The Table Topics portion of the Toastmasters meeting can be just as exciting as the speeches, if handled creatively. Good preparation for the meeting; a fun theme; and thoughtful, interesting questions all help make the meeting a success.
First time Table Topics Master should read the back of the basic speech manual for brief general instructions on how to handle this role. Also, if available, the mentor or coach in the club is a good person to rely on.
Here are some ideas for fun Table Topics allowing for interaction among two or more respondents. Since these impromptu speaking exercises can be more time consuming than traditional Table Topics, it is critical to plan ahead with the Toastmaster.
Table Topics with a Dialog Theme
Have different participants read the same monologue or dialog (if paired off) but with different voice inflection. The dialog should be 60 to 90 seconds when read aloud.
Look in theater books, or type out the words to a humorous commercial. Poetry is less effective than dialog and conversation scripts for this exercise.
Skits Used in Table Topics
Find short theater skits for pairs of two to act out. A trip to the library is helpful if no skits are easily found on the internet. Skits should be a maximum of four minutes long when read aloud, so that more club members can participate.
Cooperative Storytelling During Table Topics
This is where a story is started by the Moderator and continued piecemeal by Table Topic respondents. The result is a funny story from a joint effort. This gets hilarious.
The story is usually more successful if the Table Topic Moderator inserts transitional phrases between storytellers to encourage action and surprise (e.g. “suddenly, it began to storm, lightening struck, and the lights went out…”)
Interviews as the Theme of Table Topics
Answering interview questions is an important skill to master. Provide practice to club members by using this as a theme for Table Topics.
Consider using a different theme for each person. Here are some ideas for types of questions:
- Job interview (e.g. for a construction worker, for a CEO, for a Sales job)
- Political interview
- Journalistic interview
- Celebrity interview
- Questions from the press after a press conference
Carefully explain that this is role playing so that the Table Topic participants understand that they should respond in character.
Mimes/Mirrors Focus on Gestures During Table Topics
One person speaks and a second stands at his/her side and performs gestures for the speech. The idea is to encourage the use of action-oriented language.
Here are some fun questions to ask that facilitate answers with gestures:
- "I heard there was a ruckus at the bar last night. What happened?"
- "You lost your keys. Tell us where you looked for them, and where you found them."
- "What kind of water sports did you do while on vacation in the Caribbean?"
Role playing to Make Table Topics Fun
Ask a Table Topic participant to respond as a personality, in character. Here are some ideas:
- Preacher (Ask advice)
- Politician (Ask to defend his stance on a controversial issue)
- Scientist (Ask to explain global warming, plate tectonics, etc.)
- Schoolteacher (Ask to explain child’s behavior in class to the parents)
T.V. Commercials Theme for Table Topics
Groups of two to three can act out well-known T.V. commercials.
This can be fun if it is worked out with the Toastmaster of the evening to allow “commercial breaks” throughout the meeting. So, instead of having Table Topics all in one block of time on the agenda, they would be interspersed throughout the meeting just like T.V. or radio commercial breaks.
Remember to coordinate ahead of time any of these ideas with both the Toastmaster of the meeting and the Vice President of Education. The Toastmaster should be notified of the timing needs of the Table Topics to plan the agenda. The VP Education is the person in charge of scheduling roles for each meeting, and he/she might suggest a meeting when the club is low on speakers.
Be sensitive to the personalities of the club members. Extremely shy or newer members may not feel comfortable role playing. Be respectful and allow guests, shy members, and newer members the option of not participating.
These are fun, creative ideas for Table Topics, but the themes do require a little planning, research, and preparation. The reward is stretching the comfort zone of the club members, and having fun with the impromptu speaking portion of the Toastmasters meeting.
Resources
Fun Table Topics Ideas for Toastmaster Meetings. Less challenging themes, but creative and fun variations on how to handle the role of Table Topics Master.
How to Come Up With Creative Themes for a Toastmasters Meeting. Explains how to generate fun themes for the general meeting.
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