by Bob Fariss Colleyville Toastmamasters
How Colleyville Toastmasters turned a simple acronym into a powerful club ritual.
Every great Toastmasters meeting has a rhythm — the prepared speeches, the Table Topics, the evaluations. But Colleyville Toastmasters recently added something unexpected to that rhythm, and members are still talking about it.
It’s called the WAIT, and it takes less than five minutes. But those five minutes have quietly become one of the most anticipated moments of each meeting.
So, what does WAIT stand for?
Wins. Achievements. Inspirations. Thankful moments.
At the start of each meeting, members are invited to share a brief WAIT moment from their week — something they noticed, something they’re proud of, something that surprised them with gratitude. No performance required. No evaluation. Just an honest, personal glimpse into the week behind them.
Why it works.
Toastmasters train us to speak with intention. But WAIT trains us to notice with intention first. Before you can tell a compelling story, you have to recognize that something worth telling actually happened. That’s harder than it sounds in a busy week.
“Before you can tell a compelling story, you have to recognize that something worth telling actually happened. The WAIT segment makes that a habit.”
The WAIT idea creates a gentle but consistent habit: pause, reflect, and surface what’s good. Members have shared everything from getting a new job to the unexpected joy of just leaving a lucky penny for someone else on the sidewalk. Small moments. Real moments. Exactly the kind that make speeches feel human.
There’s also a practical benefit: coming into a meeting having already identified a recent win or an inspiration means you arrive present — already in the mindset of a connector, not just someone rushing in from a hectic day.
How to bring WAIT to your club.
The format is refreshingly simple. At the top of the meeting, the Presiding Officer opens the WAIT segment and invites two or three volunteers to share a 30-to-60-second moment from any of the four categories. No preparation needed. No special role required.
To support members between meetings, Colleyville created a free digital WAIT Journal app – a mobile-friendly tool where members can learn to notice and capture their moments on the go and revisit them before each meeting. You can learn about it at https://wait-landing-page.replit.app.
If your club is looking for a way to deepen connection, warm up the meeting, and remind members why they showed up — not just to speak better, but to live more intentionally — the WAIT might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
Colleyville Toastmasters meets virtually via Zoom each and every Friday at noon. Curious about how WAIT works for our club, come visit, guests are always welcome.
