IMPROMPTU
SPEAKING
SPEAKING
OBJECTIVES
By the end of
this unit, you should be able to :
·
Plan and organise an
impromptu speech
·
Apply the suggestion
on how to deliver an impromptu speech
·
Deliver a successful
impromptu speech
WHAT IS IMPROMPTU SPEECH ?
An impromptu
speech is simply a mini speech delivered with little or no immediate
preparation time given to the speaker. This happens because the speaker is
usually not informed in advance that he or she is required to speak and
decision to give the impromptu speech is made on the spur of the moment. We
might be called on suddenly to say a few words, or, in the course of a business
meeting, class discussion or a committee meeting, we may want to respond a
previous speaker. All these situations call for an impromptu speech. If such
situations arise, we should not panic as no one expects us to deliver a perfect
speech.
The time given
to deliver the speech is also short. It ranges between two to eight minutes
only. Due to lack of preparation time and the fact that many people have stage
fright, not many people like to speak impromptu. This is because, to deliver an
impromptu speech, we need to organise our thoughts spontaneously, unrehearsed,
clearly and briefly. No matter how much we hate to be put on the spot,
sometimes impromptu speech cannot be avoided as many of the speeches that we
give in life are impromptu because on many occasions in life, we have been
asked to speak on the spur of the moment. If such situations happen, what do we
do? This unit contains suggestions on how we should handle such situation and
still emerge calm and composed at the end of the delivery and above all, able
to convey meaningful messages to the audience.
Types of impromptu speech
Impromptu
speech can easily be divided into two categories: speaking in respons to a
previous speaker or speaking on a specific topic.
·
Responding
to previous spaker
There are times in a meeting or a
discussion in our daily life when we need to respond to what was said by a
previous speaker. This situation calls for an impromptu speech from the one who
is responding. If we are responding, we should pay close attention to what the
other speakers say so that our response has continuity to what was said
earlier. We ought to take notes of major points with which we agree or
disagree. By following the arguments in such a manner, we will automatically formulate
what we will say when it is our turn to speak. We can present our speech in
four simple steps. First, we should state the point wer are answering. Next, we
should state the point we wish to make. Third, we should support our points
with appropriate statistics, examples or testimony. Fourth, we must summarise
our point. This will help us to organise our thoughts quickly, clearly, and
effectively. If time permits, it is best if we could sketch a quick outline of
our points in the form of keywords and phrases on a piece of paper before we
speak. This will facilitate us in keeping to what we want to say and
safeguarding us from rambling. In most cases, for this type of impromptu
speech, we will be able to speak informally without rising from our chair.
·
Speaking
on a specific topic
This situation arises during a
gathering or even a meeting where we have been singled out to speak on either a
given topic or a topic of our choice without prior notice. If given a topic to
speack about, the person who singled us out to speak will usually give us a
topic of which he or she knows we have knowledge about. However, if no specific
topic is given, then the situation should be much easier. This is because we
can choose any topic that interests us but care must be taken to ensure that
the topic chosen must have some relevance to the occasion or situation we are
in. Criteria in deciding the topic for an impromptu speech is given in the following
sub-topic.
Topics for impromptu speech
Since impromptu
speech allowas us little or no time to prepare, we need to depend on our ready
knowledge about a subject to speak. Must of the time, when asked to give an
impromptu speech, we are either given the choice to choose the topic of our
delivery or if the topic is given, the person who has assigned us the
responsibility to deliver the speech knows that we have sufficient knowledge to
speak on the topic.
If a topic is
not given, it is best to choose an impromptu speech topic that:
·
Demonstrates our
expertise
·
Relates to the purpose
of the meeting or gathering
·
Makes us feel most
confident to speak about
·
Makes us like talking
about it
·
Allows us to speak off
the cuff within a short duration of time.
Structure of an impromptu speech
Like any other
oral presentations, an impromptu speech also requires some forms of
organisation. The preparation time may be little or non-existent, but the
audience still needs to follow our points or lines of arguments. Since it is a
listening activity for the audience, and what is said is heard once and for
all, we therefore need to help them by having an opening, a body and a
conclusion to our impromptu speech.
The following are
some suggestions on what to include in each of the three main parts of our
impromptu speech.
·
Opening
We should begin our opening speech by
addresing the Chairperson or Master of Ceremony and thanking her or him for he
opportunity given to speak. This is then followed by a brief introduction to
the topic of the speech or an opening sentence to the topic. The aims of this
is draw the audience’s attention to the topic delivered and to get them to
focus on the speech. Since the delivery time is rather short, it is therefore
important that the opening speech starts with a strong opening statement that
can capture the attention of the audience.
·
Body
The body of the speech should contain
two to main points which centre on a central theme or a thesis statement. Each
of these main points should be developed with relevant supporting details.
Since it is a listening activity for the audience we should assist them as
musch as possible in the listening. Thus, in conveying our message, we should
use clearly worded simple sentences and try to link the points to the theme of
the speech. In addition, generous use of connective devices or linkers is
recommended. These linkers include the following: firstly, secondly, afterwards, at the same time, in addition, likewise,
on the one hand, then, lastly, etc.
