How to Be a Great Table Topics Master

How can you profit from being the Table Topics Master?

Taking on this role improves organizational skills, time management skills and facilitation skills. 

You can get at least three things out of being the Table Topics Master.

1. Give two prepared mini speeches, and one unprepared speech stating who spoke about which topic before the voting.
2. Learn to grab the attention from an audience that is not ready for you after the break.
3. Practice getting off and on stage

Why do we have a Table Topics Master?

Speaking off the cuff, impromptu is a highly useful skill. It helps train members to quickly organize and express their thoughts in an
impromptu setting.

It is the Table Topics Masters’s job to call as many members as possible to the stage to practice it, preferably those that otherwise would not be speaking at the meeting.

Table Topics are also a way for guests to dip a foot into the water. Very often membership at Center Berlin starts with a Table Topic.

How To

In advance of the meeting, select topics that allow speakers to offer opinions and express their ideas. As a Table Topics Master, you have the opportunity to plan a program that will be interesting and engaging, perhaps even inspiring for members and guests. Be sure to prepare early enough and be creative!

If possible, try to align your questions with the meeting theme. This is mandatory on Motto Nights!

You are the last person to be called on stage before the break and the first person on stage after the break. It is your duty to start the second part of the evening on time.

Before the break, the TME will call you to the front. Explain what Table Topics involves so our guests understand the concept and format.
Tell guests you’ll ask them in the Break if they want to participate in the TT section. Encourage them to come to you and volunteer.

During the break, please ask guests if they would be willing to try a Table Topic.

Start the section by explaining the reason and the timing. Table Topic is 1 – 2 minutes. Green = 1 minute, Yellow = 1.5/ Red = 2 minutes.

Call on an experienced TM first to set an example for guests.

Give members the opportunity to do a Table Topic if they don’t have a speaking or functionary role in the meeting.

If there is a reserve speaker who did not get to speak, call upon him or her.

At the end of the Table Topics section, recap the names of the Table Topics speakers (who stayed on time) and their answers, and then ask members to vote for their favorite.

What types of Questions can You Ask?

Here are some ideas on what you could do:

• bring fortune cookies and read the fortune aloud. Have speaker number one chose the cookie for speaker number two, and so on
• ask for an opinion (“Would you like to see more…?”)
• give a quotation and ask for an interpretation
• present an interesting statistic and ask, “Why?”
• show an object
• start a story and ask for it to be continued (“My heart missed a beat when I saw…”)
• ask for the explanation of an unknown term (“What is a Hidalgo?”)  – and solve the riddle once the speaker is done
• ask to have a process described from inside. (The titanic describes how it felt to be ripped apart by an iceberg.)
• blindfold the speaker, and hand them an object to talk about. (this is one of the few instances when the speaker is called before the topic is presented.) Make sure that you find a way to signal time, inform the timer up front about it, and (as always)
• try to find another exciting way to do Table Topics.

Do You Want to Go to the Limit?

If you want to do the absolute limit, pick a topic, explain on a small part of it and then ask a question that connects well. Repeat and stay with the topic. (For example: 1. Positive psychology has been defined as the study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities, and organizations to thrive. One of the traits that make an individual thrive are deep and meaningful connections to other people. Whom do you feel truly connected to? 2. You probably already know that gratitude is another key element for humans to thrive. What you might not yet know is the best way to practice it – apart from showing it to other people. Science says it is best to write down three new things you are grateful for once a week. What were you grateful for this week?)

Please ensure that you do not need too much time for your texts. The more Table Topics you ask, the better.

Technicalities

Always present the topic of the Table Topic BEFORE you call a speaker to the stage. This way of presenting will ensure a much more attentive audience. Even those, who are not called upon, start to think about an answer. The Table Topic Speakers will be able to think about your question on their way to the stage.

A Table Topics speech should last one to two minutes. It is prompted by whatever the Table Topics Master does. It is up to the speaker to decide how he or she answers the call. Speakers may speak about anything. The speaker may take all the time he/she wishes to think before they answer.

The questions you present can be about anything and everything. You could even simply show an object, call someone to the stage and hand it to them. If you ask a question or give another verbal cue, please make sure to repeat it once the speaker is on stage.

Make sure to check the attendance before the meeting. Prepare a list of all members attending who do not have a role. You need to call especially those members on stage because otherwise they will not be speaking at the meeting at all. The reserve speaker should always be called. Never call those that do the big roles: Toastmaster of the evening, General Evaluator, Speakers, Evaluators. The first person you call should be an experienced member if possible.

Ask one or two guests to the stage too. But only those who agreed to do it, when you asked them about it during the break. Toastmasters – out of tradition will always say yes.

In a Nutshell

1. Always pose the question / give the topic before you call upon a speaker. This will make the whole segment a lot more exciting for everybody.

3. Always ask at least one or two guests to speak.

4. Do not call on people who are already doing bigger roles (Speakers, TME, Evaluators, and GE).

PS

Feedback helps us all grow. If you want feedback on your performance as the Table Topics Master, give the PDF “Feedback for the Table Topic Master” to another club member to evaluate you. Or tell another member upfront that you would like their feedback after the meeting.