Icebreaker Topics

You use icebreaker topics in your first assignment. When you do it, the important thing to remember is that you want to introduce yourself to the club and to let them get to know you better. In fact, what I just said is one of the evaluation questions asked in the manual. As a guideline, if you don't know what you are supposed to do, remember to RT&M (read the &$#!* manual :).

You, generally speaking, are generally a very broad topic and difficult to cover in 4 to 6 minutes (depending of course on how comfortable you are to speak in public), but as part of the Icebreaker topics if you can answer the following questions, the battle is already half won. To win the rest you 'just' have to get up and deliver the speech :).

Questions that could lead you to defining your Icebreaker speech topic:

• What defines you as you?
• What are your major accomplishments?
• What are your most memorable moments?
• Why are you at Toastmasters?
• What do you enjoy talking about?
• How did you end up where you are in life?
• Who are the persons you call family/friends? Why?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• Who are your role-models? Why?
• What are your beliefs? Why?
• And don't forget your children's favourite. Why?

If there is one part of your life that almost completely suffices to define you (for example your job or a hobby - if you are unbalanced like this :)), you can choose to speak only about that. However, you need to make sure your audience knows that this is the case. Otherwise, you might be talking about the stress at work and suddenly the red light comes on and now the people at Toastmasters think of you as Mr. Stress.

Another thing that you might want to keep in mind is not to shock them (the other Toastmasters) too much. You might want to hold of on the fact that you're a swinger or that you have a foot fetish, till you get to know them a little better. Some people still frown on such things ;).

The Icebreaker is just that - an Ice breaker. Do not expect that you are going to have it perfect the first time, but at least you the perfect Icebreaker speech topic! (Yourself - if you're perfect - of course :))

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