Table Topics questions
Pull a question, set the timer to one or two minutes, and answer it the way you would at a Toastmasters meeting. No preparation.
A little surprise. A minute to speak.
Pull the lever to find your next topic.
Make a point, give an example, and bring it back to your point.
Your next rep starts here.
Practicing without a recording
How to answer: Past, present, future
For personal questions and open prompts.
- 1Past. Where you started or a moment that shaped it.
- 2Present. Where you are now.
- 3Future. What you want next, and why.
Pull the lever first, then see how a strong answer could sound.
How to answer Table Topics
Table Topics is the impromptu part of a Toastmasters meeting: one question, no preparation, one to two minutes.
How the timing works
In most clubs a green light shows at one minute, yellow at one and a half and red at two. You qualify for time if you speak at least one minute and stop within thirty seconds of the red light. Set the timer to one or two minutes here to practice the same window.
A shape for any question
Answer the question in your first sentence, tell one short story that supports it, and close by tying the story back to the question. A story is easier to remember under pressure than a list of reasons, and it's what audiences respond to.
If the question is strange, play along. Table Topics masters often ask odd questions on purpose. Treat it as a chance to be funny or surprising rather than trying to give the correct answer.
All 181 table topics questions
Easy77
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?
- If you could have dinner with anyone, who and why?
- What is the best advice you have ever received?
- Describe your perfect morning routine.
- What is the most interesting thing you learned this week?
- If you could live anywhere for a year, where would you go?
- What makes a good friend?
- Talk about a book, movie, or show that changed your perspective.
- What is a small act of kindness you will never forget?
- If you had unlimited money for one day, what would you do?
- What is the best meal you have ever had?
- What hobby have you always wanted to pick up?
- Describe a place that feels like home to you.
- What is one law you would create if you could?
- What makes a good neighbor?
- Should tipping be mandatory or abolished?
- What is the most important value to teach children?
- Is it important to know your neighbors?
- What tradition should every family have?
- Should public transport be free for everyone?
- What is one thing that would make your city better?
- Is it important to learn a second language?
- What does community mean to you?
- Pitch a new holiday that the world needs.
- Describe your ideal weekend with zero budget.
- Invent a sport that combines two existing ones.
- If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
- What is the worst fashion trend of all time?
- You can only eat one food for the rest of your life. What is it?
- Describe the weirdest dream you have ever had.
- If animals could talk, which would be the rudest?
- What would your TED Talk be about?
- If you could time-travel, would you go to the past or future?
- What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
- You are in charge of a theme park. What is the theme?
- If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?
- What is the most overrated movie of all time?
- Describe your dream house in 60 seconds.
- Explain why laughter is important.
- Would you rather know how you die or when you die?
- If you could ask the world one question, what would it be?
- What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
- What does courage look like in everyday life?
- If you could live in any era of history, which would you choose?
- Should we teach financial literacy in schools?
- What is the meaning of home?
- Would you give up your phone for a month for ten thousand dollars?
- What is one thing the world needs less of?
- What would you tell your younger self?
- Would you live on another planet?
- Roast the open office plan.
- Roast group chats.
- Roast airport food prices.
- Roast self-checkout machines.
- Roast meetings that could have been an email.
- Roast reply-all emails.
- Roast your phone's autocorrect.
- Defend this: pineapple belongs on every pizza.
- Defend this: Mondays are the best day of the week.
- Defend this: socks with sandals is peak fashion.
- Defend this: cereal is a soup.
- Defend this: summer is the worst season.
- Explain what a bank does to a five year old.
- Explain why we have seasons to a five year old.
- Explain how a thermostat works to a five year old.
- Explain why the sky is blue to a five year old.
- Explain what a job interview is to a five year old.
- Pitch a new holiday everyone should celebrate.
- Pitch your hometown as a travel destination.
- Pitch a reason to read your favorite book.
- Pitch a TV show based on your life.
- Should schools teach investing?
- Should you lend money to friends and family?
- Is it better to save or to spend while you're young?
- Should everyone have an emergency fund?
Medium65
- What does success mean to you?
- How has your definition of happiness changed over time?
- What is a misconception people often have about you?
- If you could change one thing about how you were raised, what would it be?
- What is the hardest decision you have ever made?
- Talk about a time when you failed and what you learned.
- How do you deal with stress or anxiety?
- What role does gratitude play in your life?
- Describe a turning point in your life.
- What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
- What cultural tradition should the whole world adopt?
- Is political correctness helping or hurting society?
- Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
- How should society deal with misinformation?
- Is the education system preparing students for real life?
- What role should religion play in public policy?
