The Table Topics Challenge (2 min)

My club (Thunderbird Toastmasters) has a 2 minute speech role called "Thunderbird 101".  I decided mine would encourage people to volunteer more for table topics.  I'm guilty myself of shying away from it, but after doing this speech, I'm pumped!  (Now that's self-motivation!)

[start speech]

Have you ever noticed that some people are really good at BSing their way through life? Have you thought, “How do they do that? And how do I learn how to do that?”

That’s what table topics are for! It’s to practice speaking without having any preparation. And if you think about it, we speak impromptu every day, all day long. Table topics speaking could very well, have a bigger impact on your life than prepared speeches.
The key to impromptu speaking is not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it! Next time you come up here for table topics, remember these two techniques:

1. First, intro-body-conclusion: Start with an introduction of your topic, state your supporting content (that’s related to the topic), and then end with a conclusion that summarizes your topic.
2. Second technique is to just let the words flow out and don’t worry about whether it’s truthful, or it’s right, or whether people will believe you. What’s important is that your words come out in a confident manner.

At first, you’ll struggle just to apply these two techniques because you might forget about them, but each time you do them, your brain will remember a little more, and by your 50th table topic, it’ll likely be natural by then!
Next time when the table topics master asks for a volunteer, shoot up your hand regardless of the topic. Only when you challenge yourself, will you grow.

[end speech]

My Toastmasters Blog

I started this blog to store my speeches for others to get use out of.  Toastmasters is about sharing knowledge and skills, and while I'm not verbally delivering these speeches, I still think the information itself is useful!  I'll probably end up posting other useful information about speaking too, for everyone to benefit from including myself!

If you're interested in joining Toastmasters, there is sure to be a local club near you.  You can find one using Toastmaster International's Find a Club search.  Most or all clubs let you come a few times for free to check it out.  You can watch some introduction videos that tell you more about Toastmasters.

Each club has it's own "personality".  Some are casual, some are business-like.  It's ok to hop club to club to find one where you feel like you fit well!  Personally, I only went to one club and liked them from the start, plus they were within walking distance, so it was an easy decision to stay.