Balboa Park Toastmasters San Diego, California

 8/5/20

As the tune of "California Dreamin" played in my head, I was beginning to understand why The Mamas and The Papas wrote a song about California.  This is a club that all clubs should dream about having.  As Steve dressed in his prim and proper button-down shirt, most of these free-wheeling spirits dressed in beach casual with their tank tops and colorful attire.  We entered Zoom early and found seven members chatting away.  Laughter, and lightness filled the spaces.  We were greeted right away and felt some of that light-hearted spirit settle on us.   

Now I can’t speak for all clubs in California, but this one really has it going on.  They have 22 members and are currently President's Distinguished.  I was impressed that they had their Zoom information on their website and FaceBook page.  No one has to search to figure out how to get to their Zoom meeting.  The members were positive, enthusiastic, energetic and friendly.  They had one speaker who spoke for 21 minutes.  How can someone take a flaw, such as her blindness and turn it into a humorous, inspiring presentation?  Speaker Margaret was able to do that with ease. 

Megan,  who invited us to this meeting was Table Topics Master, gave some thought provoking questions and Steve ended up winning Best Table Topics answer.  Whoo Hoo!  That’s always a plus for making a good impression with guests. 

The meeting flowed seamlessly and the hour time flew by.  At the end of the meeting, members discussed having an upcoming virtual Happy Hour on 8/17.  I am so excited that people are figuring out a way to adapt to this new way of socializing.  Who knows I may even pop in on it?  I think this may be a good membership-building tool.  Our club will be doing a social event in a couple of weeks, Family Feud.  I am excited to see how it turns out.  I invited them to join us at the event.

During this COVID-19 pandemic when clubs are not meeting in person, Toastmasters will need to reach into the depths of their creativity and think of new ways to make their clubs sparkle and shine.  New ways to entice people to join their club.  What makes their club different than all the others?  I think Balboa Park is doing just that -- setting their club apart by having virtual social events.  They already have a top-notch meeting and an active Facebook page.  I wish all the best for this club.  I hope they realize what a gem of a club they have and they continue to get the word out.  Way to go Balboa Park!  And thanks Megan for inviting us.