West Austin II Toastmasters

02/12/2026

We had 12 people at our club meeting today. During the first part of the meeting, two speakers gave prepared speeches (one was a spur-of-the-moment speech). The first speaker spoke about the "school bus monsters" and gave a speech rich in mind pictures.
Our second speaker spoke about her experiences as a vendor at home and garden shows and about a video that recently went viral.

Impromptu speaking, called "Table Topics," featured four speakers who spoke off the cuff for at least one minute on topics related to the theme of love and prosperity. Experience in impromptu speaking helps when responding to customer objections or when someone above your pay grade blindsides you with a question during a staff meeting (and, thanks to my experience with Table Topics, I handled it very well, thank you).

The third part of our meeting consists of evaluators giving feedback to the speakers who delivered prepared speeches. They discuss what went well and what they might try next time to improve. I've found that evaluating also helped me give feedback to my direct reports at work.

We'll be meeting next Thursday at 7:00-8:15 AM at the IHOP at Cesar Chavez and I-35. I'll post a link to our website below.
Come visit. We love guests! (Yes, they have caffeine.)

Send a message to learn more

01/08/2026

We had two guests join us today: one a former Toastmaster from more than a decade ago, and the other returning for her second visit.

We listened to two speeches, and five of us participated in Table Topics, which is impromptu speaking (great for handling objections in sales or when you're asked an unexpected question in a meeting).

We then had two evaluators provide feedback on the two speeches. All in all, a very good way to kick off the new year!

We'll be back at it next Thursday, January 15, from 7:00-8:15 at 707 E. Cesar Chavez. That's the back room of the IHOP restaurant. Come join us!

Send a message to learn more

12/18/2025

Fantastic meeting this morning! We had 11 energetic members and heard two speeches on totally different topics, each unique in its own way.

Due to the holidays, our next meeting will not be until Thursday, January 8th. Come see us then! 7:00 AM (you can do it!) to 8:15. 707 E. Cesar Chavez.

Send a message to learn more

08/18/2025

Words matter! Don't mess up an important presentation by poorly choosing your words. Come join our Toastmasters Club and mess up in front of us! 😀

Seriously, we're your safe space! And we'll help you improve.

Our next meeting is Thursday, 7:00 -8:15 AM. We meet in the back room of the IHOP restaurant, 707 E. Cesar Chavez in Austin, TX.

Yes, there is caffeine. There is a link to our website in the comments if you would like more information.

08/14/2025

We had 10 people, including one former member, show up this morning at our club's meeting. Our president, Amy, stepped in with a pocket speech and showed us what I'm convinced is a magic formula when you need to deliver a last-minute speech.

The first step is to select a topic. Then tell us what is good about it. Next, tell us what is "bad" about it.
Then tell us something about the topic you find interesting.

I have been a Toastmaster for more than 20 years and this is the simplest formula I've seen. As her evaluator, I suggested people could play off Clint Eastwood's movie, "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly by remembering
1. The Good
2. The Bad
3. The Interesting.

I also pointed out you can use versions of this in social settings or even at work. Although if your boss has asked you for feedback on an idea of his, I'd be careful about the "bad" part. 😀

We'll be back at it again next Thursday at 7:00-8:15 AM. We meet in the back room of IHOP at 707 E. Cesar Chavez in Austin. We love guests! Come visit!

Send a message to learn more

07/30/2025

Just a reminder that West Austin II Toastmasters meets again at 7:00 AM at the IHOP restaurant's back room. The address is 707 E. Cesar Chavez (SW corner of I-35 and Cesar Chavez.)
Our theme will be "Good News."

We'll have two speakers working on improving their skills and opportunities for all members to sharpen their impromptu speaking skills. Guests are not required to participate if they're not comfortable.

C'mon out and join us. Yes, it's early, but we do have caffeine. Pictured here is our club president, Amy on the left, accepting the award for 1st Place in the District 55 International Speech Contest.

06/21/2025

We had 14 people at our meeting on Thursday. Scott, our club president (pictured on the left, below), gave a speech on how he overcame his fear of speaking by joining Toastmasters. You'll find a link to his speech in the comments below.
We'll be back at it next Thursday at 7:00-8:15AM at the IHOP restaurant at 707 E. Cesar Chavez in Austin. Come visit the best breakfast club in the known universe! We are SECOND TO NONE!

06/12/2025

Despite thunderstorms, we had 11 members, including three guests, attend our meeting, with Lee as Toastmaster. His theme was "What are you chasing after?"
Glenn gave a speech telling a story about the time he learned that there is a fine line between over-arching anger and overwhelming joy.
Fei was the Topic Master and came up with excellent topics for us to practice speaking off the cuff.
Jayden was our General Evaluator and shared some excellent insights, then introduced Scott, who evaluated Glenn's speech. (Good storytelling, vocal variety, and body language. Still needs to focus on better eye contact.)

This week's tip: When you sit down to plan a presentation, your first step should be to write down the most important point you want your audience to remember the next day. Then add in your secondary points. Next, ask yourself what is the best way to communicate those points to your audience? Note that the first step is not to open PowerPoint and start throwing bullets on the screen.
For more tips on improving your presentation and speaking skills, come be our guest at our next meeting, Thursday, January 19, 7:00 to 8:15AM at the IHOP restaurant at 707 E. Cesar Chavez in Austin. That's the southwest corner of I-35 and Cesar Chavez.

05/29/2025

Eleven people, including one guest, were present at our club's meeting this morning. Our theme was "What's your color?" We heard two prepared speeches (I was green with envy listening to how well they were done), four table topics, and two evaluations, one each for the prepared speeches.

Come join us next Thursday at 7:00am when we'll be at it again. You'll find a link to our website in the comments below.

Send a message to learn more

05/22/2025

We have all joined Toastmasters to improve our speaking skills, but a second benefit is that we often learn something as we listen to others' speeches. Today, we heard a speech on dealing with anxiety called "My Loudest Critic Lives In My Head." The speaker is a new Toastmaster and shared his story about dealing with anxiety and offered some strategies for dealing with it.
Our second speech, given by a long-time member, discussed her role as the co-founder of a start-up company. In her speech, she discussed the importance of self-awareness and three ways we could improve our own.

In her evaluation of the first speaker who discussed anxiety, Amy mentioned that West Austin II club member and 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking, David Brooks, likes to say, "The audience wants you to succeed." This is a helpful reminder when we are nervous before speaking.

We weren't expecting to walk away learning tips on dealing with anxiety and becoming more self-aware, but we did. And we had a good time learning.

Guests are always welcome at our meetings. We'll be back next Thursday from 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. at the IHOP restaurant at 707 E. Cesar Chavez in Austin. Come visit us.

Send a message to learn more

05/20/2025

West Austin II President Scott congratulates club member Amy, who won the District 55 International Speech Contest on May 17th. Amy will represent District 55 at the next level of the contest. CONGRATULATIONS, AMY!!!!!