Contest Table Topics questions
When a Contest Chair asked me suggestions on what kind of question to use for their Table Topics contest, I usually replied that it should be short one that everyone could answer and does not tilt for or against a contestant. It should be a question that allows a contestant to answer a question in many different ways, responses that could tell which of the contestants is the best in impromptu speaking during the contest.
Most of the contest questions I’ve heard over the 10 years District 30 has held the Table Topics contest fit this ideal type of a question. Unfortunately, that was not the case this season. A couple of Area Contest questions that I’ve heard, such as the one mentioned in the previous entry, were rather lengthy. But the Northwest and North Division Table Topics questions were even worse!
Here was the Northwest Division question:
There was a huge flash of light and a crashing sound in the backyard. When you went to investigate you find a very hot piece of multi-colored stone in a small crater. After it cooled down, you put it in your pocket and as you carry around you discover that it gives you magical powers. Describe how you came to realize that you can become invisible, leap fantastic distances or hear what animals are thinking.
Here was the North Division question:
Traffic cameras are being installed in many intersections throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. There is a current debate, however, if they truly improve safety or simply just raise revenue for local governments. In your opinion, what is the primary reason traffic cameras are used and should local governments continue to install them?
If you want to be punished further, here is the video of the actual Northwest Division Table Topics contest, held on April 22nd at the Motorola Schaumburg campus. The contest started at the 10th minute.
The two questions were not only too long, it gave each contestant a limited set of answers. The long questions made it hard for the contestants to put together a response as they had to absorb the question prior to responding. In my opinion, they did not show who was the best in impromptu speaking during the contest, rather who was the most willing to put up with such a crappy question and/or who was the luckiest.
I wondered why there seemed to be a trend to use lengthy questions for Table Topics contests. Since I have a distrust for the leadership of District 30, I thought it was some stupid encouragement from one of the top officers, likely the Lt. Governor of Education and Training, thinking that high quantity and high difficulty equal high quality.
After visiting the Southwest Division contest, that was not the case. Here was their question:
If you were to nominate a person for best public speaker, what characteristics would that person have?
which I would consider an ideal question. I was told the Central South contest had a great question as well:
If you had unlimited funds, where would you travel and why?
It appeared whoever ran the Northwest and North Division contests were on an ego trip. They wanted to show themselves off. They wanted their “15 minutes of fame”. I noticed some things in both contests that did not seem right, especially in the North contest in which the functionaries were told to read from a script word for word on what they need to say to the audience when it was their turn to speak.
I’m hoping the District 30 Table Topics Contest on May 21st doesn’t follow the Northwest and North Division contests. So far past District 30 contest questions were short and allowed each contestant to respond in their own way. Otherwise I could say that contests in District 30, just like many other things, are going to hell in a handbasket.
March 30th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
I don’t think the questions from the North West or North Divison were bad questions. In Table Topics you should have the ability to answer QUESTIONS, short or long. That’s what being a competent speaker is all about.
April 13th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
thanks – clear and very helpful. HB
October 20th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
I agree, these are both difficult questions to answer.
Table Topics Masters often create questions that are unnecessarily difficult and are more an exercise in imagination or storytelling (both very specific skills in themselves).
Impromptu speaking is enough of a challenge in itself, Table Topics Masters should do all they can to help and facilitate the speakers that are willing to step up.
Noel Byrne
October 27th, 2011 at 11:53 am
I agree with your assessment of these topics.
In District 56, for as long as I know, we had a requirement that contest topics must be 12 words or less. But that still hasn’t stopped terrible topics from creeping in. To me, in a contest, the challenge shouldn’t be to see if a speaker can come up with an answer to an obscure question; those aren’t the skills we’re trying to develop. I describe the perfect question as one where you’re flooded with ideas on what to say, you could talk all day, and the challenge is to quickly organize it. That’s why organization is valued so highly on the judging form. Most importantly, don’t give a question that favors someone who’s an expert in some field or topic.
The worst topics I’ve heard:
F-I-E-S-T-A (at a District Conference in San Antonio)
Horses (also at a District Conference)
I love Table Topics because … (my least favorite of all time that I got at an Area contest)
The best topics I’ve heard at contests:
What is a friend? (I list this as the very best contest topic I’ve ever heard.)
If you were banished from the US, where would you go?
Describe a good neighborhood.
March 19th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Contest rules suggest questions be limited to 12 words or less. In a contest, the format is: Contestant Name; Question; Question; Contestant Name. Good luck repeating the question twice if it is 75 words in length as in the magic stone example above. Contrast with a contest question recently used in SC: If money and time were no object, where would you go and why? (13 words)
May 8th, 2012 at 8:40 am
The best question I’ve heard was simply ‘A Rose’. A young contestant won the Area contest when he described placing a rose on his grandmother’s casket and thinking of the lessons she taught him.
April 7th, 2013 at 5:20 am
I disagree in part with the premise of this blog post. When a Table Topic question is too short and open-ended, it opens up the opportunity for the speaker to re-use a story or conversation topic that they may have already in effect rehearsed many, many times before. It is important to design questions that force the speaker to come up with an original response. The questions about nominating the best public speaker, or where you would travel with unlimited funds, are examples of topics about which speakers may have already given considerable thought. Table Topics is about thinking on your feet, and it’s entirely appropriate to force the speaker to think creatively. I vehemently disagree with the post making the case that TT should not be an exercise in imagination or storytelling. Topics that force imaginative answers are the fairest ones because it puts everyone on equal footing. These topics don’t play to the interests of particular contestants.
September 9th, 2013 at 4:27 pm
The above article contains words such as stupid, ego trip, and crappy. I do not think Tostmasters is about that. They are hurtful words. Better words should and could be used, such as “could be a little bit more intelligent” and instead of crappy, “could be better”.
Anyway, thank you for the article and the responses. You guys and gals are great.
I believe I will be using the question for Humorous Table Topics,
“What is a merry, playful, and hilarious Toastmaster?”
To everyone reading “Best wishes” and “Thanks”