Table Topics

A resource to inspire conversations while you're talking around a table, walking with a friend, driving with your family, and much more.

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Strength is about more than just physical ability! Your strengths are things you do well. Every single person has strengths! Questions: 1. What are 3 of your strengths? 2. Pick someone at the table with you and tell them what you think one of their strengths is! 3. What is something that isn't a strength for you yet, but you want it to be?

Goals. Goals are targets that we shoot for; they're things we want to achieve or get better at. 1. Can you think of a goal that you set and then achieved? What was it? How did you do it? 2. What are some goals you have right now? 3. Ask someone at the table how can you support and encourage them as they try to meet their goal!

Integrity. Integrity means doing the right thing, even if it's difficult and even if no one is watching. 1. Think of a time when you faced a hard situation or decision. How were you feeling at that moment? If you could go back, would you make the same decision? Did you act with integrity? 2. Knowing what's right in different situations can be hard. What can help you decide what the right thing is?

Stress. When you experience a challenge or demand, your body and brain react, and you may experience a feeling of emotional or physical tension called "stress." 1. What are some signs your body gives you when you feel stressed? 2. What are things you do - or that you want to start doing - to respond to stress you experience? 3. How can your friends and family support you when you're stressed?

Curiosity. Curiosity is a strong desire to know or learn something. It helps us to learn more about the world, ourselves, people, cultures, and so much more! 1. When was the last time you were curious about something? What did you learn? 2. When you’re curious about something and want to ask someone about it, how might tone (how we say or ask something) make a difference?

Responsibility. Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. 1. What are some things that you are responsible for? Does it feel like too much, not enough, or just right? 2. What was a time when you made a mistake? How did you respond? 3. What was a time that you were given a responsibility and you did well? How did it make you feel?

Vulnerability. Vulnerability is all about, as Dr. Brené Brown says, doing something that requires risk, uncertainty, or emotional exposure. 1. Vulnerability could look like talking about your feelings, speaking in front of a big group of people, or even doing something like rock climbing. Can you think of a moment when you were vulnerable? 2. How were you also brave in that moment?

Confidentiality. Confidentiality is all about not sharing experiences or information that aren't yours to share. 1. Has someone ever shared something about you without asking your permission first? How did it make you feel? What are some things that should not be kept confidential? Who are some people you feel safe sharing confidential information with?

Cognitive Flexibility. Cognitive flexibility is our brain’s ability to switch between perspectives. 1. What kinds of things cause different people to have different perspectives? 2. Can you think of a time when you thought of someone else’s perspective when you were doing something or making a decision? What was the impact of perspective-taking? 3. How is cognitive flexibility helpful in conflicts?

Imagination. Imagination is the action or ability to form new ideas, images, or concepts in our minds without immediate input from our senses. 1. Imagine you could change one thing about the world - what would you change? Why? 2. What was a time when you had to use your imagination (or be creative) to solve a problem?

Friendship. Friendship is a mutual relationships in which two people care about and invest in each other. 1. What are some important qualities or characteristics of a friend? 2. What makes you a good friend? How do you want to grow to be a better friend? 3. Think of one of your friends - what is one thing that you are grateful for in your friendship with them?

Trust. Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. 1. Who is someone in your life that you trust? 2. Are you someone that people trust? How do you know? 3. What are things people say or do to break our trust?

Impulse control. Impulse control is the ability to think of consequences of our actions instead of acting just on impulse or feeling. 1. Sometimes a situation will cause us to have really intense emotions - like anger or anxiety - and these emotions can sometimes take control. What are things you can do that allow you to acknowledge your emotions AND slow down to think about potential consequences?

Difference. Difference is the way or ways people or things are not the same. 1. What is your favorite color? Green? Purple? Orange? Imagine that everything in the world was that color. What do you think it would be like? 2. Our differences make us unique! What makes you unique? 3. Can you think of some reasons why it’s good that everyone is different?

Forgiveness. Forgiveness is a decision to release feelings of resentment or revenge toward someone who’s hurting you. It can be inside yourself or said to someone, and it doesn’t mean what they did to you was okay. 1. How does it feel to forgive someone. 2. How does it feel to be forgiven? 3. Is it easier to forgive yourself or others? Why?

Shame. Shame is an “intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” - Brené Brown. 1. Have you ever experienced these feelings? What caused you to feel that way? 2. How can we encourage people around us when they feel shame? 3. Shame grows through secrecy, silence, and judgment. When you feel shame, who is a trusted person you can talk to about those feelings?

Growth. Our brain “grows” in knowledge and understanding every day. So, our talents, abilities, and knowledge are always developing, and they often grow through challenges, seeking help, and trying new strategies. 1. Describe something that you’ve worked hard to accomplish. How did you do it? 2. What is something that you couldn’t do last year that you can do now? What is something that you can’t do today but, with time and practice, will be able to do in the future?

Respecting someone’s no. Respect means treating others as we want to be treated. Respecting someone’s no means stopping what we’re doing or not doing the thing that the other person asked us not to do. 1. Imagine you take a really funny, embarrassing photo of a friend, and you plan to share it with other friends or on social media. Imagine that your friend asks you not to post or share it. How might they be feeling? How do you think you’d feel if you were in their situation? Would you respect their no and not share or post the picture?

Support. Support is the feeling and/or action of being cared for and helped that often creates a sense of belonging. 1. Who are the people that support you? How do you feel when you’re around them? 2. What are the places where you feel supported? 3. Think of a time when you supported someone else? What did you do, and how did it make you feel?

Boundaries. Boundaries are about saying what is okay and what's not okay and then respecting yours and others' boundaries. 1. Can you think of a boundary you have? It could be you don't want hugs from strangers, or you don't watch scary movies, or you always finish homework before watching TV. 2. Has anyone ever asked you to respect a boundary? How did it make you feel? Was it hard to respect that boundary?

Empathy. Empathy is putting yourself in someone else's shoes; it's all about connecting with the feelings/emotions someone is feeling in the moment. Empathy can be listening to someone who's having a hard day or to someone's experience of failing a test and then being there for them. 1. Can you think of a time you showed someone empathy? Can you think of a time someone showed you empathy?

Teamwork. Teamwork is the combined action of a group of people. None of us go through life alone or without working with others. 1. What makes you a good teammate? Are you a good teammate? Why or why not? 2. What does it feel like to be in a team that doesn’t work together? What about a team that does work together? 3. What was a time when you were a good teammate?

Anger. Anger is an emotion that we feel when we are threatened, wronged, offended, or denied something we really want or need. 1. When you are angry, where do you feel it in your body? 2. What are some things that make you angry? 3. What are healthy ways that you can respond to anger? What are unhealthy or unhelpful ways to respond to anger?

Conflict. Conflicts are clashes of interest, ideas, or perspectives, like arguments or disagreements. Conflict is totally normal. What matters is how you handle it! 1. Can you think of a conflict you had or saw that didn’t end well? Why didn’t it end well? How did it make you feel? 2. What was a conflict you experienced that did end well? Why? How did it make you feel? 3. What are healthy ways to solve conflict?

Created by the Prevention and Education Department at the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and ChildrenCrisis Hotline: 254-752-7233Toll Free: 888-867-7233

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