Nine enthusiastic participants, including two guests, turned the Kölner Sprechbar meeting on 2 September 2026 into an evening full of imagination, spontaneity and public speaking practice. Games, an Ice Breaker speech and constructive feedback created plenty of opportunities to think quickly, speak freely and enjoy the unexpected.
Fortunately, unfortunately – the game begins
After a short introduction, the group started with “The Cologne Speakables Went on a Trip: Fortunately… Unfortunately…”. Each participant added one sentence to the story, sending the imaginary journey from one surprising turn to the next.
The game demonstrated an important public speaking skill: accepting an idea, reacting immediately and carrying a story forward without knowing where it might lead. Fortunately, the nine participants embraced the challenge – and the two guests joined in as naturally as if they had been part of the club for much longer.
An Ice Breaker and a confident first step
Evgeniya then delivered her Ice Breaker speech. An Ice Breaker is the first prepared speech in the Toastmasters learning programme and an important personal milestone. It gives a new speaker the opportunity to introduce themselves, gain experience in front of an audience and receive encouraging feedback.
Her performance earned Evgeniya the award for Best Prepared Speaker. It also showed that progress in public speaking begins with one deliberate step onto the stage.
Unexpected characters and spontaneous speeches
The prepared speech was followed by Table Topics. Participants encountered a colourful cast of characters and a variety of unexpected tasks and situations. Without preparation time, they had to develop an idea, structure it and present it clearly.
Christian K. handled the spontaneous challenge particularly well and received the award for Best Table Topics Speaker. After the break, the group continued with another improvisation game, “The Whole Story”, adding even more creativity and shared laughter to the evening.
Constructive feedback and digital voting
The evaluators concluded the programme with useful and encouraging observations. Julia received the award for Best Evaluator. Her contribution reflected one of the central principles of Toastmasters: feedback focuses on a speech and its effect, helping speakers recognise their strengths and identify practical next steps.
Ioanna also made her debut with the club’s new virtual ballot. The digital vote replaced the traditional paper ballots and worked without any paper cuts.
The meeting combined public speaking games, prepared and spontaneous speeches, attentive listening and practical feedback. Anyone who would like to practise speaking in front of others is welcome to visit a Kölner Sprechbar meeting as a guest.