Central Florida Dead or Alive Show

Central Florida Dead or Alive Show!

By Diana Walley, ATMG, CL

This program was born out of an idea I had in 1996, has since been presented in NUMEROUS Orlando Clubs and used as a Special Project for Seminole Community College in a Toastmasters Demo Meeting also presented by me that same year. Needless to say, it still is a HIT!

INTRODUCING...

Ken Walley (left) shaking the hand of Ken Blake

Fooled you! But that's what this is all about.

Bringing back anyone we want in a variety of themes we offer, inviting them to tell us what they've been up to or anything they can think of to say! Inquiring minds never get weary.

In our Table Topics section I will be asking one of our members (only members can participate unless we're running short or have time to include a Guest who wishes to) as the rules change for Timing and Voting - not something "usual" in Table Topics. We just do this for fun every other month or so. It helps break the ice, have some fun during times we are not gearing up too close to the International contests. So bring your imaginations and be prepared to think on your seat! Yes...you'll be sitting, not standing at the head of the bunch.

I will call on someone from our "studio audience" to be the GUEST HOST, come forward and read a "cue-card" to introduce the SPECIAL GUEST for that table topic (which will be chosen ahead of time by me usually based on the Club's theme for that meeting if that helps.)

For the differences in time: Normally table topics goes 2 minutes for 1 individual and they are overtime after 15 seconds for qualification purposes in voting. Since this is a 2-person impromptu session, we run 2 minutes and allow 30 seconds for the GUEST HOST to watch for the cue once again (red light) in this case, and take that opportunity (like on TV) to either be getting his last answer from the SPECIAL GUEST or otherwise knowing he needs to be "wrapping it up". Also as you know, it "normal" voting practices, timing begins at the first utterance, recognition and sometimes actions by the participant. That is a little different too. The GUEST HOST is allowed to bring up his SPECIAL GUEST and "think about" what he/she will be asking this individual as that individual participant makes their way to the front.

Then the Host will "take it from there" so-to-speak before they both are seated in the chairs provided (Host, as in the picture above takes the left to the lights seat and the Guest, right.)

For the voting differences: Keep in mind that the award (usually a ribbon) is for two instead of just one, so when voting, remember to pick the best team that captured your interest and made you laugh or whatever impressed you the most about THEM together in that interview.

Since I did a lot of television and radio work, I believe the GUEST HOST should be the one responsible for this, that's why it's placed this way. But it's WONDERFUL experience for those of you thinking of doing our Advanced manual, "Communicating on Television" as you'll get the hang of that in a more profound way.

Just to sum up, we've had over the years since 1996 some of the same guests (different hosts, etc.) from various different clubs, so all had unique interviews of course, but I will highlight some of my favorites so you can indulge your imagination a little in a minute.

Now to the SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS of the past Guests and Hosts we've had on our shows:

I remember once in another Club Terry Barney (A Realtor) had to interview and Attorney playing the role of Richard Nixon. (I knew Terry to be a rather imaginative guy so chose him first to START the show off with a bang.) He didn't disappoint and neither did our Attorney member who must have been rather witty himself. When Terry acted out like he had to "get that gate open" saying, "Oh...let me get that gate for you (pretending), he also added this comment, "May I get you a cup of water?" "Richard Nixon responded, with, "Please! Don't put those two words in the same sentence!" And they both took their seats.

Or in 1996 Toastmaster Paul Munier (also an Attorney) was asked to play the role of Albert Einstein who was asked why he made the formula E=Mc²

He replied, "Oh. you silly people, you've all made much more out of that then is necessary! I was just making a recipe in my kitchen when..." Not the answer we expected but won for originality.

Last one I will share to whet your appetites for this week's show was once when I had the occasion to have a lot of engineers in our club (#28) and chose a younger one (Robert) from an Engineering firm I worked in 1996 (who had joined our club) to interview Robert (Bobby) Kennedy. So he asked Bobby, "So...what do YOU think of the Clinton Administration?"

TIPS

I get my ideas of who our participants will be depending upon age, sometimes professions (as you can see from examples of prior shows) availability of participants in attendance, and try to choose someone age appropriate and/or time appropriate that others would all know, but try to stick to our TM theme too as much as possible.
All you need to do is read the cue card and by doing so, should learn enough to get started, but if you, like some hosts on normal TV do, have to "wing it", you can always start out with open-ended questions, such as "So what have you been up to since..." (you'll know from the cue card.)
We've had the likes of Marilyn Monroe (more than once, various clubs), Elvis, Elton John, Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy, Phyllis Diller, Cary Grant and many more.

Get ready to HAVE FUN and hear AND SEE just about anyone on the PLANET that is or ever was!

Author: Diana Walley

Reprint of article and use of program is permitted with request permission which can be obtained through this site. Click here