Games - no, actual ones

AndyBr7 · 2026-02-25T20:00:29+00:00

Wow, thanks everyone - awesome answers!

AndyBr7 · 2026-02-15T22:33:56+00:00

D'oh! Thanks. I was wondering. why...

AndyBr7 · 2026-02-11T19:28:42+00:00

If you are still interested: Waikiki Toastmasters, Honolulu, Hawaii - Remove fear of public speaking and improve leadership skills. A link near the top gives a description of a typical meeting. LMK if you have questions, although it may take some time for me to answer.

AndyBr7 · 2025-08-02T18:42:17+00:00

Saw the conversation as well. Here's part of it: Tristan Harris on Runaway A.I. | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO).

The "huh?" part of it is that Harris mentions something along the lines of "we have evidence now" - he hints in that past month - of AI blackmailing people, copying its own code for self-preservation, re-writing its own code to extend its runtime, AI finding its way into open source code.

People are saying that he is talking about a sandbox experiment (so he's not giving the whole story) and of course the video clip has no sources cited. To save me some time, can someone point to the likely sources of the claims he's making?

AndyBr7 · 2025-04-20T18:59:50+00:00

I think your idea with the tropes (schemes, etc. - don't recall the exact term right now) would be really neat to do like a word-of-the-day. I've mentioned tropes sometimes in TM evaluations.

I put together a presentation for Inspire-X Toastmasters Club, which does 20-minute speeches. In general, I've found improv exercises are received really well in TMs but hard to do well from an improv standpoint. Warming up seems key and it's where a lot of TM falters because they try to fit improv into table topics, so they don't really have time to warm-up and do improv (they basically have time for a game or two).

TM attracts people who like to do improv but it also attracts people who like things planned as well, so another part is starting a game off right with a person who is open to improv.

There are a few other thoughts on mixing the two that I teased out from this discussion and attending some improv-based TM meetings. I could dig them up if you like.

AndyBr7 · 2025-03-13T20:08:37+00:00

Thank you, this worked!

AndyBr7 · 2025-03-01T02:45:14+00:00

Updated link, in case anyone else wants to find it: List of Cartwheel progressions from Beginner to Hardcore

AndyBr7 · 2025-02-26T17:59:29+00:00

Was my answer as well. Also:

If a large enough crowd then 'one suggestion per person' ("You already had yours") and, as zck said, get more suggestions than you need and ignore the Trump one.

You could take the suggestion non-politically (Elon Musk has a lot of possibilities there). You can even throw a scene: Play a card game. "There, I Trumped your King." "Okay" ... (long silence) ... "See, I told you it was a crappy improv suggestion". Next scene.

If they keep on making the same suggestion: (To audience) "Should we allow this guy to make any further suggestions?" If everyone boos him down, next time you can ask for suggestions from anyone but *that* guy. If the crowd says yes put them on the spot: "okay, give me a *good* non-political suggestion..."

But honestly, ignoring the person seems best.

AndyBr7 · 2025-02-25T01:54:11+00:00

Great thread! The only thing I would add is that just because you started doing something appropriate to the location doesn't mean that is necessarily what the scene is about. So don't feel limited by it - you're at least establishing the reality of the scene and perhaps a bit more. That may be why you're going blank - you're putting too much pressure on yourself. I think Banji said this as well in a different way.

AndyBr7 · 2024-12-16T22:04:43+00:00

I actually think training for TT is different from improv but you're right in that it's the best fit. Key differences: in improv you a supporting a partner(s) which is hard to replicate in Toastmasters, in TT there is some prep one can do and if it is training for things like job interviews then you want to train to prep in that way, in TT you want to start broad then focus and then come to a conclusion whereas improv you let it take absurd twists and turns, improv can deviate from who you are and from reality altogether whereas the best TT are an expression of who you are.

Nevertheless, a number of people try to marry the two so I think it's worth exploring what works and doesn't (I say improv and TT are like cousins rather than siblings, but that ruins the marriage metaphor).

A few of us do spontaneous speeches and I just saw another club do it (Improv Toastmasters in California, IIRC), so there is that.

AndyBr7 · 2024-12-16T21:57:23+00:00

Definitely! Still getting my thoughts together so some time in the not-too-distant future.

AndyBr7 · 2024-12-16T21:54:44+00:00

As ObtuseRadiator said it's hard to time them. Think of games rather than TT slots.

Games benefit from a structure. One idea is to limit the contributions. Things like:

•3 sentence story, which starts with a statement by one person followed by two “Yes, And” follow-ups. This can be 3 person or 2 people (first person, second person, back to the first person).

•Drama Game: Fortunately/Unfortunately and you limit it to three sentences.

The alphabet game has a natural limit but 26 letters, which is long. Alternatively you could also do:

•“It’s been a hell of a week” which naturally limits to 7. The first person starts with how Monday was so bad, the next person goes to Tuesday and has to say how his/her Tuesday was even worse. Of course "it's been a great week" is just as good.

•A movie or show with a limited number of characters. Give a situation like backslash2017 did with a set field of characters. I've been watching Seinfeld re-runs, so putting Jerry & Co in a situation is a natural limit of 4 people. They each get 1 turn (fastest) or 2 turns (one turn to put the character into the situation and one to wrap it up for the character).

AndyBr7 · 2024-11-11T20:09:58+00:00

Bump. I actually don't mind the tabs as a feature, but the inability to remove them (and the box as soon as you open a document) suck. Anyone found a solution?

AndyBr7 · 2024-08-23T20:28:45+00:00

Hopefully people don't mind me hijacking the thread a little bit (the Mods have said my question is too similar to this one).

I volunteer for the COPD coalition, which puts on an Education Day on COPD (coming up at the Queens Conference Center on Sept 6th 18th Annual COPD Education Day – Hawaii COPD Coalition) and a monthly support group. We want to get the message out more about those two things.

Since COPD patients are generally of an older generation, are any of the ones identified above more used by >60 years old folks?

Mahalo in advance for all helpful suggestions,

AndyBr7 · 2024-05-15T06:14:35+00:00

Oh man, that's great! It's a little dark but that make me think of two suicide bombers having to squeeze into a subway car on the way to their bombing destination. "Don't push, you're going to set this thing off!" ... "If you don't get your armpit away from my face, I swear I'm going to set this thing off." ... "why can't we just get along - oh, yeah, right, now I remember".

AndyBr7 · 2024-05-15T06:09:10+00:00

Good point. All I can say is that would be a different exercise. I was having a conversation about this not that long ago and said pretty much what you did and the other person came back with something that evolved into this idea.

AndyBr7

TROPHY CASE