm "Happy Holidays!" I look forward to seeing everyone next year. Have a wonderful holiday season and a great New Year!

(Eri)