Mastering Table Topics - Second Edition

Mastering Table Topics

Second Edition

By Matthew Arnold Stern

Lake Forest, California

www.matthewarnoldstern.com

Twitter: @maswriter

Copyright

Copyright © 2012–2015, Matthew Arnold Stern. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.

To view Matthew Arnold Stern’s other writing, including speeches, essays, and communication tips, visit his Web site at www.matthewarnoldstern.com.

Second edition, September 2015

ISBN: 978-1-329-51445-4

Cover image by Bigstock (photo ID 48723890)

www.bigstockphoto.com

Introduction

How this Book Can Help You

To make the most out of a workout, you need the proper exercise equipment and a qualified trainer. The same is true with table topics. You need quality questions that challenge and stimulate you and encourage you to come up with a great response.

The book contains table topics questions that I have presented at Toastmasters clubs and other organizations over the years. Included are questions for a variety of subjects, including business, special times of the year, thoughts and feelings, and even how to give instructions.

This book also provides tips for answering table topic questions. Learn how to listen to questions, answer directly, and organize your talk.

Table Topics Are Fun!

You will find that table topics not only help you refine your speaking skills, they are a lot of fun. The questions in this book can stimulate your imagination and sense of humor. Try some of them at a party. See how they encourage participation and break the ice.

How to Run Table Topics

Topicmaster

Designate one of the people in your group as the topicmaster. The topicmaster does the following:

Selects the table topic questions to ask.

Asks for volunteers to come up and answer a question (or volunteers people if they are not willing to come up).

Asks the participant the question.

Thanks each participant for answering.

Asks the audience to vote for table topic winners.

If you have designated a specific portion of a meeting for table topics (like a typical Toastmasters meeting), wraps up the table topics portion and returns control of the meeting to the toastmaster.

Table Topic Questions

The topicmaster can use the questions in this book or create one of his or her own.

The questions are organized into themes. The topicmaster can pick a theme that is appropriate for the time of year like Valentine’s Day questions for a February meeting, or a major event at work like an upcoming conference. Using a theme helps your speakers anticipate the type of questions they will answer, and it helps you prepare or present your questions.

Although we want speakers to have a general idea of what they are going to speak about, we do not want to give them the opportunity to plan their speech in advance. Therefore, we give each speaker a different question and ask the speaker to pick a question at random. Some ways to have a speaker to pick a question include:

Have the speaker pick a number. (All of the table topic questions in this book are numbered.)

Put each question on a slip of paper, and have the speaker pick one out of a hat.

The questions in this book are in groups of 12–20, enough to provide you with 15–40 minutes of table topics. You do not have to go through all the questions in each group if you do not have the time. You can save any unasked questions for later.

Timekeeper and Timing Equipment

Designate another member of your group to be the timekeeper. The timekeeper times the speeches, indicates how much time the speaker has spoken, and notes when a speaker has gone overtime.

To keep and indicate the time, you need the following equipment:

A stopwatch (or a watch or smartphone with a stopwatch feature)

Green, yellow, and red time indicators, which are either colored index cards or lights.

You can purchase automatic timing lights from Toastmasters International and other sources. Apps are also available for smartphones and tablets. (See "Additional Resources" for a list.)

The timekeeper displays the time indicators at the following minutes and seconds. The indicator remains up or on until the timekeeper switches to the next one.

1:00 – Green indicator

1:30 – Yellow indicator

2:00 – Red indicator

This is the same timing used for Toastmasters table topics contests.

At 2:30, the speaker has gone over time. You have several options about what to do when the speaker has gone over (besides giving them the hook).

For beginning speakers, turn off the light or put down the indicator, but allow the speaker to continue. This provides the speaker with a gentle reminder that they have gone over.

For more experienced speakers, ring a bell or start applause (similar to what televised awards shows do to long acceptance speakers). This provides a firmer reminder that the speaker has gone over.

For speech contests, timekeepers give no indication that a speaker has gone over, but notes that the speaker is disqualified.

Table topics teach speakers how to be brief, so it is important for speakers to know how much time they have used. As speakers become familiar with the timing, they will learn to structure their speeches to fit.

Vote Counter, Voting Ballots, and Awards

To provide the speakers with feedback and encourage healthy competition, have the audience vote for table topic awards. Designate one person as a vote counter.

You can present one or more awards. Here are some ideas:

Best table topics

Most persuasive

Most improved

Best humor

Best gestures

Best organization

The award can be a ribbon or certificate that the winner can keep, or a perpetual trophy that the winner can display at his or her office or home and bring back at the next meeting. You can purchase ribbons, certificates, and trophies from the Toastmasters catalog.

How to Answer Table Topic Questions

Step 1: Understand the Question

Make sure you understand the question before answering it. This sounds logical, but think of