·
Conclusion
The conclusion of our impromptu speech
should be brief and simple. We want the audience to be informed and entertained
at the time within the limited time given to deliver the speech, so we have to
leave them with a good impression. We need to end the speech with an elegant
closing that links back to the opening statement. The speech should end by acknownledging
the Chairperson or the Master of Ceremony.
Sources of content of an impromptu speech
An impromptu
speech is based mainly on a topic of which the subject we are most familiar
about. Therefore, it is good if we could personalise the content because the
audience can relate more easily to personal topics. It should also contain our
own opinion rather that extracts of other people’s response to the issue in
question. After all, we have little or no time to prepare for it; therefore it
will be a difficult task to talk about something of which we have not
researched on. Including humour in our impromptu speech can break the ice with
the audience and this helps us to relax. We can also include current events or
something that we have read or seen on television, newspaper or books, or
knowledge of pertinent facts. This can help the audience to relate better to
our topic of speech as they too may have some knowledge in these areas.
How to give a successful impromptu speech
Speaking in
front of an audience can be a daunting experience to many people; be it a
prepared or impromptu speech. The following are some suggestions on how to give
ourselves more confidence in giving impromptu speeches to reduce any nerves we
might have.
·
Give
ourselves time to prepare for action
When it is time for us to deliver the
speech, we should not rush to start the speech immediately. Take deep breaths,
rise slowly from our chair and walk slowly but confidently to rostrum or stand
behind and away from our chair. While these actions are taking place, we should
take time to compose our throughts and decide on the purpose and plan of our
speech. Think about the opening sentence and how we can capture the attention
and interest of our audience to remain interested in our speech.
·
Feel
confident
Confidence is the key factor in
delivering any type of speech. We can boost our confidence by looking around at
hte audience and giving them a pleasant smile the rostrum or the chain in front
of us or put out hands in our pockets.
These are signs of nerveousness. Speak and act in a confident manner and while
the speech is being delivered look out for positive non-verbal feedback from
the audience for further enhance our confidence.
·
Deliver
slowly
When it is time for us to speak, give
ourselves time to think ahead and organise our throughts. We should not rush
through the points. Instead present them in an orderly manner so that audience
will have time to absorb and respond to what we say. Also, by delivering
slowly, it can reduce the false starts, the ‘umms’ and the ‘ahhs’ in our
speech, making it pleasant to the ears.
·
Focus
on the topic
Staying focused on the subject while
delivering the speech is yet another key factor that determines the success or
failure of our delivery. While delivering, we should keep our focus on the
subject by developing the topic with relevant supporting details and examples.
We should think positively and not allow negative thoughts such as our lack of
preparation for the speech interfere with our concentration. We should talk
direcly to the audience and adapt to their feedback. Good eye contact with them
is very important as it can enhance our confidence and show our interest and
enthusiasm on the topic. In delivering the speech , keep the message brief and
direct to the point. After all, the time alloted for the speech is short, so we
should maximise the time given and not ramble or say too much on the topic. One
last word of advice is to speak at the audience’s level. We should choose the
language and words that are appropriate to their level.
Ways to determine the content of an impromptu speech
We may not have
the time to prepare for our impromptu speech but it is advantageous if we could
roughly know what should be included in our speech depending on the type of
impromptu speech we are expected to deliver. The following suggestions are for
guidance only. They may help you to think very quickly just in case you will be
called upon one of these days to deliver a speech. Of course different speakers
have their own techniques that suit their style of speaking.
·
Expressing opinion
methods
When asked to express an opinion or
respond to a particular issue such as in a meeting or a group discussion, what is required of us
is to inform, to persuade or to inspire. In such a situation, the best way
handle it is to do the following:
Make our point (Opening)
State
our reason for making the point (Body)
Give
an example to justify our previous remarks (Body)
Link
the conclusion back to the opening statement (Conclusion)
·
Past, present, future
method
Sometimes, we may be asked to comment
or respond to a particular topic. When responding to this, we may want to
follow the following helpful suggestions:
Make
our point as brief’s possible (Opening)
Reflect
on what happened in the past or based on past issue (Body)
Connect
to what is happening today (Body)
Predict
what could happen in the future (Body)
Remind
our audience what our speech is all about (Conclusion)
·
Other methods (Body)
There could also be other methods or
approach that we can adopt when delivering an impromptu speech. The bottom line
is, as suggested before, we need to have the opening, body and conclusion to
the speech. The following are the other methods that we may want to employ
during our impromptu speech:
Cause,
effect and remedy
Before,
the event, the result
Local,
state, federal
Good,
bad, indifferent
The method that
we employ in delivering our impromptu speech is not as important as the message
itself. If we are able to get the message across leaving the audience with
something to ponder upon, our mission has already been accomplished.
Benefits of impromptu speaking skills
To many
inexperienced speakers, delivering an impromptu speech can be a nerve-wrecking
experience. However, the experiences itself can bring a lot of benefits to the
speaker. These advantages include.
·
It improves our oral
expression of thought
·
It develops our
confidence in public speaking
·
It encourages us to
think quickly on our feet
·
It develops leadership
and communication skills
