Here are a few more ideas to help the Topicsmaster lead a creative, fun Table Topics session.
The Time Machine: Ask participants any鈥攐r all鈥攐f the following questions: If you had a time machine with room for one more, who would you take and to what time period would you go? If you travel two years into the future, will you find anything good that has come of this pandemic? Is there anything you鈥檇 like to go backward in time to 鈥渦n-invent鈥? (Thanks to Tim Barden, a member of Lift Every Voice 91传媒 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the Time Machine suggestion.)
Critters: At the beginning of the session, ask everyone to submit the name of an animal with which they identify. Then have speakers select a submission and state which member they think identified with that animal, and why. If you have time, you can also let submitters explain what that particular animal means to them.
Fractured Fables: Tell a well-known fable or fairy tale and ask speakers to give it a surprise ending.
Lightning Round: Try this quick activity if you have extra time. The Topicsmaster (or Toastmaster) calls on each member to say what鈥檚 on their mind in one or two sentences. It鈥檚 remarkable how much bonding will happen when we have this precious opportunity to share ourselves.
The Topicsmaster鈥檚 role is to ask questions that everyone will want to answer. And don鈥檛 forget: The spotlight is on the members. A brief set-up and an even briefer segue to the next question is the Topicsmaster鈥檚 task, not a lengthy rebuttal to the member鈥檚 response. Keep the energy flowing!
Beverly Wise, DTM is a neuropsychologist turned stand-up comic whose two biggest life-changers have been Mt. Holyoke College and 91传媒. She is a member of North Hills Club and Lift Every Voice 91传媒, both near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.