This is a special toastmasters group. Meetings are structured, well run and, dare I say fun…read more Guests are welcomed and are always pleasantly surprised at the inclusive environment. The group is diverse with a mix of professions and backgrounds. There is a reason this group has been around since 1984... they create a positive environment for individuals to come in and develop themselves as a public speaker. I joined as they met in my office building, and ended up staying. I get a lot out of performing formal speeches. That said, I get as much from attending and getting the chance to participate during ad hoc speaking portions of the meeting, and by taking on functionary roles (observation reveals a lot!). Toastmasters is a great process, and this group is an exceptional group, as shown by the group and individual speaking awards it consistently wins. Highly recommend.

This club is impossible to get to. I drove through San Francisco traffic and desperately searched…read morefor parking only to arrive at building 1255 and find that it's locked. No one is there in the lobby to let me in. Finally someone comes out from the elevator, I go into the building. Then the elevator... I get on, press 3 to go to Constellation Brands and... Wait for it... Nothing. I guess you need a key card. I go out to the totally unattended lobby, see a door and figure maybe there are stairs. I go up a flight only to find out that the entrance to each floor is locked. I call the club phone for help and get no answer. If you are a private club you should register as one. I will not be returning because apparently I am not welcome. -signed a 3 year toastmaster that loves attending other clubs that are welcoming

OPPORTUNITY SPEAKERS…read more An Advanced Toastmasters Club As an experienced member of Toastmasters International, you hardly need to be sold on the benefits of membership in this remarkable organization. In 122 countries around the globe, 292,000 members are learning the joys of public speaking as they explore the fun and excitement of sharing thoughts, ideas and stories with a live audience. For some, this journey is truly transformative. Probably no activity provides a greater sense of accomplishment as individuals gradually conquer their fears of public speaking, refine their skills and evolve into powerful, effective presenters. The standard Toastmaster format provides a rich variety of speaking opportunities. In one meeting you might give an informative speech or tell a humorous story. In another, you might be an evaluator, an ah counter, a timer, a master evaluator. Or you may be called upon by the Table Topics Master to speak extemporaneously for two minutes on a topic which you have not previously prepared. However, there are limitations for those who wish to venture beyond the standard 7-minute speech format. You may have a talk that logically requires a longer time frame. 10, 15 or 20 minutes longer. You want to hear a variety of questions and comments on your subject matter in a Q and A session. These are the reasons for belonging to a second Toastmaster club, an advanced club that can be broaden and strengthen your presentation skills even further. We meet once a month in the spacious meeting room located just inside the entrance at congregation B'ai emunah, 3595 Taraval Street at 46th Avenue, San Francisco. Meetings go from 6:45 - 8:45 pm on the second Tuesday of every month. Our meetings are open to visitors. We invite you to arrive early, join us for an informal pizza/dinner gathering, and discover how to take your speaking, presentation, and leaderships skills to the next level. Please call 415 606-4871 if you have any questions.

Wow - what an incredible program! From the curriculum and course pacing to the absolutely wonderful…read moreinstructors, I'm so grateful to have come across this school! The small class sizes and focus on giving us plenty of opportunity to practice our speaking skills proved quite successful for our whole Intro class, and I'm honestly blown away by the progress I've been able to make in just a few short weeks! Our whole class enjoyed the experience so much that we're all moving on to the next session - can't wait to get started back next week! 10/10 recommend to anyone looking to learn Mandarin!

Took the intro class. It is fairly short with only a few weeks. The syllabus was only pinyin,…read moregreetings, basic sentences, and days/times. Not many verbs yet. The textbook was custom via Google Docs (sort of like a Word document) and not a popular one like Integrated Chinese. The class was Pinyin only in the lecture but I already knew that going in. EM Reader App has some characters in it though. There is no handwriting / typing in the course either. Usually you just have two long speaking exercises with other people in the course with a 5 minute lecture. The wayground quizzes which were considered homework were too easy at least for me and you could retake them infinitely. I was never sure on their grading policy really. There was a final wayground test that you could not take infinitely though and a final oral test. While the intro series is decently priced, the beginner series classes after the intro are much expensive compared to other competitors at 1400 USD for 7 weeks, 3 times a week online class, which would be 66.66 USD per class. I didn't take those because of the high cost currently. After the intro class I talked to some native friends and they said my speaking tones still suck, which should be been addressed during the class. Not sure what that is about.

I joined Toastmasters because I wanted to be a great speaker and met new friends who have the same…read moreinterest. To my surprise, I found a new family in this welcoming club. I go every week because I look forward to hearing great stories and practicing my skills. It is great to have a safe environment to practice public speaking while getting honest feedback. If you are looking for a club in FiDi, check out my club!

If you're looking to join a club that has a lot of interesting people who speak on interesting…read moretopics, this is the club for you. If you're not seeking a club, consider joining Toastmasters, then come visit our club, because we're awesome!

