2009
03.29
At a higher of Toastmasters Table Topics Competition, the kind of topics should be challenging enough for the contestants. To ask them for a factual response to solve a world problem, or to share a story – that to me is not challenge.
The challenging topics are those that are open to a wider interpretation. The most popular kinds of topics are quotations.
My current favourite is my club’s area contest. My club’s area table topics question was: “Mine is better than yours”
Give it a try now.
Ready…get set…go!
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Category Table Topics questions |
2009
03.25
When you buy my ebook “Table Topics Secrets Revealed”, you will get a bonus ebook on more than 50 ways to conduct a table topics session.
One interesting way is to use photos. The speaker selects a photograph and tell a story about it, or just about anything related to the photos.
There’s a variety of subjects you can use.
It can relate to favourites things like games, food and love.
You can use nostagic pictures like scenery, old building and roads, or famous people in local history.
Using photos open up to a wider interpretation because every speakers see the same picture in a different way.
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Category Table Topics ideas |
2009
03.25
February is Valentine month. You can be sure that the favourite theme in Feb is Valentine. Sure enough, when I brought my students to visit a toastmasters club, the theme of the table topics session is LOVE. As I predicted correctly, one of the questions is a quotation “Love is Blind”
If I were to respond to this question, I will use a before and after technique. Before marriage, I was blinded by love that I cannot see the flaws of the woman I love. Love was blind. She was perfect in my eyes. She can do no wrong.
But after marriage my eyes were open and I can see her flaws at close range. But I choose to close my eyes to her fault. I choose to be blind cos of Love.
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Category Table Topics ideas |
2009
01.12
There are many ways to respond to a table topics question. The simplest method is the PREP.
An impromptu speech is similar to a prepared speech. It has a beginning, a body and a closing.
Start by greeting the President, district officers, table topic masters, toastmasters and distinguished guests.
Then repeat the question.
Then apply the PREP outline.
PREP stands for Point, Reason, Example, and Point.
- Point – state your point of view about the question. Do you agree or disagree?
- Reason – give a reason for your view
- Example – give one or two examples as evidence to support your view (no more the three)
- Point – restate your point of view
After each toastmasters meeting, collect all the questions from the table topic master and practice all the questions at home.
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Category Table Topics ideas, Table Topics strategies |
2008
12.28
You can anticipate what table topics questions will be asked at this time of the year. Knowing that there is a theme that is tie to current events, you can prepare the questions in advance.
For Dec, there are Christmas theme, year end and New Year theme.
The kind of questions they could ask you during Christmas are:
- Your most memorable Christmas Day
- Your most memorable Christmas present
- What you wish for Christmas
- If you are Santa Claus..
- Is Christmas too commercialised?
- What is Christmas to you
Table topics questions related to The New Year theme are:
- goal setting
- resolution
- What you wish for the New Year
- Do you believe in making resolution
- What’s your goal for 2009
- What has been the turning points in your life
- What’s memorable about this year.
Find out more about the kinds of topics that you can anticipate in my ebook “Table Topics Secrets Revealed!“
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Category Table Topics questions |
2008
12.07
When I evaluate a table topic speaker, I always use the 4S as an outline. This method always work and never fail to impress the toastmaster.
The 4S are style, structure, substance and slant.
Style refers to the delivery and body language.
Structure refers to the organisation of the speech e.g. the opening, the body and the conclusion. Was the opening and closing impactful. Does the body of the speech have a point 1, point 2, point3 supported with evidence or illustration?
Substance refers to the quality of the message and the choice of words. Substance means whether the speech is persuasive, informative, or entertaining.
Slant refers to the approach to tackling the topic. For e.g. did he use story telling, a pros and cons approach, or a PREP method?
An example of the conclusion of an evaluation using the 4S.
“He delivers his speech with eloquence and passion (ie style) a message that is well organized (ie structure) , supported with evidence (ie substance) with a refreshing perspective (ie slant).”
Find out more from my ebook “Table Topics Secrets Revealed!” at http://www.toastmasters-tabletopics.com
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Category Table Topics ideas, Table Topics strategies |
2008
12.04
Normally you don’t get to have a Table Topics evaluator in a typical toastmasters meeting. Appointment holders are evaluated by the General evaluator, but most of the time, nobody evaluates the table topics speakers.
So it is refreshing to find out that TDI Toastmasters Club (in KL) has one such evaluator. If you want your club members to do well in table topics, these speakers should be evaluated too.
In my ebook “Table Topics Secrets Revealed“, I share how you can evaluate the speakers based on an easy-to-remember criteria.
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Category Table Topics ideas |
2008
11.29
If you put all the table topics you ever heard in Toastmasters meetings in one year, put them in a bag, shake them out and pour on the table…and sort them out, you can categorise them. That’s what I did.
One of the categories is a single word e.g. “Colors”. It is a difficult topic for those who are not used to these kind of topics. It is open to interpretation. My favourite opening line is “This color reminds me of…”
Let’s hear how some toastmasters answer to the color given by the Table Topics master. Read the details here.
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Category Table Topics questions |
2008
11.24
Butter N Toast came out with a simple and creative way of doing so. Here’s how they do it. I quoted from their website:
Chris’ Table topics session was rather simple. Participants would simply complete a statement which began with our night’s theme “I Create Excellence…” and continues with a phrase that the participant would draw from a bag; phrases like “In the Work Place”, “At Home”, “Amongst my Peers”, etc. and ends with the participant’s speech.
Find out how they tackle the questions:
There are more than 50 ways to conduct a table topics sessions. This is bonus report when you order the book “Table Topics Secrets Revealed!“
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Category Table Topics ideas |
2008
11.24
Like to try your hand at table topics? Get ready….go!
At the District 65 Table Topics Contest (2008), the question was: “It is said that a person who has two friends is truly rich. What qualities do you look for in a friend?”
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Category Table Topics questions |