Toastmasters

Meetings: 1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month

Open to all City and County of San Francisco employees, including permanent, temporary, seasonal, and as-needed employees, and interns.

Toastmasters

Toastmasters is an international club dedicated to public speaking and leadership development. At each meeting, club members practice giving speeches, presentations, improvisations, and evaluations while in good company and in a fun, supportive environment. With thousands of chapters worldwide, DHR is hosting the City and County of San Francisco’s Toastmasters chapter. Learn to inspire, entertain, and inform while joining a fun community and expanding your City network!

Video: Toastmasters Meeting Overview

Reasons to join/check out Toastmasters!

  • Become a more effective communicator
  • Improve grammar and vocabulary
  • Practice time management skills
  • Develop great listening skills
  • Bring your whole self to the workplace
  • Learn to give specific, positive, and helpful feedback
  • Inspire, entertain, and inform
  • Practice responding intelligently to impromptu questions
  • Enhance leadership abilities
  • Be heard and understood
  • Build Confidence
  • Develop agendas and run meetings
  • Meet new people, make new friends, and expand your City network!

Meeting Roles

During meetings, members take turns serving as the Toastmaster (aka meeting host) as well as other meeting roles such as timer (times length of speeches) and “ah counter” (listens for filler words like “ah,” “um,” “so,” and “like”). These roles help members develop active listening, meeting facilitation, and presentation skills.

Meeting Roles Explained: https://www.toastmasters.org/membership/club-meeting-roles

Prepared Speeches

In each meeting, two to three members will deliver prepared speeches or presentations based on their learning goals. Speeches may cover any topic that is appropriate for the workplace – they may be personal or work-related, funny or sad, fact or fiction, etc. The Toastmasters’ “Pathways” program helps guide members through coursework including dynamic leadership, presentation mastery, and persuasive influence.

Pathway Overview: https://www.toastmasters.org/pathways-overview

CCSF Chapter

Our chapter is open to all in the City network and meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month. Please join us as we work to become better public speakers, presenters, and more effective communicators. Guests are always welcomed to join our meetings! There is no pressure to participate and we invite all who are interested in learning more about Toastmasters to come check us out. For questions or inquiries regarding Toastmaster, contact joyce.ganthavorn@sfgov.org

Hear from our members on why you should join a workplace Toastmasters club!

The practice and feedback I got in Toastmasters helped me become a more skilled and confident presenter.

Ian, CCSF Toastmasters member

Thanks to the kind and supportive community at CCSF Toastmasters I’ve felt comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone to bolster my public speaking skills. In just the short time I’ve spent here, I already notice improvement in my public speaking.

Monica, CCSF Toastmasters member

Toastmasters develops your ability to lead and co-host meetings. It helps you think on your feet and learn how to create a supportive meeting experience that your colleagues will thank you for.

Carol, CCSF Toastmasters member