Top Ten Tips for Terrific Table Topics

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Top Ten Tips forTerrific Table Topics

• Chris Cox
• 10 May 2009

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Acknowledgements Apologies

• Andrew Cook
• Catherine Tate
• Liz Judson
• Rudyard Kipling
• Simon Bragg
• Spinal Tap
• Teresa Dukes

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Contents

• Tips for beginners
• Tips about structure
• Tips about content
• Exercises

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Tips for beginners
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1 Youre not bovvered
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2 Buy time
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3 Go with your first little idea
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Tips about structure
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4 Answer the question
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5 Remember the rule of three
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6 Know when to stop
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Tips about content
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7 Prepare something in advance

• I never could make a good impromptu
  speechwithout several hours to prepare it
• - Mark Twain
• Im just preparing my impromptu remarks
• - Winston Churchill

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8 Draw on your own experience
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9 Remember the six honest serving men

• I keep six honest serving men
• They taught me all I knew
• Their names are What and Why and When
• And How and Where and Who
• - Rudyard Kipling

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10 Be eccentric
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Special bonus tip
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11 Keep doing table topics
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Summary

• Youre not bovvered
• Buy time
• Go with your first little idea
• Answer the question
• Remember the rule of three
• Know when to stop
• Prepare something in advance
• Draw on your own experience
• Remember the six honest serving men
• Be eccentric
• Keep doing table topics

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Exercises

• Which famous person would you mostlike to have
  dinner with?
• Answer in the style of
• The rule of three
• The six honest serving men(What, Why, When, How,
  Where, Who)
• Something eccentric

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Any questions?