Every meeting of the Kirkland Eclectics Toastmasters Club begins with the Pledge of Allegiance, but every session is different. And the membership is as diverse as the topics that speakers cover each week.

Raul Munoz, for example, spoke encouragingly on how to get more involved in American democracy on Jan. 13. After he spoke, Shanika Weerasundara delivered an animated speech about developing strategic listening skills.

There is no such thing as “a dull or uninteresting topic, there are only uninteresting people,” began Weerasundara. “Find an interest in the topic,” she added enthusiastically, and “it will enable you to become a more effective listener.”

Every week, different speakers address the club on different topics. After the speeches, selected members evaluate them, offering praise and constructive feedback.

Gerhard Ade was Toastmaster of the evening, which means he served as the MC. In terms of the members, said Ade, “we are as diverse as it gets.” Members originate from all over the world, work in various fields and reflect a broad range of ages, he said. Ade is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Bain and of German descent.

“I came tired, but now I’m inspired,” reflected Ade on the parting words of a recent guest of the Toastmasters Club, as he welcomed everybody into the multi-purpose room of the Merrill Gardens retirement home in downtown Kirkland.

Toastmasters International is a public speaking club, open to all members of the community.

The Kirkland chapter celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2010 and currently has about 50 members. On Thursdays, club members and guests gather to become better speakers and listeners, practice public speaking and learn new things. However, the club is much more than that.

“We like being together and we have a good time,” said the club’s secretary Sharon Rice, who has been a member for two years. “It’s something to do and get involved in.”

Glen Rollman, who has been a member for 38 years, values the club for enabling him to “speak without fear.” He enjoys the Thursday evening meetings because they’re “the cheapest entertainment around, and you can participate,” he said in an interview.

“(Members) also learn how to express themselves,” said Paul Yarbrough, who attributes his main source of inspiration to the weekly meetings, which he has been regularly attending for 15 years.

The club has won the “President’s Distinguished Club” 10 years in a row, said immediate past president Vi Duong. In addition, out of a pool of 170 clubs in the Puget Sound region, the club was recently honored as the Most Inspirational Club of the Year.

What is truly inspirational is when members give “speeches in their second language,” said Ade. English is the second language for many club members, and the club is an arena to become comfortable and confident when speaking, which is enabled by the “incredible support system” that club members provide, he added.

“Club members are dedicated, engaging members who volunteer for many tasks to keep the club healthy and growing,” said Duong, who added that the club has been growing by more than three members per month.

When asked what attracted her to the club, new member Danielle Blackburn said she had read that some of the most influential people in the world have been Toastmasters. After looking into this, she found that “the most important friends they had and all of the most uplifting people they had ever met had been through the Toastmasters Club.” Blackburn decided to “give it a shot,” and when she attended the first meeting in Kirkland, she said she was “blown away.”

The club is “so supportive and friendly,” said Xuewei Wen, vice president of public relations, who added that it is also a great way to network and make friends. Wen said this is why the Kirkland chapter is so popular.

Members and visitors often leave Merrill Gardens feeling enriched and inspired. Not to mention, said Rice, “it’s very fun, and you feel safe and welcome.”

While the club is about public speaking, said Yarbrough, “it’s really about your whole life, it’s self improvement, and when you improve one area of your life you improve all areas.”

Meetings are every Thursday evening at Merrill Gardens, 201 Kirkland Ave. For more information visit http://kirklandeclecti.freetoasthost.us/.

Alysha Alibhai is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.