An impromptu speech is given with little or no preparation. You might not be aware of it, but you are giving mini impromptu speeches every day! Every time someone asks you a question you weren’t expecting, your answer is an off-the-cuff speech.
Typical situations in which you’ll find yourself giving an impromptu speech include:
- Job interviews
- Q&A sessions
- Meeting someone new
- Networking opportunities
- First dates
Can you really prepare for an impromptu speech?
To some degree, yes. More often than not, your impromptu speech is going to be about something you know about or have experience with. So, all you need to do is stay abreast of what you are considered an expert in, so that when called upon to talk about it, you’ll have something to say.
Also, you can give yourself practice opportunities. In Toastmasters, this is what the Table Topics section of the meetings is there to do. If you are not a member of Toastmasters, you can always have your friends help you out by asking you questions that you can practice answering.
Giving an impromptu speech
The first thing you need to do is stay calm and get grounded. Don’t just start talking because someone has asked you a question. Take a moment to give the answer some thought. During this time you can start to organize how you are going to present your answer.
Depending on how long you are expected to speak, you’ll want to give your mini-presentation a strong opening, effective body and powerful close.
One way to do this is to couch your answer in “me” or “I” language, such as “I believe …,” “My experience shows …,” or “In my opinion ….” This sets the premise for your impromptu speech.
Next, support your hypothesis with one to three supporting points, depending on your allotted time.
Then close with a brief summary of what you just said and cap it off with a strong statement.
Resources for developing your impromptu speaking skills
- Impromtu Speech: In Fifteen Minutes
By Grace Fleming, About.com Guide - Impromptu Speech: With Little or No Time to Prepare
By Grace Fleming, About.com Guide
Did you miss these?
Here are the previous posts in this “Type of Speeches” series:
- The Keynote Address
- The Training Session
- The Motivational Speech
- The Entertaining Speech
- The Demonstration
- The Information Dump
- The Inspirational Speech
- The Q & A
- The Persuasive Speech
The next post in this series is The Acceptance Speech.