Impromptu Speeches

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An impromptu speech is given with little

or no preparation, usually about a topic
that the speaker knows well.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE[ EDIT ]

List ways to quickly prepare when called upon to give an impromptu

speech

KEY POINTS[ EDIT ]

Remember that you are generally in control of the content, so you

can decide what you are going to talk about and include topics you want to
talk about.

Your delivery will naturally be more conversational and

spontaneous.
Since you are not well-prepared, you may overlook some
significant information, but audience questions can often help fill in the
gaps.

Become familiar with common organizational patterns so you can

apply them in any situation using the three part speech outline of
an Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.

TERM[ EDIT ]

impromptu
Improvised; without prior preparation.
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FULL TEXT[ EDIT ]

Impromptu Speech
An impromptu speech is given with little or no preparation, yet almost
always with some advanceknowledge on the topic. When called to

speak "off the cuff" on the "spur of the moment," is is usually because
the speaker is quite knowledgeable about the subject. For example, if
called on to speak in class, a student might give a short impromptu
speech about a topic that was in the assigned readings. Business
meetings also use a "check in" to tell everyone else about a current
project. In small informal meetings, the audience will interrupt an
impromptu speech and ask questions, which helps guide the speech
and the information that is presented. When campaigning, politicians
sometimes respond to reporters or voters almost anywhere and at any
time.

An Impromptu Political Speech

Mohamed el-Beltagy, running for the lower house of Parliament, stops to give an
impromptu speech in the median dividing the main road of his neighborhood in Cairo.

Advantages
Remember that you are generally in control of the content you are
presenting, so you can include topics that you want to talk about.
Additionally, you can use personal examples from experience to
support what you are saying. Since you are an authority on the topic,
you want to speak with conviction like you really mean it. Your
delivery will naturally be more conversational and spontaneous. Since
you are not prepared with pages of notes, you are more likely to speak
directly to the audience just like if you were speaking to another person
in a conversation.

Disadvantages
Since you are not well-prepared, you may have difficulty thinking of
what to say or formulating the ideas once you get up to speak. Although
you are familiar with the topic, your speech may lack details and
supporting information. If the audience is passive and does not ask
questions to guide you, you may overlook some significant content.
Hopefully, someone in the audience will ask questions so you can fill in
gaps. Additionally, impromptu speaking is rarely appropriate for
occasions which require more reasoned discourse with supporting
ideas or more formal events.

Tips for the Speaker (Impromptu Preparation)

What do you do if you are asked to speak at the last minute? It is best
to become familiar with common organization patterns so you can
apply them in any situation and then also consider what you have been
asked to speak about. Are you presenting your opinion? State your
opinion, the reasons why you support that opinion, and conclude. Is it
something that happened? Retell the event from beginning to end
(first, next, then, etc.). Is it a demonstration? Explain each step in
the process from first to last.

Make sure to plan an introduction and a conclusion. If possible,

take a few moments to think about what you want to say to introduce
the topic and have some way of concluding.

Make a few notes for yourself on a card, phone, or iPad. Or, text
yourself a few single words to remind yourself of the important ideas.

Consider the simple three part outline of an Introduction, Body,

and Conclusion, and fit your ideas into that pattern.

Do not try to remember a detailed outline for your entire speech;

just remember the order of important points.

Be sure to stop when you have made your points.

If you do not know what to say next, you can summarize and

paraphrase what you have just said, and then will probably be ready to
move on to the next topic.
Remember that, in most situations, you will know more about

the subject than the audience. Usually you will not be called up to
speak impromptu about something you know nothing about, so you
have probably spoken about the general topic before or you probably
have knowledge to share with others.
Talk like you mean it. In other words speak with conviction. You

are explaining your ideas or knowledge and you are an authority.

Relax!

Source: Boundless. Impromptu Speeches. Boundless Communications. Boundless, 21 Jul.

2015.

Retrieved

25

Apr.

from https://www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundless-communicationstextbook/delivering-the-speech-12/methods-of-delivery-62/impromptu-speeches-248-1482/

2016