The Travelling Speaker

In most stage presentations you have a warm-up artist. Ideally your President or Toastmaster of the evening should do this. Somebody should be setting a good example of how to use the whole stage, speak loud enough to be heard, move the lectern out of the way, engage the audience.
For table topics it's often a good idea to put an experienced speaker on first to encourage the others and show how it's done well with verve and confidence and humour. That sets the tone for the evening.
If table topics come before prepared speeches, the way has been paved.