Topicsmaster

The extemporaneous educator

With TABLE TOPICS™, the Topicsmaster gives members who aren’t assigned a speaking role the opportunity to speak during the meeting. The Topicsmaster challenges each member with a subject, and the speaker responds with a one- to two-minute impromptu talk.

Some people underestimate the Topicsmaster role’s importance. Not only does it provide you with an opportunity to practice planning, preparation, organization, time management and facilitation skills; your preparation and topic selection help train members to quickly organize and express their thoughts in an impromptu setting.

Preparation is the key to leading a successful Table Topics session:

- Several days before the meeting, check with the Toastmaster to find out if a theme meeting is scheduled. If so, prepare topics reflecting that theme.
- Confirm who the prepared speakers, evaluators and general evaluator will be so you can call on other members at the meeting to respond first. You can call on program participants (speakers last) at the end of the topics session if time allows.
- Select subjects and questions that allow speakers to offer opinions. Don’t make the questions too long or complicated and make sure they don’t require specialized knowledge.
- Phrase questions so the speakers clearly understand what you want them to talk about.

Remember, too, that your job is to give others a chance to speak, so keep your own comments short.

Table Topics usually begins after the prepared speech presentations, but there are variations from club to club. Ask the Toastmaster or vice president education if you’re unsure of when your portion of the meeting begins.

When the Toastmaster introduces you, walk to the lectern and assume control of the meeting:

- Briefly state the purpose of Table Topics and mention any theme.
- If your club has a word of the day, encourage speakers to use that word in their response.
- Be certain everyone understands the maximum time they have for their response and how the timing device works (if the timer hasn’t already done so).

Then begin the program:

- Give each speaker a different topic or question and call on speakers at random.
- Avoid going around the room in the order in which people are sitting.
- Don’t ask two people the same thing unless you specify that each must give opposing viewpoints.
- State the question briefly – then call on a respondent.
- You may wish to invite visitors and guests to participate after they have seen one or two members’ responses. But let visitors know they are free to decline if they feel uncomfortable.

Watch your total time. You may need to adjust the number of questions so your segment ends on time. Even if your portion started late, try to end on time to avoid the total meeting running overtime.

If your club presents a best Table Topics speaker award:

- Ask the timer at the end of the Table Topics session to report those eligible for the award. Though the times vary among clubs, generally a participant is disqualified for stopping 15 seconds prior to the allowed time or speaking 15 seconds beyond the allowed limit.
- Ask members to vote for best Table Topics speaker and pass their votes to the sergeant at arms or vote counter.

If your club has a Table Topics evaluator, ask for his or her report and then return control of the meeting to the Toastmaster

The Art of Audacious Conversation

Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone, writes this great guide to striking up conversations with people you don't know, and the benefits of having the guts to do it. You know what is at the core of his presentation? The need for public speaking skills.

WordPress Themes

DeKalb Toastmasters has just begun the process of redesigning our website. We're not searching for the holy grail of perfection, but we would like to have a more functional and beautiful design than we currently have. So, we're planning to do what everyone else is doing, and get WordPress with a hosting company and build our new site there.

This morning I read the following article in my work:

http://wpmu.org/why-you-should-never-search-for-free-wordpress-themes-in-google-or-anywhere-else/

It gives very clear guidance NOT to grab free WordPress themes from around the internet, because they can often contain malicious code. But at the end, the article does give links to a few *trusted* sources for WordPress themes.

If you or your club get into doing a new website project, just keep in mind that you can't trust any old WordPress theme - it's a program, and like any program you should know and verify the source before trusting it.

Table Topics

The articulate ad-libber

Most of the talking we do every day – simple conversation – is impromptu speaking. Yet for some members, TABLE TOPICS™ is the most challenging part of a Toastmasters meeting.

Table Topics continues a long-standing Toastmasters tradition – every member speaks at a meeting. But it’s about more than just carrying on an anxiety-ridden tradition. Table Topics is about developing your ability to organize your thoughts quickly and respond to an impromptu question or topic.

Table Topics usually begins after the prepared speech presentations. The Toastmaster of the meeting will introduce the Topicsmaster who will walk to the lectern and assume control of the meeting. The Topicsmaster will give a brief description of the purpose of Table Topics and mention if the topics will carry a theme.

The Topicsmaster will state the question or topic briefly and then call on a respondent. Each speaker receives a different topic or question and participants are called on at random.

When you’re asked to respond to a topic, stand next to your chair and give your response. Your response should last one to two minutes.

Now, take a deep breath and get ready to be remarkable!

Profile: Carol Abrahamson

One of our newest members who was profiled in the last post, Carol Abrahamson, is benefiting from Toastmasters as she launches her new business, Executive Authors. Here is what Carol has to say:

A serial entrepreneur since 1983, my newest venture is Executive Authors, a business that helps entrepreneurial, corporate and nonprofit execs to organize, write, create and promote business- and career-boosting books. As an author whose first book led to over $2 million in consulting revenues within a few years, I love helping other executives achieve the same glorious results!

Executive Authors leverages my years advising and coaching CEOs/CFOs of startups to multi-billion-dollar corporations, writing and editing mission-critical corporate messages designed to attract and excite multiple audiences, teaching high school English, as a McGraw-Hill executive and writing 14 nonfiction books of my own.

Toastmasters is making a big difference as I create a speech to take national that will be the cornerstone of my marketing program, How Having A Book of Your Own Can Forever Change Your Professional Life. The group has saved me the thousands of dollars I would otherwise have paid a speech coach, plus is a means to learn to use PowerPoint slides and a laptop projector from the stage. It is also a wonderful place for supportive camaraderie and meeting fascinating people I would otherwise never know. Our meetings are my most-favorite things on my calendar!

Thanks, fellow Toastmasters!

New Members!

DeKalb Toastmasters welcomes three new members to the club.

The three newest members were inducted into the club at our regular meeting last night (Tuesday, Aug. 24).  They have already given three speeches between the three of them, and they are all excited about finishing the Competent Communicator educational program before the end of next June. It's great to have you three on board!

52 Speakers To Learn From–#1 Brian Regan

My cousin Jeff Swinford showed us a video of stand up comedian Brian Regan in the mid 90s.  15 years later and Brian Regan is still doing stand up comedy. There are a few reasons to check out Brian’s videos (he has three stand up performance DVDs and one stand up CD available here):

1) He is an incredibly accomplished stand up comedian.  he uses facial expressions and body language in a lot of his comedy.  

2) His delivery is superb.  When Brian Regan appeared at comedy clubs in the Chicagoland area, my wife and I would typically see him two times.  Although some of his material is the same, he always had enough material to make each performance unique.

3) He doesn’t swear.  Unlike many comedians that make appearances on late night talk shows, Brian’s in person performances are very similar to his late night sets (just more material and hilarious encores).  My kids have been listening to Brian Regan for years and our 12 year old has gone to see him in person once already.

I could (and many times do) go on, but it’s really best to watch this professional in his element.  His website is www.brianregan.com and his youtube channel is www.youtube.com/brianregancomic.  If you would like to see him in person, there are a number of local appearances coming up in October (you will probably see me at a couple of them!)  http://www.brianregan.com/tour.html

Dan Rey
VP of Education