The 219th Regular Meeting: October 17, 2026

A Lively Day at Senri Toastmasters Club!

On October 17, we held our 219th regular meeting of Senri Toastmasters Club in a hybrid format, with members joining both in person and online. It was a lively and enjoyable afternoon filled with speeches, learning, laughter, and opportunities to connect with one another.

Our Toastmaster of the Day, Marilyn, led the meeting smoothly. As an Area Director, she brought her leadership experience to the meeting and helped everything run well.

Mats took on the Word of the Day role and introduced the words “relate” and “relatable.” It was a great reminder that learning a new word or expression can help us communicate more naturally.

I had two roles yesterday: Joke Master and General Evaluator. It was a busy afternoon for me, but I enjoyed being involved in different parts of the meeting!

The joke that got the biggest laugh was a simple Japanese play on words:

“Furansu no pan wa… Furansupan!
But… Nihon no pan wa?”

The answer is
“Ja-pan!” 😂

In Japanese, pan means bread. So, French bread becomes “Furansupan,” and Japanese bread becomes “Ja-pan”—a little twist on the word “Japan”!

The laughter reminded me that humor is a wonderful way to bring people together, even when we come from different countries and speak different languages.

Speeches

Tamiko shared her experience of working on her public speaking weaknesses and the tricks she has been using to improve. Her story was something many of us could relate to. After all, we joined Toastmasters to learn, challenge ourselves, and become better communicators. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, and it is encouraging to see how we can keep improving step by step.

We had four prepared speeches, each on a different topic:

Yuichi: My Recommended AI Tips and Tricks

Lily: Your Evaluator is Your Cheerleader!

Kankan: From “Whatever” to “Here’s What I Need”

Sora: NAVER Map is amazing!?

What a variety of topics! From AI tips and the importance of evaluations to communication styles and the usefulness of NAVER Map, there was something for everyone.

The evaluation session was another valuable part of the meeting. Our evaluators offered constructive suggestions on effective gestures, unnecessary body movements, and language choices. These small details can make a big difference in how our messages are received by the audience.

As General Evaluator, I was reminded once again that Toastmasters is not just about delivering speeches. It is also about learning to give helpful feedback that encourages others to grow.

Guests Made Our Meeting Special

We were happy to welcome two guests who joined us online from Mongolia, as well as Miwako san, from Kansai TM Club, who came all the way from Nagasaki to attend in person.

Whether we join through a screen or sit together in the same room, we can learn from one another and share our experiences.

OktoberFest After-Party!

The fun continued after the meeting at our OktoberFest-themed after-party!

It was a wonderful opportunity to relax, chat, and get to know one another better outside our usual meeting roles. We discovered little things about each other that we might not have known otherwise.

One fun discovery was that Yasuko-san and I share the same birthday! We also found out that both Rene and Madelyn have birthdays in October. What a lovely way to celebrate the connections we have within our club.

Every meeting gives us a chance to try something new, share what we have learned, and support our fellow members.

(by Anne)