Prerequisite: Icebreaker and attendance at three or four meetings

Time: Return control of the meeting to the Toastmaster no later than 7:45. Do not call on the Speakers, Program Managers, or Evaluators. If it is still not 7:45 after you have called on all other members and guests, you can call on Evaluators until 7:45. If there has been a long business meeting and Tabletopics starts late, it may be that you run past 7:45 even if you only call on other members and guests. This should seldom happen but, if it does, the Toastmaster can keep the meeting on schedule by making the break shorter. The usual reason Tabletopics runs late is the Topicmaster…not the speakers.

• Make a list of 18 to 28 questions, using the theme of the meeting, if possible. Make your questions no longer than 1-2 sentences: the shorter the questions the better. Long, involved stories or scenarios are confusing and difficult to answer, take time away from the speakers, and make your program run late. Make the questions open-ended; allow people to be creative rather than drive toward a specific answer.
• Plan a format for presenting the items which may include questions to answer, statements or objects to comment on, instructions to follow, or roles to play.
• Practice out loud, if necessary, to make sure you can move quickly and easily between questions and parts of your program.

1. Arrive early and seat yourself near the lectern. As people arrive, put their names next to items on your list so that you are ready to begin calling on them quickly and confidently. If you're not sure who people are, sit next to a more experienced member who can tell you their names. Make sure you know who the Program Managers, Speakers, and Evaluators are, so you can exclude them.
2. When you are introduced, quickly walk to the lectern, shake hands with the Toastmaster and say something like:

"Thank you Mr./Madam Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters and Honored Guests. Tabletopics are extemporaneous speaking for 1 to 2 minutes on an assigned topic. However, you may speak on other topics you might bridge to, if you wish. Guests are encouraged to participate and, if called upon, may choose to do so, or may choose to pass. When the session is over, members and guests will vote for the best Tabletopics speaker."

3. Give a brief introduction of your topic, up to one minute; then begin calling on people.
4. State each topic before naming the speaker, so the entire group is mentally preparing to speak on that topic. Call on someone to stand in place and speak on the topic and then lead the applause at his or her conclusion.
5. If anyone panics, be encouraging and help him/her through it, if absolutely necessary.
6. Don't spend time discussing your own feelings and experiences on the topic, and don't make remarks between questions. You are not the genial host who smoothes transitions between parts of the meeting: that's the Toastmaster. Remember that the Topicmaster's job is not to speak, but to allow others to speak. Making remarks between questions takes time away from the speakers, influences the vote for best Tabletopics, and makes your program run late.
7. Watch the time. If it looks like your program is running late or needs adjusting, the Toastmaster may catch your eye or pass you a note indicating a change you need to make. End with brief closing remarks about the session.
8. Call for the Timer’s report for those speakers who did not qualify.
9. Ask members and guests to vote for the Tabletopics speaker they felt did the best job with their topic and pass their ballots to the Vote Counter.
10. Return control of the meeting to the Toastmaster. Remain at the lectern until the Toastmaster arrives to shake your hand.