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The Table Topics session is the part of the meeting in which members "think on their feet" by speaking about a topic unknown to them until they arrive on stage. For each meeting, a Table Topics Master is appointed and he/she prepares the discussion topics. Members either volunteer or are randomly selected to discuss one of the topics of the day. Guests do not have to participate in this exercise unless they volunteer themselves. A speaker is allowed twenty seconds to gather his/her thoughts before starting. The target is to speak on the topic for between one and two minutes.
It is probably the part of the meeting which challenges members the most. It is common to see new members looking at the ceiling or the floor, trying to avoid any possibility of being selected as the next speaker. At first, a minute can seem like an hour and people wonder how they can ever be expected to organise their thoughts to talk about such topics in a sensible and comprehensive way. However, those who have the courage to push through those initial thoughts soon realise that Table Topics is merely another form of practice - another way in which to develop as a speaker. In fact, it can be a lot of fun because it involves being creative and using your imagination. The purpose of Table Topics is to help you build your capacity to think quickly and this is a very useful life skill to develop. Soon members have the confidence to speak on the spot about a huge variety of subjects. |
Impromptu Speaking |