This is an excellent club for someone dealing with the fear of public speaking…read more I work from home and I don't get regular opportunities to speak in front of a group. I noticed on conference calls and at the occasional face-to-face meeting, I would get very nervous before and even during the meetings, and it was affecting my performance at work. I would often decline or avoid opportunities to present to clients or at our annual conference. I joined this Toastmasters club to deal with those issues. Since joining a little over a year ago, I have settled into a regular rhythm of speaking in front of a group every week. What I like about this club in particular is that, due to its size, I have an opportunity to speak every week ("Everybody" speaks!). It's this regular practice in front of a group of about 10-15 people that has helped me rebuild and exercise my public speaking confidence. Many Toastmasters clubs are corporate sponsored and mostly comprised of employees from a particular company. What I like about Everybody Speaks is that it's an unaffiliated, community club. The members come from a diverse set of backgrounds and demographics, are friendly and supportive, and fun to interact with - I always come away from the weekly meeting looking forward to the next one. If you're looking for a good Toastmasters club, particularly to get over the fear of public speaking, you should definitely give this one a try!

As Jerry Seinfeld once pointed out, "The #1 fear in America is public speaking; the #2 is death…read more This means to the average person at a funeral, most people would rather be the one in the casket than the one giving the eulogy!" This hypothetical scenario definitely used to describe me, but after being a part of Everybody Speaks for the last year, I welcome opportunities to get in front of a group, great or small, and speak my mind. Toastmasters has given me a certain peace with prepared speaking, as well as speaking "off the cuff." I have observed this confidence translate into my workplace as well as I present in meetings, or simply converse with senior management when I bump into them in the elevators. Don't let fear overcome you! Come join us for a meeting and see how easy (and fun!) it can be to tackle public speaking!

I never knew this colllege/administrative office existed in the clement area! But I came here for…read morethe CLEP for psychology exam. Pros: -very nice lady name Lana that helps you register and is also the proctor. -convenient location vs the busy downtown area. Cons: -all exams begin at 6PM -You can hear cars/wind passing by as you take the exam

I know there's a lot of love for 826 Valencia (and write-fully so--hee hee), but there's another…read moreyouth-focused non-profit literary organization that I think is just as impressive. Since 1996 Youth Speaks has done amazing work year after year and yet it isn't quite the household name it should be (I have my opinions about this, but perhaps they are best left for a performance of my own). I work at a high school and two of our students made it to the semi-finals this year at the Masonic Center. The place was packed full of teens, teachers, supporting adults and people who love spoken word. And in case anyone thinks that youth today has nothing to say, these kids are the real deal. I don't even like using the word "kids," because I had to remind myself as I sat mesmerized, inspired, surprised and sometimes even a bit scared by the poetry, the honesty and the artistry that this was all from the mouths of babes! Youth Speaks is an amazing and important organization. Check it out, support it, volunteer and love it like you love 826 (I know I do)!

Step to the mic!!!! Youth Speaks is a phenomenal arts-in-education program! I first heard about YS…read moreand Brave New Voices back in 2006. I was looking for volunteer opportunities and stumbled upon this organization. I attended several events as a volunteer at their shows. I soon became a fan and supporter of YS. The staff/mentors are professional, down-to-earth and model citizens. They make everything about learning, fun and give the students encouragement to build confidence, express their individuality and to live up to their potential as writers and performers. I am a huge advocate for youth outreach. There are so many amazing accolades for this literary arts program. They have several programs including after school residencies/programs, workshops outside of school and poet-mentor program for professional development. Every year, they have the Youth Speaks Grand Slam competition. I've gone to the show twice when it was hosted at the SF Opera House. The best of the best are selected through earlier competitions to perform their pieces and judged on their performance. It takes guts to get up on stage in front of a packed house. Big ups to these students (keep in mind some are just in jr. high)....brave enough to bare their soul in front of everyone and share their story, ideas and thoughts with the world. The winners are then sent to represent the Bay at the National Slam competition. Represent! If you have ever seen Def Poetry or the HBO Documentary Brave New Voices, many of the kids from YS were featured on there. It's inspiring to see young talent brought up through Youth Speaks. I've met a bunch of these students while they were in high school. These kids are smart, talented and all have great heads on their shoulders. Many at such a young age had books and albums out, yet they are so respectful and humble. I'm positive that they all go on to great opportunities in college and beyond. Big ups to the Youth Speaks Founder James Kaas and the Directors, Staff, Board, Advisers and everyone else involved! You guys rock!!!! There aren't enough great things I can say about YS. I love spoken word and I love what Youth Speaks does for our young people and community!

I took this class in Corte Madera taught by Chris Peters. It was excellent and would encourage…read moreeveryone to attend when it's in your area.

I cannot say enough good things about instructor/owner Chris and this company. I would absolutely…read morerecommend them to anyone needing to certify or re-certify. He makes relearning this information fresh and entertaining. His team brought up many real life scenarios that they have seen happen and taught us to learn from other peoples' mistakes. I wouldn't want to take this class from anyone else! Thank you LifeSaver CPR