Toastmasters Table Topics #9 | What Is One Habit You Must Cultivate To Live A Good Life?

I have written about the significance of public speaking in the past. I started this writing series on table topics some months back. Before we dive into today's topic, below is a quick introduction to Table Topics.

What are Table Topics?

In Toastmasters, "Table Topics" is a segment where participants deliver an impromptu speech. The speech should not be less than half a minute or more than two and a half minutes.

Table Topics aims to encourage speakers to seize opportunities with promptness. Speakers learn to provide coherent and concise content without prior preparation. It's a valuable exercise for developing spontaneous speaking skills. Something very useful in formal presentations and everyday conversations.

The topic for today's article is:

What's One Habit You Must Cultivate To Live A Good Life?

After every table topic performance, I ask myself – "What value do the listeners get from my speech?" This particular table topic had a lot of potential for an impactful answer. The pitfall will be to preach with generic recommendations. Suggestions like exercising, healthy eating, etc.

The best table topic speeches are the ones that have a personal touch to them. Hence, even if the answers are generic, add personal references.

My Ritual

I follow a ritual for every speech. The routine helps me to compose myself. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that things are in control.

A confident stride to the podium is the easiest way to kickstart the ritual. The next step would be to thank the table topic master and give a firm handshake. Repeating the question will buy me some thinking time.

I ensure that the podium is not standing in the way between me and the audience. It also gives me an excellent opportunity to take a deep breath and shrug off any anxiety.

I prefer not to look at my feet while thinking, and my hands should not be in my pocket. It demonstrates an anxious personality.

Speech Delivery

My speech goes as follows:

How do you define a good habit? Are there any guarantees that good habits lead to a good life? For example - Do you consider running to be a good habit? I thought so. Hence, at the age of 20. I started running five km, five days a week. At the end of six months, I had a knee injury.

Let's get serious about the topic in question. What is the most expensive luxury in this fast-paced world? For me, it's personal peace.

In search of ways to achieve peace, I landed on the book – The Rest Test by Claudia Hammond. In the book, Claudia uses results from a survey done in 134 countries on 18,000 people. The survey outcome was a list of the top 10 items to relax. I picked the tenth most preferred and my favorite - Sleeping.

I could have started my speech with the habit of sleeping, but I used the book to pretend to be serious. For many years, I tortured myself by trying to sleep 6 hours and waking up early morning. At the start of 2023, my New Year's resolution prioritized my sleep over everything.

Today, I go to bed by ten and try to wake up at 6-7 am. At least five days a week, I try to follow this routine. On average, eight to nine hours of sleep. There are no ways to quantify these results, but feels amazing, and that's the most critical point.

In case you want to know the number one thing in the survey for resting. It's book reading.

Thanks

Conclusion

I try to be as spontaneous as possible when I write articles on table topics. It means I will elaborate on the first idea which comes into my head. The first idea may not be the best answer. Writing the first answer helps me to simulate a live environment.

I am writing these stories on table topics to create a collection for competitions. It is tough to think on the spot. A compilation like this sounds like an excellent way to practice. Hence, this is my way of visualizing robust and impactful content. Recording these speeches is a part of my routine. It gives me invaluable input to work and improve. THANKS FOR READING THIS PIECE. Positive feedback will help growth.

Thanks

Tarun

See below links to other articles from this series on table topics: