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.

In 1985, when I was President of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS and needed to improve…read moremy speaking skills, along with the late David Ravetti, we formed the REALTOR'S Toastmasters Club. The Club has continued to exist all these years and has won many awards. It is so gratifying to see how members continue to develop their speaking ability, gain self confidence, assume leadership roles and develop self condidence. If you want to improve in these areas, I suggest you join our club and have fun at the same time.

I have been a member of SFAR Toastmasters Club for over 2 years. I am a retired senior citizen, and…read moreI live in San Francisco. My husband and I are co-Directors of a community effort to restore the mile long Junipero Serra Greenbelt that runs parallel to Junipero Serra Blvd near the southern border of SF. Toastmasters has helped me out in a very big way. I have gained renewed self confidence and energy, which has improved my public speaking skills. As a result, my speeches at community meetings engage my audiences and help me to recruit volunteers to support my project. Thank you SFAR Toastmasters!

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've been a member of Rainbow Toasties for about two years now. I really love it. Everyone is so…read morefriendly and encouraging. Having a queer safe space to tell queer stories is so needed. Allies are welcome. :) We currently meet at every Thursday. Always online and sometimes with an in-person component at the Folsom Center. Please see the website for more details!

I have been a member of Rainbow Toastmasters (RTM) for some time. It is one of the first LGBTQ+…read moreToastmasters clubs established in 2005 and is open to LGBTQ+ and allies! The meetings are fun, vibrant, well organized! It is great learning to be a better speaker and presenter in a fun atmosphere with other new and experienced RTM members. RTM has both zoom and hybrid meetings - it is important to learn to speak in both situations! Please check out RTM!

My company sent me to a 3-day Sales Success class. Dale Carnegie really lives up to its reputation…read more I have heard great things about Dale Carnegie and was very excited when I found out that I would be attending the class. The material taught by the knowledgeable instructor was concise, beneficial and inspiring. They teach you to change your outlook so that your attitudes toward others are changed for the better. It's easy to keep doing what you do everyday and you don't realize that you have also changed by interacting with people. It's good to keep tabs on your attitudes as this affects how you are perceived by others. They teach you how to do your sales pitch. You can change the order of how you say it to better your sales results! Very effective! Group discussions were very helpful. I loved the group exercise as you get to hear what other people would do in various situation. I loved this class. My company offered in-house training as well, but it really doesn't do justice. I highly recommend this to those who are interested in staying competitive in sales industry. You will come out on top.

I continue to believe in this wonderful organization. In addition to taking the class and coaching…read morethe class, I've recommended this to several friends who continue to appreciate the benefits. I've also met some lifelong friends. I'm SOOO glad they moved from San Francisco to San Mateo. I didn't like hauling up to the City. Old place - horrible parking; New place - good parking!

I have been a member for over 2 years and have seen improvement in not only my speaking skills, but…read morehow I approach conversations and meetings with others. Before joining, I was welcomed warmly. Throughout my time so far here, other members have always made me feel safe to try new things. When receiving feedback, I get to hear how others perceived my speech - where I did well and where I can improve. I have gotten many great tips over my time at this club. I would recommend this club to anyone looking to improve their speaking and leadership skills as well as gain more confidence and be part of a positive environment.

I joined during the pandemic as a remote guest, and I felt really welcomed by the group. The folks…read moreare open and provide great feedback. Even before feeling comfortable with speaking, I learned a lot by watching other members speak and provide feedback. Soon, I tried my hands at a few speeches, and I got some great tips on how to improve. The speeches offered me regular challenges, and the team gave me lots of support along the way. Glad we can learn and uplift each other. Thanks!

Thankful this place shutdown. The owner was an egotistical maniac and at one point literally had a…read moreswearing/screaming tell off session with our group. He also enjoys using his "status" as a way of putting down ppl and making them feel less than. All of the "lessons" you take at this "school" can be found for free online and there is absolutely no need to drop $14K or more. Not only that, you're expected to do all of your own work in terms of networking and finding jobs during and after. You're deemed a lazy, entitled brat if you're not doing most of the work yourself. So not sure what we're paying the tuition for? I'm not surprised by the reviews here. The owner uses bullying tactics to scare ppl from speaking out such as telling students he will ruin you and that knows all the CEOs and founders in silicone valley (I highly doubt such an assinine person would be accepted in those circles). Hence my need to make this account to avoid jeopardizing my own career that I built myself from scratch. If you contact alumni and ask for the real tea, you will find out these shiny reviews are a farce and I welcome you to do that to save yourself. I hope this review saves people a ton of money and emotional abuse caused by this establishment.

I am an alum, and I am so glad to hear this place is shut down. The founder and his team are…read moreegotistical, delusional, abusive, and rude. I had low self esteem when I joined which is why I tolerated their attitudes. I was once yelled at by the founder's mother, she literally yelled at me at the school. And the team bullied students who were so afraid of losing the network. 14K was not worth it. I wasted my time and resources there. My previous 1 star review was deleted, not sure why. I am adding another one here. If they represent Silicon Valley, I would not touch SV because the culture is toxic.

Richard is an amazing teacher. He is patient, accommodating, and will give you the right feedback…read moreto get you to your best speaking abilities. I had a lot of fun during these sessions, and could see the immediate impact they were having in my business. Would 100% recommend him!

Highly recommended - a life saver! I hired Richard to help…read moreme prep for a keynote speech. I had decent content, but he helped me refine it and get better at delivery. Practicing with him was extremely helpful. I felt prepared, confident and I nailed it! Thank you, Richard