Less than obvious sources of Table Topics questions for Toastmasters club meetings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table Topics is the impromptu speaking section of a Toastmasters club meeting, where participants provide one-to-two-minute answers to questions. It is discussed in an article by Greg Lewis on pages 26 and 27 of the January 2022 Toastmaster magazine titled The two sides of Table Topics.

 

Where can you find ideas for good questions? The lazy way is just to Google table topics questions. But a better idea is to look more broadly under impromptu speaking. At My Speech Class on August 5, 2022 there is an article by Kate titled 200+ Good impromptu speech topics. And at public speaking mentor on August 12, 2022 there is a second article by Darrell Burton titled 100+ Impromptu speech topics. And at Assignment HELP PRO on September 24, 2022 there is a third article by Linnea Smith titled 125 Interesting impromptu speech topics and ideas.

 

I also was looking at a 2022 book by Steven James and Tom Morrisey titled The Art of the Tale (and subtitled Engage your audience, elevate your organization, and share your message through storytelling). Chapter 7 is on The Six Most Common Mistakes Speakers Make, and on page 119 there is a list of fifteen story starters that begin with Tell us about a time when:

 

“Things didn’t go as planned…

You learned a lesson the hard way…

You tried to impress someone and it backfired…

You consistently did the right thing and were finally appreciated for it…

You wondered if maybe you’d finally gone too far in a relationship…

You had a hard time letting go of something or someone…

You worked hard to earn a second chance and it paid off…

You faced a tough decision…

You were stuck between a rock and a hard place…

You decided to take life by the horns and embark on a new chapter in your life…

You overcame great hardship to make something of yourself…

You stepped out on a limb and it broke off … but you learned about the benefits of taking a risk…

You sacrificed something for the one you loved…

You didn’t heed a warning and paid the price … but discovered something useful in the process…

You thought you could do something but failed … and learned about the importance of humility…”

 

A cartoon image of a woman was adapted from this one at Wikimedia Commons.