A table and a trained host on every street – blog by Imogen

Through Autumn we hosted hybrid Talkaoke Hosting session in collaboration with In Situ – our partners in Pendle. It was a brilliant opportunity for us to not only refine our teaching approach but also to reflect on our methodology – something we rarely have a chance to do. One of the participants and a new talented Talkaoke host in the making is Imogen, who shared her thoughts in the blog below. 

“I first stumbled across the Talkaoke table at the Supernormal Festival in 2016. Slap bang in the middle of a field and fresh off the burning embers of the Brexit vote.

Talkoke at Supernormal 2015

I probably sat down for less than 20 minutes, but distinctly remember being asked by the host in the middle of the illuminated donut shaped table (who I now know to be Mikey) for final thoughts before I left. Pointing enthusiastically at the donut and proclaiming into the mic- ‘There should be one of these in every town centre across the country!’ In my head I left to a roar of applause and people slapping their knees in agreement (there is a small chance that didn’t happen). I did, however, feel a sense that this was a universally shared sentiment. Nearly ten years on I was lucky enough to participate in the Talkaoke Host training facilitated by The People Speak and In-situ from In-situ’s base in Pendle this Autumn. Creating a welcoming and non-judgemental pop-up talk show that encourages passionate debate, storytelling and the lost art of in person conversation.

The training taught us the importance of the stooge, tips on how to encourage participants to build creative fluid thought and respectful active listening all punctuated by a variety of campy sound effects. I managed to take part in an in-person session and meet the others which was a delight, I got my chance in the centre of the donut and it felt great, I tried not to let the power go to my head swivelling in the chair, pink mic in hand listening to interesting thoughts on child care, meditation, social media and football.

Talkaoke training session in person at In Situ, 2025

Hosting is no joke. Staying impartial, keeping it engaging and maintaining the flow of conversation is a special skill to nurture. I found myself using some of the skills we learnt in the training recently in the pub whilst refereeing a particularly heated conversation about the current political climate. If only I’d had the donut table and a pink mic to aid me at the time.

The training was brilliant. Mikey, Margot and Paul put together a really fun and compelling series of workshops that built our confidence up and gave everyone the courage to have a go in the middle. I think it would be great for those that work as advocates in any sector and any area that involves audience feedback- there’s just something about the tables warm glow that can really get people to open up.

 

“There has been a rising tide of St George’s flags going up on my street. It is a melting pot of people of all ages, political and religious affiliations and wealth but it’s definitely a community. There has never been a more important time to have in person conversations”

There has been a rising tide of St George’s flags going up on my street, at least 4 on my side of the road. My neighbours on the other side migrated here in recent years and I am from an immigrant background myself and have worked in social care for the past 10 years. I feel passionately that there has never been a more important time to have in person conversations with people that celebrate and harness free thinking and bring communities together in spontaneous conversation.

It would be an invaluable resource to have the table and training in schools, hospitals, community centres, art galleries, universities, pubs, club smoking areas- and most definitely the town centre. When describing Talkaoke to my friends and anyone that will listen (I’ve become a bit evangelical about it) it always sounds like such a simple concept. But there is something that is being missed as our lives become more heavily curated. More people working from home and everything being online can make our worlds feel bigger and smaller at the same time. I’ve changed my mind about there being a Talkaoke table in every town centre, I think there should be a table and a trained host on every street.

 

If you are based in Lancashire and surrounding areas and would like to join Talkaoke events or training sessions at In Situ, please contact Paul paul@in-situ.org.uk  

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 29th, 2025 at 5:26 pm. It is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.