Santa Clara Toastmasters - Scumbat Club

So, you’re asked a question in a meeting, during an interview, or in a networking conversation… and suddenly your mind goes blank.

You know you have valuable thoughts to share. But 𝘗𝘖𝘖𝘍 those thoughts disappear.

The ability to respond clearly and confidently in the moment is one of the most underrated professional skills. It shapes how others perceive your expertise, your leadership presence, and your ability to communicate under pressure.

That’s exactly why we’re hosting 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝘁 – 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 🎤

This is not a lecture. It’s a supportive, hands-on practice environment where you can strengthen your ability to respond in real time.

Think of it like improvisational theatre but for real life scenarios and with real answers.

During the session, volunteers will have the opportunity to answer impromptu questions drawn from everyday professional situations, such as:

✅ Interview questions
✅ Networking conversations
✅ Introducing yourself in a memorable way
✅ Sharing quick perspectives or opinions
✅ Responding to unexpected prompts

Yes, it's designed to help you think on your feet and if you end up laughing, that's fine too.

You’re welcome to participate as much or as little as you’d like. Many attendees find that observing others and hearing different approaches is just as valuable.

The goal isn’t to deliver the perfect answer. The goal is to build comfort speaking up, thinking clearly, and expressing yourself in the moment.

By the end of the session, you’ll walk away with:

➔ Greater confidence speaking spontaneously
➔ Practical tools to structure your responses quickly
➔ More ease expressing yourself in professional and social settings

If you’ve ever wished you could feel more composed and confident when the spotlight suddenly lands on you, this is a great space to practice.

Come ready to support your peers, try something new, and maybe even surprise yourself with what you’re capable of. 🙂

Free to 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 - link to join in the comments.

Some new and past legends of the club reunite! 👏🎉 Jorge Perez and Parminder Sandhu prior stewardship has kept the club healthy and strong after all these years.

Look at these winners!!! This weekend, Gloria Kao and Kenneth Jiang placed in the Area Contest.

🏆 1st place - Gloria Kao, International Speech Contest
🏆 2nd place - Kenneth Jiang , Tall Tales Speech Contest

📣 Let's give them a round of applause! They practiced extensively, both inside our club, and in neighboring clubs.

SCU MBA Toastmasters will support your communication and public speaking goals. DM me for details about our Friday night meetings. 😊

Let's celebrate our speech contestants and winners! Last week we heard great storytelling from Gloria Kao, Karen Cornwell, and Kenneth Jiang. 🎉

Progressing to the next round in our Area Contest is Kenneth Jiang for Tall Tales Speech category, and Gloria Kao in International Speech category.

🎉🕺💯 good luck to our winners!

Congratulations and a warm welcome to our new 𝗦𝗖𝗨 𝗠𝗕𝗔
𝗧𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: 🎉🎉 for the January - June 2026 term.

President: 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 (𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶) 𝗤𝗶𝗻, 𝗠.𝗦.
VPE: 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴
VPM: 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗱 𝗚𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗮
VPPR: 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿
Secretary: 𝗙𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀
Treasurer: 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹
SAA: 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗢𝗵

A special shout out to our 2025 President 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗸 for elevating our club in countless ways! We thank you for your continuous support as we transition into this new year. 🎉🎊

We acknowledge you for courageously leading the way into a brighter future for us all. ❤️

This community stands for the betterment of its members, along with a commitment to see thoughtful, kind communication flourish throughout the world. Congratulations again, new officers!

We ended last month with a BANG! Our annual Halloween party was something to remember. We had one spooky speech presented by Kenny, and a frightful table topics segmentnled by Karen Cornwell.

Join us every Friday night Pacific. We welcome you in our community!

Come celebrate Halloween with us! We're having a special spooky themed meeting with frighteningly fun impromptu questions and answers, snacks, and costume competition!

Happening Halloween night Oct.31st Pacific time.

It’s been an inspiring few weeks at our speech club! 🙌 Karen Cornwell led an engaging Elevator Pitch workshop, supported by our amazing officers and members.

Struggle to explain what you do in a way that’s clear, confident, and memorable?

You’re not alone my friend. Many professionals find it challenging to introduce themselves without stumbling, or worse, losing their listener’s attention! Yikes!

That’s why 𝗦𝗖𝗨 𝗠𝗕𝗔 𝗧𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 is hosting a hands-on Elevator Pitch Workshop on 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 with Distinguished Toastmaster Karen Cornwell.

✨ What you’ll gain:
• Learn the key elements of a great elevator pitch
• Practice in a safe, supportive environment
• Get real-time feedback from experienced Toastmasters
• Walk away with a polished pitch you can use immediately

Whether you’re an entrepreneur pitching to clients or investors, a job seeker, or simply want to communicate your value with impact, this interactive workshop will give you the tools to stand out.

💸 Free & open to the public!!!

More information & *𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻* in the comment section.

Last week, Fenn kicked off their Toastmasters journey with an icebreaker speech, and Kwame, our newest member, brought creativity to the timer role by swapping cue cards for balloons instead. Who knew timing could be this fun? 🎈

🎊 🌟 Summer has been shining bright at SCU MBA Toastmasters! Say hello to some of our newest stars: 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗼, 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗶 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗮𝗱𝗲!!

But that's not all, we also have a few more wonderful new members not pictured here. I can’t wait to introduce them in a future post once we have their photos!

Hit a 👍 to show them some love!!!