Table Topic Contest, Here We Come?

Table topics were comfortably, effectively run at four tables for the thirteen in attendance that included two guests.  It was a great time to become better acquainted in the delivery of one to two minute responses to the prompts that were randomly drawn from the center of each table.  Each response was timed and then reacted to with grows and glows.

Mary Beth Dallman and Carole Kitchen told of graduating from leadership training at Pardee earlier in the week.  They joined Caitlin Owens in each giving a speech before a gathering of over 30 people. They were in a select group of only five people giving speeches of about four minutes each.  It was a great use of the skill they'd been learning in Toastmasters. 

Josh Gravley, at Mary Beth's table,  had returned from a week before showcasing his speaking skills as well with a visit to Winston Salem representing our club in the Humorous Speech Contest.  The next contest at our club is a quick turn around of February 7th.  Today's responders were practicing for the contest portion in table topics.  There are no requirements for entry in that part of the contest.  The other part, the International/Inspirational Speech Contest, requires participants to have completed two levels of Pathways or six manual speeches.

We need all club members to participate either as a contestant or as a member of the contest crew- three judges, a head judge/tie breaker,  two ballot counters, or two timers.

Sally Jones acted as the Table Topics Master in explaining the format before dumping out a portion of the prompts at each of the four tables.  You see below that Carole Kitchen and Danielle Messer can hardly contain their enthusiasm in hearing Stan Coss respond to his prompt that goes on and on about his preparations for the Christmas holidays, which he said were anti-climatic due to Thanksgiving going so well.  Bummer.

Carole gave a much more creative response in describing the instrument she is most like.  It was a big kettle drum.  Most of the time she'd tap mildly with the two mallets, but when her scholarship money was slow coming in, she finally belted her drum over the phone.

Danielle was to tell what place she'd visit above all other places?  Danielle immediately said "Germany," and she reeled off the reasons why like she'd been planning the trip for weeks.  As it turns out, her father as a Navy man had visited nearly all the ports of call but Germany, and her working for a brewery further instilled in her the notion of visiting this place where notable brewing had gone on for centuries.

Tell a story and your table topic tells itself.  Sign up for the table topics contest now while the vision is fresh in your mind!

Members attending were the following: Stan Coss, Mary Beth Dallman, Don Glovan, Josh Gravley, Hoyt Griffith, Sally Jones, Carole Kitchen, Melinda Lowrance, Danielle Messer,  Jeanne Resen,  Susann Swan, and Guests Joe Dwyer and his daughter Micah Dwyer.