Chris Clement drew from Bill Clinton’s MasterClass on leadership. Clinton’s lesson: instead of arguing that cell phones matter, he told fishermen how nearby communities used cell phone data to track fish prices along their lines — and increased profitability 20% overnight. The story did what the argument couldn’t.
Two tactics for better storytelling: (1) keep a conversational tone — the moment it sounds like a pitch, the audience shuts off; (2) put yourself in the main character’s shoes — when you’re fully present to their setting and conflict, the right tone and pacing follow automatically.
OKE OF THE DAY — NINA MONTOYA
Nina opened with a bit on dogs as roommates: they don’t pay rent but act like they do, claim territory by zones (couch — theirs, bed — partially theirs, any blanket left unattended for 7 seconds — community property), and have impeccable timing for neediness. Despite all of it, they’ve taught her loyalty, enthusiasm for greeting people, and everything she knows about personal space — by having none.
John Aranilla – Ice Breaker
John opened with three affirmations — “I am confident, I am successful, I am the best version of myself” — then immediately undercut them: “But the truth is there’s always a little voice that tells me I don’t believe that.” He described a comfortable, structured upbringing (“white picket fence”) with parents who gave him everything — but an itch to do more that he never acted on. The break came freshman year at San Jose State: depression, grades dropped, felt alone in a large city for the first time. The turning point was a single psychology lecture on motivation. Professor Low ended class with: “Whatever you do, no matter how big or small, always be proud to put your name on it.” John measured every decision he’d been making against that line — and found most of them came up short. He rebuilt from there: clubs, internships, discipline, intentional choices. Graduated with a business degree and a clearer sense of self. Closed with: “Who is steering your ship?”
✓ STRENGTH
Strong opening — set up conflict immediately; the gap between the affirmations and the inner voice pulled the room in
✓ STRENGTH
Conversational tone throughout — evaluators couldn’t tell he was using notes
✓ STRENGTH
Well-structured arc: early comfort → crisis → turning point → rebuild → open question to audience
✓ STRENGTH
Hand gestures visible and appropriate even on Zoom
→ GROWTH AREA
Switch to bullet-point notes — you know this story; full sentences anchor you to the page
→ GROWTH AREA
Pause longer after questions and after pivotal lines — let the gravity land before moving on
→ GROWTH AREA
The pizza-at-5am turning point needed more imagery — put us in that room with you before the shift happened
→ GROWTH AREA
Find one moment where the speech is explicitly for the audience, not just about you.
James Breen – Wedding Toast
James’s second wedding toast of the summer — this one for college roommate David Jaramillo and his soon-to-be wife Manuela. He traced the friendship from a freshman dorm, through years of shared living, to a clear-eyed portrait of what makes David rare: equally at home at a dinner party or alone reading a book, a sounding board in hard moments and a reliable troll the rest of the time. Credentials included Forbes 30 Under 30, Berkeley PhD, Gates Breakthrough Energy Fellow — and, by far his most distinguished title, the youngest CPAP machine user on record by roughly four decades. James introduced Manuela through their first meeting at a champagne bar in San Francisco, her Latin moxie, her patience, and her mission-driven work. Closed with Confucius in English then Spanish: “We live two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
✓ STRENGTH
Well-structured: clear sections for David, Manuela, then the two of them together
✓ STRENGTH
Balanced humor and sincerity — teased David without losing the warmth
✓ STRENGTH
Opening and closing in Spanish: bilingual delivery was impressive and appropriate given the venue
✓ STRENGTH
Good pacing and eye contact throughout; personable and funny
→ GROWTH AREA
Movement was stiff — loosen up physically; the delivery matched the occasion but the body didn’t
→ GROWTH AREA
Add more vocal variety — vary volume and pace, especially when landing jokes
→ GROWTH AREA
Signal humor with intonation before the punchline, not just after — helps non-native English speakers follow
→ GROWTH AREA
Translate the Confucius quote both ways — say it in English, then Spanish; a Colombia audience won’t translate on the fly
MEETING REPORTS
⏱ Timing Report
✓ Both Speeches — Qualified
✓ Table Topics — All Qualified
4 Table Topics Speakers
🗣 Filler Word Report
Ishmael Samuel served as Grammarian and Ah-Counter.
Speaker
Notes
Steve Evans
Flawless — zero fillers
James Breen
Zero fillers, 1 stutter — very clean
Claire Suisman
Zero fillers, 1 ‘you know’
Chris Clement
1 um, 2 stutters
John Aranilla
3 ums, 3 stutters
Karan Bavandi
1 filler
Nina Montoya
3 fillers (you know / like), 2 ums
Ali (Guest)
1 filler
Marcus Foden
Present — came to introduce baby JP to the club
Word of Day used by
James Breen, Steve Evans
🚶 Movement Master Report — Steve Evans
Everyone is on the path to intentional movement. John was primarily center. Key tip from Chris: the natural moment to cross the stage is during applause or laughter — those are your punctuation marks. Move then, and it looks purposeful rather than random.
TABLE TOPICS — IMPROMPTU HIGHLIGHTS
Karan Bavandi led Table Topics with questions on childhood, college, and lifelong friendships — themes that connected naturally to both speeches.
● Chris Clement “How would you describe your childhood? What are your memories?”
Fishing trip with his grandfather in rural South Jersey. Chris was 7, brother was 3. Brother hooked Chris in the cheek while casting. The commotion sent every nearby fisherman packing — too loud to catch fish. Scar lasted a decade. “That’s why I don’t enjoy fishing anymore. And all the physical retaliation I threw at my brother afterwards was warranted.”
● Ishmael Samuel “Growing up, were you intentional? Did you have goals?”
Self-described miniature super villain. Invented a game called Captain Planet (whisper the name in someone’s ear, then hit them). A truce was called. Two weeks later, friend broke it with an umbrella. Ish’s response: built a fake MySpace profile of a girl, spent four days making it convincing, lured the friend to a coffee shop, and had his youth pastor show up in a trench coat. Friend ran away crying. “That was one of many awful schemes.”
● Steve Evans “Looking back at college — would you have done anything differently?”
Wanted to be a rock and roll DJ. Excelled at speech and drama, let everything else slide. Left when a radio job came through. Market to market until LA. “Perfunctory perhaps, but it worked out.”
● Ali (Guest) “Are you still in touch with a childhood friend?”
Best friend Maggie since kindergarten — they met day one and played volleyball together from age 6 through 18. Ali has accidentally pushed her into a pool (with both a digital camera and a cell phone in her pocket), punched her in the face before a game, and rear-ended her car. Never once had a fight. Just spent a weekend in New York with her at a festival. Seeing her for the bachelorette in three weeks, then Italy in September.