📝 Meeting Summary

What a rewarding evening it was! Meeting #369 brought together our members online for an energizing session filled with thoughtful conversations, creative impromptu speaking, and an inspiring personal journey. We had the special pleasure of welcoming TM O. as a new official member, who delivered his first Toastmasters speech to mark this milestone. The meeting showcased how our club creates a supportive space where business professionals can practice real-world English communication while building meaningful connections.

🎉 Opening & Recent Updates

TM S. opened the meeting as our club president, welcoming the cool autumn weather and expressing excitement about having TM O. join as a new member. The icebreaker session revealed the diverse lives of our members – from TM S.’s enjoyable client dinners featuring premium seafood, to TM K.’s exhausting yet rewarding weeks juggling kendo competitions and celebrating her son’s 14th birthday with an intricate Armored Core plastic model. TM H. shared her peaceful getaway to Yamagata’s Shonai region, while TM T. reflected on his busy weekend attending a farewell party and a company retreat in Atami. The variety of experiences set a warm, conversational tone for the evening.

🗣 Table Topics Session

Table Topics Master: TM T.

The evening featured not one but TWO distinct Table Topics sessions, showcasing remarkable creativity and variety!

First Round – Trip Theme:
TM T. kicked things off with travel-themed questions inspired by his own adventures throughout the year. The questions ranged from sharing the best trip ever to discussing the worst travel experiences. One memorable response came from TM K., who recounted his harrowing business trip to Mongolia where cultural customs around vodka led to an unfortunate fainting incident – a story that had everyone both laughing and sympathizing!

Second Round – ChatGPT Questions:
The session took an exciting turn when TM S. introduced thought-provoking questions generated by ChatGPT. These ranged from philosophical (“If you could read minds, would you want to?”) to whimsical (“What fictional character would you have dinner with?”). The creative prompts pushed speakers to think on their feet in new ways. TM N.’s passionate answer about wanting to visit volcanoes stood out as an unexpected and adventurous choice that sparked everyone’s imagination!

🎙 Prepared Speech Session

Speaker: “My Life Journey from Downhill to Uphill” – TM O.

TM O. delivered a compelling icebreaker speech that took us through the ups and downs of his life journey. Born in the Kansai area, he vividly described the culture shock of moving to Osaka as a child, where his elementary school classmates were “full of punks” participating in the intense Danjiri Festival. The turning point came at 18 when his father suggested studying abroad – an idea that seemed impossible for someone who couldn’t speak English and had never left Japan.

Despite early struggles in Los Angeles (including not knowing that Americans say “Coke” instead of “cola”!), TM O. persevered through culture shocks and misunderstandings. His story beautifully illustrated how life’s challenges can become stepping stones. After graduating from university in San Francisco and working 15 years in Tokyo’s IT industry, he found himself joining Toastmasters to continue climbing his personal uphill journey. His genuine storytelling, effective body language, and perfect use of the word “rewarding” made this a memorable first speech!

🔍 Evaluation & Feedback

Evaluator: TM M.
TM M. provided detailed and constructive evaluation, praising TM O.’s speech structure and engaging storytelling while noting that the Danjiri Festival reference might need clearer explanation for international audiences. He offered the valuable suggestion to streamline content, pointing out the jump from elementary school to age 18 could be tightened. His evaluation struck the perfect balance between encouragement and specific improvement points.

General Evaluator: TM A.
TM A. conducted a comprehensive review of the entire meeting, highlighting how the creative ChatGPT questions in Table Topics brought out innovative and unexpected answers. She praised TM M.’s evaluation style for being soft at the beginning yet progressively more detailed and specific, helping the speaker understand exactly how to improve. She also noted the joyful atmosphere of the on-site room that made her want to join in person soon!

🏆 Awards

• Best Table Topics Speaker: (Vote results)
• Best Prepared Speaker: TM O.
• Best Evaluator: TM M.

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