- Should healthcare be a fundamental right?
- How do you define justice?
- Is social media making us more or less empathetic?
- What is the biggest challenge facing your generation?
- Design the perfect school from scratch.
- If you could add one subject to every school curriculum, what would it be?
- Create a one-minute pitch for a ridiculous startup idea.
- If you had to give a commencement speech right now, what would you say?
- You are stranded on a desert island with three items. What do you bring?
- Explain a complicated topic as if you were talking to a five-year-old.
- Pitch a movie sequel that should never be made.
- If you could rename any country, which and why?
- Describe a day in your life 50 years from now.
- Create a new rule for an existing board game.
- Should parents monitor their children's online activity?
- Is creativity a skill or a talent?
- What would a perfect city look like?
- If you could eliminate one invention, what would it be?
- Is it more important to be liked or respected?
- Is it okay to lie to protect someone's feelings?
- Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?
- Is competition healthy or harmful for children?
- Should we ban private cars in city centers?
- Is minimalism a lifestyle or a trend?
- Are first impressions reliable?
- Roast LinkedIn humble brags.
- Roast subscription services.
- Roast gym influencers.
- Roast smart fridges.
- Roast the five a.m. morning routine.
- Defend this: we should bring back fax machines.
- Defend this: homework should be doubled.
- Defend this: every meeting should be three hours long.
- Defend this: phones should only make calls again.
- Defend this: printed maps beat GPS.
- Explain how the internet works to a five year old.
- Explain what taxes are to a five year old.
- Explain how airplanes fly to a five year old.
- Explain what an election is to a five year old.
- Pitch an app that solves one annoying daily problem.
- Pitch yourself for your dream job in one minute.
- Pitch a new sport that anyone can play.
- Pitch a restaurant concept nobody has tried yet.
- Pitch a startup that makes mornings easier.
- Is renting a home a waste of money?
- Is buying a car with a loan a bad idea?
- Are credit cards more helpful or harmful?
- Should tipping be replaced with higher wages?
- Is a side hustle worth the stress?
Hard39
- Is it possible to be truly selfless?
- How do you balance ambition with contentment?
- Should people prioritize career or relationships?
- What responsibility do we have to future generations?
- Is it better to be feared or respected?
- Should voting be mandatory in a democracy?
- Is cancel culture a net positive for society?
- Privacy is dead. Is that okay?
- Should countries have open borders?
- Is meritocracy a myth?
- Should the death penalty be abolished worldwide?
- Can a society achieve true equality?
- Is nationalism ever a force for good?
- Should governments prioritize individual freedom or collective safety?
- Is it ethical to bring children into an uncertain world?
- Convince an alien that Earth is worth visiting.
- Give a eulogy for the last piece of pizza.
- Defend the most boring hobby you can think of.
- Pitch yourself as a product. What is your unique selling point?
- Tell the story of your life using only questions.
- Is loyalty overvalued?
- Should the rich pay significantly more taxes?
- Is there such a thing as too much freedom?
- Defend the worst movie you have ever seen.
- Does history repeat itself?
- Is it ethical to use animals for testing?
- Is patience still a virtue in the age of instant gratification?
- Should we care about what future historians think of us?
- Defend this: dogs should be allowed to vote.
- Defend this: we should abolish weekends.
- Explain how vaccines work to a five year old.
- Explain what inflation is to a five year old.
- Explain what artificial intelligence is to a five year old.
- Pitch a product made from something people throw away.
- Pitch a four day school week to a school board.
- Pitch a subscription people would actually keep.
- Is cryptocurrency a good investment for beginners?
- Should salaries be public at every company?
- Is it smart to pay off debt before investing?
Questions
What are Toastmasters Table Topics?
The impromptu speaking segment of a Toastmasters meeting, where members answer a surprise question for one to two minutes.
How long is a Table Topics answer?
One to two minutes, with a thirty-second grace period after the red light.
How do I prepare for Table Topics?
You can't prepare the question, but you can practice the habit: pull random questions, answer with a short story, and stop within two minutes.
More speech topics
Persuasive speech topics
- Schools should start an hour later.
- Every student should learn to cook before graduating.
- Homework should be optional in elementary school.
Informative speech topics
- How to make a great cup of coffee.
- How bees make honey.
- Why we dream.
Impromptu speech topics
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?
Debate topics
- Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?
- Are cats better pets than dogs?
- Is it better to save money or spend it on experiences?
1 minute speech topics
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?
Conversation starters
- What's something you've changed your mind about recently?
- What's the best thing that happened to you this week?
- If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be?
Speech timer
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?