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Written by John
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Thursday, 25 October 2007 |
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This past few weeks I have been competing in the Toastmaster Table Topics Contest. I made it up to the Division level at my first attempt. This surprised me as I do not think of myself as skilled at table topics. I wanted to share what I have learned through this experience:
- A nswer the question directly. Many people talk around the question. Avoid doing this. Answer the question as best you can as soon as you can, then elaborate on why you answered that way.
- If you can, start with a quote. Memorize a few choice quotes beforehand. If you are completely stumped by a question, try to think of a quote that comes close to the topic, then elaborate on the quote.
- Relate the topic to yourself. The audience wants to hear about you, not someone else. Let the audience get to know you a little better through your topic.
- Be creative, but not too creative. Toastmasters is generally a conservative organization.
- Don't spend too long thinking of your answer before you speak. Use the time to come up with the spark of the idea, then start speaking. Your brain will continue to think about where to take the topic while you are speaking.
- Don't change your answer during the topic. Even if you think your answer is terrible, keep with it. Continue with your answer 100%.
- Tie your opening and conclusion together. As an example, if you start with a quote, repeat it at the end and indicate how the body of your topic expanded on the quote.
- Remember to use what you have learned for regular speeches. Eye contact, vocal variety, gestures, etc.
- Tell a story. Stories are the most powerful way to make a connection with your audience. Be specific in your story and pull the audience in.
- Put yourself in the situation. If you are asked what car you would buy if you were 18 again, be that 18 year old. What would an 18 year old do?
If you are the Table Topic Master for a contest, here are some tips for making great questions:
- Don't be too specific. The topic should be short and sweet. If you have to create a scenario, it is likely too complicated. As an example, "You are 18, you have saved $20,000 to buy a new car. What car would you buy?" Why does it matter how much money you have? Why does it have to be a new car?
- Try to be culturally aware and ask questions that are non-culture specific. Don't ask questions about T.V. shows, specific products, historical leaders, etc. You can always extract the essence of the question. For instance, rather than ask "What do you enjoy most about American Idol?", you could ask, "What inspires you?"
- Don't try to stump the contestants. This is really easy to do and makes everyone look bad. Let the judges be the deciding factor in who won. Let the contestants be the star of the show.
- Enunciate and pause well while reading out the topic. Give the contestant a chance to absorb the topic. Don't try to act out the topic question in any way.
- Make sure you can personally come up with 2 great answers to your own question. If you can only come up with one, then it is likely too specific.
I hope this helps. Please comment on this post if you have other ideas that would help contestants or Table Topic Masters.
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