I was very curious about the Table Topics Contest. Just days after arriving from a work trip to the Arctic Ocean shore in Alaska, where I was stationed for a month, I was still getting used to seeing the Sun and the daylight. I asked the Chair of the contest a few general questions about the chronology of the contest day, and I found myself invited to participate. My first instinct was to refuse, but I did not allow myself that easy and (too) comfortable exit. I accepted and I had a week to prepare for my first ever speaking contest.

I didn’t know how lucky I was: I suddenly discovered, again, that I was not alone in this. One of the more experienced club members reached out from overseas, to offer support. This is how I found out that a table topic speech, despite the impromptu nature, could be rehearsed. Even the format could be rehearsed, to have the speech presented clearly, and leave the confusion apart. From the few formats I could discover during those short few days, I chose PREP: Point, Reasoning, Example, and Point again.

The day of the Table Topics contest arrived. I was nervous, but I was holding well due to the confidence coming from my little rehearsal time. That day, I was telling myself only this: prep, prep, prep, pr… what was next? oh yes: …ep, prep, prep…

My turn came and I went inside the room. I saw many friendly faces. I was presented with the topic; it seemed generous, and I started talking immediately. I completely forgot about PREP. The amber light reminded me about the last P: Point again, for the conclusion. I felt I did well, and I did not have any expectations. I knew from the start that I was participating because all I wanted was to expand my comfort zone, in a fun way. I saw the last two contestants and they were really good. I was resonating with them differently, after my experience: more vividly, more real.

During this contest, I learned something very valuable: many situations in daily life can be approached as a Table Topics contest. Use PREP to tell the story.