Toastmasters of St Augustine #9551

02/05/2026

What a great meeting today! We were honored to welcome guest Surahbi Sharma from the Toronto area, who practiced her Area International speech, When the World Became My Home, a beautifully structured story about not fitting in, and ultimately discovering belonging around the world.
Huge kudos to our newest member, Susanne Ruple, for a fantastic first evaluation of Mindy’s speech, The Clouds. Both speakers made it tough to find growth points, so we’re grateful this one was recorded.
AnnMarie Hubbard brought some wonderfully thought-provoking Table Topics. I was relieved not to be called on, our Ah Counter, Kimberly would have had their hands full!
Our Coach and Div F director extraordinaire, Terri Odom kept us on time. Paul Glick did a great job with a Round Robin for Surahbi S. As mentioned before, we did struggle for growth points for her speech. As we all know, there's always something, no matter how minute, to make any speech better!
Kimberly also reminded us that renewals are already here (how does time move so fast?), and as always, the hour flew by. We love having guests, so feel free to join us. We’re an online-only club using ZOOM as our platform, meeting the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Thursday of each month from 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST.

Our link: meeting ID: 939 209 9043 Passcode: fn7wtT

06/07/2025

Networking with a Twist! Our own Dave Oakes will be there to share with everyone what a great online club we are. We are grateful for the opportunity!

04/06/2025

Why our Club President, Mindy Lepp, joined Toastmasters

10/23/2024

I believe many of you have already seen this video of a 7-year old delivering a speech designed to teach us the importance of why and how we should engage with children. Also, how to deliver a speech. Her pauses, confidence, and body language are spot on. We as Toastmasters could take a lesson from Miss Molly.

What do you think? Please comment below.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1212RdpbVpn4dxXu/?mibextid=11tuMg

10/14/2024

We don't know the author of this article but many thanks! Randall is an amazing Toastmaster and I've enjoyed working with him for these last 5 years. It's been Fun!

Today’s Member Spotlight is on Randall Crosby. Randall joined Toastmasters in 2018 because he wanted to improve his public speaking skills. “I always enjoyed speaking to an audience and never had a fear of it but I realized I could benefit from learning new skills on how to present a speech better.”

It turns out, Randall didn’t know just how significant of an impact Toastmasters was going to be in his life. In 2018, he went to my first ever meeting and that was back when all meetings were in-person only- there were no virtual meetings then. “I knew I was the only person who is blind in the room and while this can be a little intimidating for me or anyone, I knew this was going to be something new and special for me. I also knew it was an opportunity for me to share my experience as a person who is blind with others.”

Immediately a lady named Sandy welcomed Randall and said to him that if he needed anything at all to just ask and this put him more at ease. “I enjoyed that first meeting and several members assisted me out of the building and made sure I was safely meeting my wife who would be picking me up.”

Along the way I found a great friend and fellow Toastmaster named Cathy Gorgensen who has been his advocate and has assisted him tirelessly to navigate the visual world of Toastmasters. “I have to thank many people who help me in Toastmasters, but there are too many to name, but I do thank them all.”

I quickly became the President of the club and also joined three more clubs because I recognized the benefits of Toastmasters. I’m currently a member and officer in three clubs. I didn’t know about the incredible leadership opportunities in Toastmasters. I have been an Area Director and a Division Director, and I learned many new skills by taking on these volunteer roles.

One of the bigger takeaways for me since joining Toastmasters is that listening to other people is far more important than speaking to them. “There is power in listening to other people but most of us tend to want to talk more than we want to listen.” Randall continues, “I’m still working on improving in this area but I think it is a lifetime of learning.”

So what would Randall like to say directly to you today? “I would tell anyone who doesn’t know about Toastmasters to visit a club meeting to learn for themselves how it all works.

I tell people that the Toastmasters formula just works. There are so many ways for a person to improve themselves by learning better communication and leadership skills. I think of it as a playground for me to go and play in an environment is safe and friendly among like-minded people.”

I think Randall is mastering the art of communication! Well said!

A final thought from Randall, Toastmasters District 84 member and clear leader: “A quote that resonates with me is that someone said (unknown) is, “I joined Toastmasters to help myself but now I stay in Toastmasters to help others.””

Thanks Randall for sharing your insight, perspective and thoughts. We are so blessed to have you as a member of Toastmasters and a leader of many. Keep shining and leading!